Today we’d like to introduce you to Javier Ortiz.
Hi Javier, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Javier was born and raised in a small hillside home in rural Mexico. From a young age of 16, he began working small jobs to help bring in money to help support the family, and eventually began to learn how to weld. After gaining enough experience, he discovered his talent in welding and metal fabrication, and would make it his career path and legacy, no matter where he went. After many years of hard work and strict saving, he moved to the United States to seek the American Dream, and continued his work in welding. He was granted citizenship, saved up enough money to bring my mother and older sisters to the United States, and was a sought-out talent in Houston’s metal fabrication scene.
Javier was self-made in that he taught himself fluent English, learned how to use AutoCAD to make his own shop drawings, and even pioneered his own methods of measuring and templating staircases so that he could fabricate stair railings in the shop, as opposed to inside of the house like many fabricators used to in the past, and might still do today.
Javier knew he could take his skills to the next level, and put his savings to work when he started Metal Railing of America with his co-worker and co-owner, Clyde King. Clyde was a quick, smart, and tough salesman and project manager, able to bring in and keep up with enough work for up to 25 employees all on his own. Together, they ran the business for 20 years, building the finest ironwork in Houston, from the finest homes of River Oaks to the peaceful scenes of rural ranches.
Clyde King passed away in December of 2020 with lung cancer. Though he can never be replaced, I’ve put my best foot forward to carry on his work as a salesman and project manager at the Metal Railing of America alongside my dad, Javier, and my mentor Rick Smith.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Working in custom fabrication is never easy, especially when you’re dealing with rough metalwork in some of the finest homes you’ve ever seen. The biggest struggle though, has been throughout this pandemic. In December of 2020, co-owner of Metal Railing of America, Clyde King, passed away due to lung cancer. He was the only salesperson and project manager of the company and was incredibly good at it. We had to shuffle amongst the pain and grief to find someone who could continue his work while passing on the knowledge. Luckily, we found Rick Smith, who now leads our sales and project management department and has helped us recover from what could have been disastrous to the company. The struggle hasn’t ended there though. With the pandemic still looming, prices of iron, steel, aluminum, and their accessories have been on the rise. Some materials are either almost always on backorder, or have just been discontinued altogether. Oil-based enamel paint, which is ideal for metal applications, has been our most recent struggle, as it’s nearly impossible to find without searching store-to-store on some days. Though the struggles continue today, we will always do our best to provide our customers the finest custom ironwork that money can buy.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Metal Railing of America is a custom ironwork fabricator that was established in 2001. We build custom fences, gates, railings, trellises, doors, windows, mirror frames, you name it! We even work with special metals like brass, stainless steel, and nickel silver on occasion. Not many custom metal fabricators can say the same! I’d say the quality of our work is what sets us apart from others, and that quality comes from our employees. We’ve gathered some of the finest talents in custom iron fabrication throughout the city of Houston who’ve known how to work with iron for their entire lives!
What I’m most proud of brand-wise would be some of the exquisite work we’ve done for some of Houston’s finest residencies. Our work can be seen all around Houston, including River Oaks, Tanglewood, Piney Point, and even at the Houston Oaks Country Club!
I want your readers to know that we welcome their requests for whatever new ironwork they need! Whether it’s a small railing to help them get up their doorsteps, or an elegant fence around their house for peace of mind, we’re here for them. We also welcome any and all custom home builders, designers, architects to try us out, even if it’s just for a quote! If you’re ever having trouble with your automatic drive gates, feel free to call us! We’ve got a technician who can fix just about any problem you’re having.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
Clyde King played a pivotal part in the company’s success as the face of the company for all of our clients in our first 20 years. As co-owner with Javier, he took in and kept up with all of our clients, dozens of jobs at a time, and did it with ease. Though he’s no longer with us, we will always remember him. Rick Smith helped to keep the company afloat in our hardest times after the loss of Clyde king, and plans to stay with Metal Railing for the foreseeable future as Lead Project Manager and Sales Rep. He helped us to pick back up on all of our jobs after Clyde King had passed away.
Contact Info:
- Email: metalrailing@sbcglobal.net
- Website: https://mrofa.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/metalrailingofamerica/?hl=en
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