STI/SPFA Weld of the Year Awards were presented on Wednesday, September 24th at the STI/SPFA Future|Now Conference in Nashville, TN. The awards recognize exemplary work of the talented craftspeople throughout the steel fabrication industry.
Entries were submitted by member companies and awarded in four different categories:
- Field Welding
- Metal Inert Gas (MIG) Welding
- Submerged Arc Welding (SAW)
- Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) Welding
Submissions were reviewed by a panel of judges. Winners were selected based on the following criteria:
- Weld Quality
- Weld Difficulty
- Overall Fabrication
| Weld of the Year Winners 2025 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Field Welding | ||
| Welder: | Billy Frye | 
|
| Company: | Kennedy Tank & Manufacturing Co., Inc. | |
| Project Name: | Cleveland Cliffs - Middletown, OH Works - Blast Furnace Shell Repair | |
| Material Type: | Carbon Steel - 516-70 | |
| Materials Thickness: | 2" | |
| Size of Weld: | 13'-6" long through wall cracking | |
| Weld Position: | 2G | |
| MIG Welding | ||
| Welder: | Jacob Gordin |  |
| Company: | Kennedy Tank & Manufacturing Co., Inc. | |
| Project Name: | Heat Exchanger | |
| Material Type: | SA516-70 | |
| Material Thickness: | 0.375 | |
| Size of Weld: | 1/2" - 5/8" | |
| Weld Position: | Vertical | |
| Submerged Arc Welding | ||
| Welder: | Jeff Arinder |  |
| Company: | Boardman LLC | |
| Project Name: | 4th Stage Separator | |
| Material Type: | 316 ss | |
| Material Thickness: | 1/2" | |
| Size of Weld: | 3 to 1 Taper | |
| Weld Position: | 1G/Rolled | |
| TIG Welding | ||
| Welder: | Claxton Hymel |  |
| Company: | Boardman LLC | |
| Project Name: | Experimental Overlay Procedure Qualifier | |
| Material Type: | ERNiMo10 (Hastelloy B3) over lay on carbon pipe | |
| Material Thickness: | 1/2" | |
| Size of Weld: | 3/16 | |
| Weld Position: | 2G Rolled | |
Congratulations to all of the winners! Prizes for each winner were supplied by Beeline, National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors, and Lincoln Electric. For more information, please visit https://stispfa.org/about/awards/weld-of-the-year/.
