Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Gray.
Eric, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I had always wanted to run my own business. In late 2010, when the fabrication company I was working for suddenly closed, I had the choice of either collecting unemployment or trying to make a living on my own. I opted for trying it on my own. I began by sharing a shop facility with another fabricator who was more or less in the same situation I was. I was fortunate enough to have a few of the clients from the old shop come over with me. That helped in giving me a start. As time went on, my client base grew, with a good deal of my work being repeat customers. In 2014, I took the shop over completely, and in 2017, opened a second shop location in Middleborough.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The work has always been there. The major problem I have faced on an ongoing basis is finding dependable, qualified help, with both of those terms being operative.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Phoenix Fabrication – what should we know?
We are a metal fabrication shop, specializing in aluminum and stainless steel. The majority of our work comes from the food/medical industry (“sanitary welding”) and from the commercial fishing industry. We have done everything in our shop from repairing a broken manure fork to building the aluminum kiosk frames and stainless steel cladding for the New York Historical Society’s renovation. The thing we are most proud of, and it happens more often than you think it would, is when someone comes to us and says, “I’ve been to several places and they said this or that couldn’t be done…..”. Some of the time, “they” are right. More often than not, they are incorrect and we do it. The other thing we do is honestly try and treat everyone who contacts us the way we would like to be treated. That includes sometimes telling people that there are less expensive means for getting what they came to me for. Every business in the world makes mistakes and we certainly have. I think it’s impossible to make everyone happy. Things sometimes get messed up. The question becomes, OK, what are you going to do about it? I can say with 100% honesty that we will make every reasonable attempt to make things right.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Best, easy question. Fenway Park. Least? Parking, or the remarkable lack thereof.
Contact Info:
- Address: Phoenix Fabrication 106 Wapping Road; Back Barn Kingston, MA 02364 104 Old East Grove Street Middleborough, MA 02346
- Website: www.phoenixfab.net
- Phone: 781.424.8076
- Email: eric@phoenixfab.net
- Facebook: Phoenix Fabrication
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