Having been in business for nearly a year, owners of Spark n’ Grind Custom Welding Studio, Tom and Mandee Schroeder, have flown under the radar without a website or social media presence, but that hasn’t stopped them from staying busy.
From handrails to planters, railings, gates and gabions, Tom and Mandee have been putting their decades of metalwork and design to the test in Fountain Hills.
“I’ve done countertops, fireplaces, backsplashes and super high-end interior railings,” Tom said, “I take pride in the craftsmanship, so all the welds are ground and polished and smooth.”
Inside the studio, a large curtain separates the front office from the welding studio where Tom spends most of his time. It also separates the business and the “party” side of Spark n’ Grind where a cornhole station is located and a UTV is parked inside with Spark n’ Grind’s motto printed on the tire cover, “Your Dreams…One Spark at a time.” Mandee runs the front office while Lexi, the Sheepadoodle, is the office mascot who prances around waiting for attention.
“She loves to come to work every day,” Mandee said of their five-year old star employee.
Licensed, bonded and insured, Spark n’ Grind Custom Welding Studio began 20 years ago when Tom and Mandee were married in Wisconsin. The couple started two businesses together while raising their three children. Tom, a welder fabricator by trade, changed course and operated an independent trucking company while Mandee ran her own hair salon. In their free time, Tom and Mandee scavenged for metal at swap meets, auctions and garage sales to create unique metal designs.
With an associate degree in industrial welding, Tom wanted to get back into the career he always loved. He sold his trucking company in exchange for a welding job and took up a part-time teaching gig as a community college welding instructor.
Tired of the Midwest winters, Mandee sold her salon of 15 years and the couple moved west to Fountain Hills in the Fall of 2020.
“We looked at each other and said, ‘If we’re going to do it, we better do it now because we’re getting too old. We can’t be waiting another 10 years or something,’” Mandee said.
Within two years of moving to Fountain Hills, Mandee and Tom opened up shop on Enterprise Drive and business hasn’t stopped.
“I’m his muscle,” Mandee said, who does everything but weld, including scheduling, bidding and transporting metal.
Mandee said much of their work lately has been metal repair, adding that metal lawn furniture can oftentimes be easily repaired with a little bit of elbow grease.
“Tom takes a lot of pride in the material he uses,” Madee said. “He can deal with aluminum, stainless steel, wrought iron, German silver, copper, brass, all metals, where not everybody has that ability.”
As a custom welding studio, projects are many times built onsite to ensure a precise fit and everything is ground together.
For Mandee, her favorite parts of her job are helping customers see their ideas come to life, coming up with new ways to design and meeting new people every day.
“Creating is my favorite part,” Tom said, who recently helped a customer repair a spare tire holder on their Jeep. “Problem-solving and those types of things are what sets us apart.”
The two are loving desert living, starting a new business and making their dreams come true, Mandee adds, now there’s only one question left to be answered. Who’s the spark and who’s the grind?
“That’s questionable at this point,” she said. “But what we do know, together, we strive to make all your dreams come true. One spark at a time.”
Spark n’ Grind Custom Welding Studio (ROC# 340386) is located at 17030 E. Enterprise Dr., Suite A. They are open throughout the week by appointment by calling 623-262-0907.
