Latest company news

Fergus Falls Daily Journal article December 2005

Grant County Herald article October 2005

A letter to our customers, July 2005

We are sending out this letter to notify everyone of some changes which are happening to our business. The first is to introduce Lance Johnson to everyone. Lance has purchased Tom’s portion of the business. Lance brings with him many years of operating a service orientated business. With his and my knowledge and experience we feel we will be a more competitive and progressive business allowing us to better meet the needs of you, our customer, now and in the future.

 The first noticeable changes to our business will be our business name and physical location. With the core of our business being metal fabrication and welding, we felt our name just didn’t fit. So with that in mind and looking ahead to our future goals we have decided on the new name of AmeriFab Industries, Inc. As for our new location, we are excited to be moving into a 16,000 square foot facility located in Elbow Lake Minnesota. This larger facility will provide us with great opportunities to increase efficiencies handle larger projects and allow us to add new equipment and processes. The first equipment purchase we have made is a high definition/precision plasma cutting table. The plasma table has the capabilities to cut up to 1 ¼” thick plate at production speeds and has a cutting area of 8’ x 20’. We are expecting to have the table arrive late July and we will be up and running shortly there after.

I have listed below our new mailing and shipping address along with new contact numbers and e-mail addresses. If you have any questions, concerns or would like us to quote any plasma cutting projects, please feel free to contact us.

Thank you for your continued patronage,

Terry Gardner,

President.

Grant County Herald article June 2005

Taken from the August 2003, Volume 16, Number 2 issue of the Otter Tail Power Make it Electric Newsletter

Terry Gardner started doing contract design work out of his house in 1998. In the summer of 2000 his brother Tom joined him and they added simple fabrication and welding that was done in Tom’s garage. Later that year Otter Tail Power Company Economic Development Consultant Denny Roers helped them find a suitable building in Garfield and negotiate a favorable lease. The new location accommodates four welders but is energy efficient enough to operate during slower times when Tom and Terry work alone.

While the brothers primarily perform custom metal fabrication, they can engineer, design, build prototypes, and produce just about anything. The shop has an open-bed puncher, press brake, and equipment to weld steel, stainless steel, and aluminum. “Most small welding businesses don’t have the bigger equipment or experience using it so this helps us attract customers,” said Tom, who is certified for several types of welding.

Another way TG Concept Designs distinguishes itself is through Terry’s knowledge and use of computer-aided design software. It allows him to provide the customer with full manufacturing blueprints and even a color picture of parts or a product if needed. Terry worked for six years for ShoreMaster of Fergus Falls, where his creativity was encouraged. Now ShoreMaster occasionally contracts with TG Concept Designs for custom welding or fabrication.

Earlier this year Terry and Tom wanted to build a molded plastic prototype of a personal watercraft for children three to eleven years old. ShoreMaster rotomolded the plastic hull and became interested in promoting the product. This motorless watercraft can support up to 100 pounds and glides along the water at an adults fast walking speed. The Gardners completed two fully functional prototypes, have filed for a patent, and are looking for investors.

Caption: Unique products Terry Gardner has designed include the motorcycle receiver hitch shown above and an ATV front-wheel trailer tie down cradle. They’re promoting these products to dealers and distributors, as well as through their web site. He also designed a snow blower that’s displayed in the current Polaris catalog.

 When asked how working closely with a brother goes, both men are positive. Tom explained, “Terry knows the front end of how things are built and has creative designs. I know the back end and can tell him things about his designs that will make production more inefficient or too costly.”

 Terry added, “Tom and I work well as a team, and we enjoy bouncing ideas off of each other.”  And they can find other engineers who do somewhat similar work locally.

A letter from another satisfied Pro-V Cycle Tote owner, June 2003

Terry,

Thanks for all your help in expediting our order and delivery of the Pro-V Cycle Tote. My brother assembled the Pro-V Cycle Tote in minutes, went and picked up my new 2003 Harley V-Rod, then drove from Kansas through Oklahoma, Texas, Laredo, Northern and Central Mexico, and finally delivered it to me on the Pacific coast in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico after four days and 1840 miles!! The motorcycle trailed beautifully at cruising speeds, as well as sustained speeds up to 100 m.p.h. on the autopista (turnpike) through Mexico, over rough roads, large and unexpected speed bumps, twisting mountain passes, torrential rains, and every other torture you can imagine for your product and my new bike. This truly was a valid test of your Pro-V Cycle Tote, the quality and strength of the product and welds, the tie downs, and the Splash guard accessory socks ... and it passed all the tests!! We had absolutely no problems along the way. We had no scratches, gravel or sand marks on the bike, no problems at all!! We are very happy to have found your product, and all our friends in Mexico with bikes are now wanting to borrow ours!!!

Thanks Again,

Mike

Taken from the May 2003 issue of the Alexandria Area Economic Insights Newsletter

TG Concept Designs & Associates, Inc. has recently completed the purchase of their 3300 sq ft current building located at 111 State Street South in Garfield. They have leased the building since the inception of their company but when the owner decided to sell the building, the company was given the first option to purchase.  Established in 2000 by brothers Tom & Terry Gardner, TG Concept Designs & Associates focuses on custom welding and metal fabrication of steel and aluminum.  Besides the custom welding and fabrication, the company has three new products they are patenting, a Motorcycle Tote, ATV Trailer Tie-down, and a youth recreational peddle speedboat.   To learn more about their product line, visit their website at www.tgconceptdesigns.com.  The AAEDC assisted the company in securing the financing to purchase the building, including participation from West Central Initiative, and the Greater Alexandria Industrial Network (GAIN) Revolving Loan Fund.  The project will retain 3 jobs and is expected to create 3 new jobs.

