Business View Magazine | June 2019

143 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE JUNE 2019 and gas industry was very busy and Thompson’s had about a dozen employees. When oil and gas slowed down, they reached out to some local contacts from Bill’s pipe fabrication days and started doing work in the chemical plant industry. The company’s last oil field job was in 1990 – at that time, they changed the name to Thompson’s Welding Service. TWS began with small jobs in chemical plants in the immediate area, and that has grown to having a staff of 90 employees, including a full-time safety person and engineers. Thompson recalls, “We’ve been an ASME pressure vessel shop for 25 years. In 2007, we built a new fabrication shop and five years later we doubled the size of it. Currently, my brother Barry and I manage all company operations.” Ken is involved with everything that happens in the shop and in the field, project management, acquiring work, bidding projects, and Barry takes cares of the office side, from managing office personnel to all the financials. He admits, “People THOMPSON’ S WELDING SERV I CES , INC . say with a family business you’re asking for trouble, and we’ve had our share of issues and challenges, but we were raised in a family working environment so we try to tread lightly on the problem areas and give each other the trust and respect to get through each day. We divide our duties and try not to carry too much baggage into the next day. We know that’s how we can survive and be successful.” Thompson’s Welding Services is extremely proud of their fabrication and construction skills and is committed to building strong lasting relationships with clients. The company’s diverse experience allows flexibility to fulfill the ever-changing needs of both the customer and the project. In addition, financial stability ensures their ability to pursue very large projects, along with smaller jobs. Working every day with the goal of completing the job as scheduled, to the highest industry standards, at a competitive price, is the company’s strong suit. TWS fabricates a variety of different products but they are all custom; they don’t mass produce