#sparkchamber 012521 — Pa'Trice Frazier
We’re all about the literal spark in #sparkchamber today as we welcome welding advocate Pa’Trice Frazier. Welding harnesses fire — a spark lights a torch which is skillfully focused to fuse metal to metal — to both unite and strengthen.
The figurative spark that ignited Pa’Trice’s passion for welding was a newspaper article she read with her grandmother in 2008, outlining an anticipated shortage of 200,000 welders in the United States by 2010.
She signed up for classes — Spark. Fire. Magic. — and fell in love with the art and science of the craft. Two years later, in 2010, she was certified in all aspects of welding. “Welding then was 99.5% white males. I was like, man, this is going to be interesting.”
Now a certified master welder, Pa’Trice has worked — “Helmet down. Zonin’ out. Fire. Some good music in the background.” — on a number of high-profile projects, including Spanx Headquarters, and MARTA Buckhead Bridge in Atlanta, Georgia, the LG Custom Touchscreen Displays in Alpharetta, Georgia, and the award-winning River Alive permanent exhibit at the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She also helped to build Mercedes Benz Stadium — home of the 2019 Super Bowl. “Seeing the Super Bowl and people playing there and being safe and actually seeing my work — it’s amazing.”
This article and video from the Philadelphia Enquirer tells more of her story, demonstrates her grit, and shows the “unicorn” nature of a woman — let alone a black woman — in the world of Welding.
Ever pressing forward, pedal to the metal, Pa’Trice looked to share her passion with others. She is a motivational speaker, and founder of Weld Jointed, an organization aimed at educating future welders, and increasing awareness of the welding and joining trade. She is on a full-on mission to “get this percentage of [black/female] welders higher.
In her own words:
“Welders keep our lives together. It is so underrated because a lot of people don’t really know what goes into the buildings and bridges around them. They don’t think about the people that put them together.
The more that people know about tradespeople and the importance of skilled trades, the more they can help America with its infrastructure. If there are no welders, how are we going to fix these bridges and tunnels? Without welders it will fall apart.
This is highly skilled work. I find this type of welding really easy to do. Maybe it’s because I’m a woman and we use our hands — I am taking advantage of this natural skill. Women have a natural ability to weld — they can lay a bead down that is perfectly straight. Maybe it comes from having to put on our makeup!? If more people had to try to apply eyeliner from the age of 13 on, they would have perfect welding skills! Women need to know the details about this industry — they need to know how much you can make, where your skills will take you, what kind of work you can do. You can live a good life welding — the sky is the limit. It’s up to you.
I am so grateful to have this skill but I know that I can do so much more for the future of welding by spreading the word and the knowledge. I can only physically weld one pipe at a time, but if I can teach groups of people how to weld, I can help many more people live better, bigger lives. You want to learn the skill, we’re here.”
And she never stops. “This world is fascinating, and I’m always learning new things — even while I continue to teach. I believe that once you stop learning, you stop growing and evolving.”
1.] Where do ideas come from?
Demand — if there is a demand for something, I am going to devise it. Right now, I look at the field of welding and I think about what it’s lacking and then I try to fill that lack. What the welding trade currently lacks is 1. Awareness 2. A good program to teach the trade to students. 3. Perception. Believe in welding as a great career and you will make it happen for yourself.
2.] What is the itch you are scratching?
My number one motivation is that my culture doesn’t know about welding — I want to get black people to fall in love with welding — show him or her a better life than just getting by in a minimum-wage, low-skilled job. I want people to get excited about something they never knew about — open up their eyes to a world of possibilities. I am passionate about welding and it’s my goal to become the poster-child for welding in America. I am an advocate for welding, period. I am looking to partner with a company like Nike to build better welding gear, and I am also looking to put out a reality show about welding.
3.] Early bird or night owl? Tortoise or hare?
I am an early bird, I am up in the morning while everyone else is asleep, I am an early girl. I like to get the job done. Whatever is happening in my schedule, I like to get it done before 2:00 p.m., and then I have time to work on other things and time to learn.
4.] How do you know when you are done?
Never, I will never be done. I will be an old lady teaching people how to weld and running programs. My company right now is on an awareness tour to encourage the next generation of women in welding and I won’t stop spreading the word about this industry.
