It’s 9 a.m. at Southern Spear Ironworks and Phillip Richard is hard at work fabricating rods, beams and other support systems out of structural steel. He’s been working for a couple of hours now, welding by hand or using heavy machinery inside Southern Spear’s nearly 14,000 square foot main floor.

Each day, inside the plant’s open gates, a balancing act between human and machine takes place. Craftworkers transform metal into various shapes and sizes – flattening, crimping, punching and bending steel to their will.  

The factory features an impressive equipment roster that includes a Hydmech automated saw, a 200-ton press brake, a Python X robotic fabrication system and a 300-amp plasma cutting machine known as “The Dragon.” 

Learn how the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office leverages its reentry program to build a more sustainable workforce in Chattanooga, here.