Jesse Srpan Age: 24
Raw Iron Choppers Chardon, OH
UNDER THIRTY W
hen a casting producer for the Discovery Channel’s #BikerLive custom motorcycle- building competition watched chopper fabricator Jesse Srpan’s audition tape
and called to say he was interested, disbelief broke out on both ends of the phone.
The producer couldn’t believe he was talking to a
23-year-old, because he assumed someone with that much experience would be a lot older. And Jesse, president and owner of Raw Iron Choppers, who’s
“We’re pretty much slammed with work constantly,” he says of Raw Iron.
“We’re pretty much slammed with work constantly.”
since turned 24, couldn’t believe what he was hearing: “To be honest, I actually thought it was a prank phone call from a few of my buddies.”
But this was no joke. He answered yes, of course, prompted by his desire to promote blue-collar weld- ing and to inspire the next generation of welders. The segment featuring Jesse and his team building a 1940s style bike aired in June.
Building a bike from scratch for the TV crew took five weeks instead of the typical half-year, resulting in a very crunchy production schedule that forced him to delay his planned graduation with a combined as- sociate’s degree in industrial welding technology and mechanical engineering.
“It was a hard decision with being only two classes
away, but sometimes you must put 110% energy and focus into other areas,” Jesse says. Because Jesse teaches welding at the same school he attends, Lakeland Community College (Kirtland, OH), works up to 15–20 hours a day to keep up with orders for the custom motorcycles that roll out of his 11-year-old shop, and takes them to trade shows and competitions three to four months a year, it took him four years to finish his degrees, instead of the typical two.
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But his big workload hasn’t harmed the quality of his craft, according to one of his professional peers. Greg Coleman, marketing group leader for The Lincoln Electric Company, a Cleveland welding firm, wrote: “With considerable passion, talent and focus, Jesse has built his own path to achieve his goals. Weaving traditional educational experiences with hands-on knowl- edge from a number of sources,
it’s clear that Jesse is fast becoming a success in a field that merges technology, art, design and specific metalworking skills.” Part of Jesse’s success stems from the thorough training to which Coleman refers. He’s accumulated 11 American Welding Society/American Society of Mechanical Engineers welding certifications, and has also learned sheet metal fabrication, 3D CAD and practical designing and engineering skills. Next up are certifications in engine building and motorcycle mechanics.
In addition to his head-turning motorcycle metal
work, he’s had jobs ranging from making iron staircases and multistory fire escapes to non-disclosure projects for aerospace and nuclear energy clients. “We still do nuclear, but aerospace is really big,” Jesse says. His talent and skills have earned Jesse awards usu- ally won by much older, more experienced welders. He placed 15th out of 50 in the Skills USA National Welding Competition in 2010 and won the International Show Car Competition’s Rising Star award at the Cleve- land Auto-Rama in 2012. How is he so successful? “It’s about being creative, different, and doing what you love,” says this young entrepreneur. ME
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