Taken from the January 2001 issue of the Tri-State Manufacturing Association Newsletter

            It’s a time of celebration for our January Company of the Month – TG Concept Designs & Associates, Inc. recently relocated from the owner’s garage into a leased facility in downtown Garfield, MN.  Since many of the folks who read this column can remember, or at least relate to, the “garage stage” associated with starting a new company, I know you join me in congratulating this company.

            TG Concept Designs was officially founded by Terry Gardner in September of 1998.  At the time, Terry was employed full time as a designer and shop floor manager for ShoreMaster, Inc., a Fergus Falls manufacturer best known for its boat lifts, docks, and other marine items.  Working from his home computer after hours, Terry started taking on design work for manufacturers throughout the region. 

            About two years later, in the summer of 2000, Terry joined forces with his brother, Tom Gardner, to establish a welding, fabrication and design shop in west central Minnesota.  The company name was changed to TG Concept Designs & Associates, Inc.  Less than six months later, in November of 2000, the company was up and running in a 3,300 square foot building in Garfield (about 7 miles northwest of Alexandria).  The shop floor already houses several pieces of equipment, including three welding stations; a 150 ton, 10’ press brake; a 50 ton iron worker; a ¼” x 10’ shear, a band saw with mitering capabilities, and a mill and lathe for use in building in-house jigs and fixtures.  The equipment was chosen for its value-for-the-dollar and for its versatility.

            Terry functions as President and Designer for the new company, while Tom (Vice President) is the Head of Manufacturing.  Tom has over 20 years of experience in welding and metal fabrication.  Although his certification isn’t up-to-date, Tom worked as a certified welder for a number of years, welding everything from aluminum to stainless steel to cast iron.  Basically, the only welding projects that TG Concept Designs cannot accommodate are those outside of the company’s material-handling capabilities.

            Already, Terry has a couple of “notches in his belt” for outstanding design accomplishments, including the re-design of a concrete dock that ShoreMaster manufacturers in conjunction with a Swedish company.   When the Swedes visited Minnesota and saw the new design, they decided to incorporate Terry’s changes into their own dock design.  Another success story for Terry involved the complex design of an after-market snow blower that mounts on the Polaris ATV.  Terry’s redesign of a sewer vent for a local inventor reduced materials and production costs by 50%.  TG Concept Designs recently invested in an updated computer system and design software with built-in sheet metal capabilities, which greatly enhances Terry’s productivity in design work.

The talents and experience that the Gardner brothers bring to the table compliment each other nicely, giving TG Concept Designs the versatility that a young company needs.  The company has a couple of manufacturing and design successes of its own.  As of press time for this newsletter, they were awaiting a reaction to their redesign of a “movable” fish house that a professional fisherman plans to take to market.  (The “moveable” fish house is more user-friendly than the well-known “portable” fish house; ask the Gardner’s about it sometime!) 

One of the qualities inherent at TG Concept Designs is that of “initiative”; they’ll take the initiative on projects that other companies don’t wish to tackle.  That was the case with a couple of steel tubes that Voyager Aluminum was looking to bend for use in the manufacture of a boat trailer.  TG Concept Designs could not bend the tubes per print specifications; no one was bidding the job.  Following a slight redesign of the tubes, Tom fit-up their press brake with special tooling and ran some sample tubes that seem to meet Voyager’s needs.  It’s this kind of versatility and initiative, along with their production and design capabilities, that the owners wish to promote to potential customers in the region. 

Terry is currently devoting most of his Wednesdays to calling on potential customers.  This effort, along with word of mouth, will likely result in a growing customer base.  The owners hope to bring two or three additional employees on board during the next few months, as the work load increases.  By January of 2001, they plan to have a robotic welder installed on the shop floor.  The future is full of possibilities for this new welding, fabrication and design shop!

Web Changes

11-20-07 Minor updates.

12-12-05 Repaired web site errors and updated news page.

11-17-05 Removed obsolete products pages.

11-7-05 Added history page.

11-2-05 Updated web site and removed un-needed pages.

7-10-05 Updated web site with new company information.

3-9-05 Updated dealer listing and information.

11-25-04 Updated manufacturing services and general updates.

8-22-03 Added customer letters to design services page.

8-11-03 Added PDF files of brochures and owners manuals. Also started dealers listing page.

6-18-03 Added latest company news on news page.

3-3-03 Corrected problems with information request form.

12-26-02 Added links page to some of our favorite web sites.

11-14-02 Corrected typo error on the price of the splash guard sock.

11-8-02 Added picture of cycle tote splash guards, added parts page and removed under construction note.

11-7-02 Updated accessories page with picture of ATV tie down adaptor kit along with updating accessory benefits. Added customer list to service page.

11-6-02 Updated web site with minor text changes.

10-5-02 We are adding more to the site look around and let us know what you think.

10-3-02 This is where we'll announce the most recent additions to our web site. If you've visited us before and want to know what's changed, take a look here first.

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Copyright © 2005 AmeriFab Industries, Inc.
Last modified: 11/20/07