It’s been 40 years since brothers Dennis and Dan Solberg opened up Solberg Welding in September 1985. Dennis had recently completed two years of welding training at Austin Vo-Tech and was back working at the family farm between Preston and Harmony when he heard that the Matson Welding building in Harmony was for sale. He and Dan decided to purchase the property and open up their own welding shop together. “It’s been a roller coaster,” Dennis said.
Just a year after opening, Solberg Welding moved out of the old Matson Welding building and into its current location in Harmony on 2nd Avenue. In the late 1990s, another change occurred as Dan wanted to spend more time farming, so Dennis bought out his brother’s share of the business. Dennis has been running Solberg Welding on his own ever since.
Dennis’ loyal customer base has been built through advertising, both word-of-mouth and print. “I’m continually trying to do what the customers need and try to treat them fairly,” said Dennis. “You gotta be flexible. You don’t know what’s going to come in to the shop today or tomorrow.”
Dennis has always enjoyed welding, describing it as a unique and challenging, but rewarding process explaining, “no matter if it’s a new project or repair, it’s always an accomplishment to finish it.” Dennis works with a lot of local businesses and farmers, noting that some of his current customers are the second generation he’s worked with.
Dennis especially appreciates that having his own business allowed him the flexibility to be able to show up for his kids’ activities and events when they were growing up. “To me, that made it worth it,” he explained. His son worked with him in the shop for about six years and his stepson works there currently. His wife Jody has been very supportive of Dennis’ work throughout the years, which has been a great asset to the business.
Over the years, things have changed considerably for the business. In the beginning, Solberg Welding did mostly repairs but now does a lot more manufacturing. “If someone wants a specialty thing made, we’re not so big that we won’t do it,” explained Dennis. He noted that the overhead and expenses have greatly increased since 1985 and technology has changed a lot as well. “When I first started, everything was hand-written,” he said. “We had to figure out the sales tax by hand.” Now that things are more automated, that has sped up the process of paperwork.
In July 2007, Dennis started Ironside Trailers after purchasing some property just across the road from Solberg Welding. “It goes well with the welding business,” he explained. “Being kitty corner, it’s great for utilizing equipment and manpower.” Dennis spends a lot of time going back and forth between his two businesses and has a total of four employees. The larger space of the Ironside Trailers building has been very helpful when they’re working on a big welding project. “I expanded this business by having that one,” he said.
The official 40th anniversary of Solberg Welding was on September 1, but it was just another day at work for Dennis and his employees. He’s saving the big celebration for the 50-year anniversary which he hopes to hit in another 10 years. “When I started it (Solberg Welding), I had no idea what I was getting into,” he said about being in business for 40 years. “It takes a lot of commitment, and I’ve been blessed with some good help over the years.”
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