Wasilla welder makes metal dreams come true

May 8, 2005

BOB MARTINSON/Frontiersman reporter

John Root can fabricate out of steel just about anything his clients need.

The welder from Wasilla operates Visions Steel out of his home near Church and Pittman roads and offers to build what they need, when they need it.

"I often work on plows at three in the morning, so guys can keep working. I get a lot of that," Root said. "But sometimes, they just have an idea that they dreamed up and I can help with making that a reality. One guy came in and was leaving on a trip and needed a quick fabrication for towing his trailer, so I fixed him up."

Root's "vision" is artistic, and while he does practical applications, he also constructs art. He makes hand-crafted bird and ferret cages, lawn ornaments, wall hangings that resemble fish.

"I have designed a lot of things, but some people want lots of one thing like plant hangers, like the city of Wasilla did, or flag holders, like Home Depot ordered right after 9-11-01," he said.

Root constructs custom hand railings for businesses, builds truck racks, attachments for ATVs, or anything a customer has a wish for.

"I'm quite innovative and I have built all kinds of stuff, just by spending some time thinking on it and planning it," he said. "And I don't sit around, I keep busy all the time."

Some of Root's ideas are made for mass production. He designs jigs that are set up for building identical products at a quick pace, so he can keep up with the demand.

"When Home Depot came to me and asked for the flag holders, I was a little overwhelmed for a minute when they said they wanted to start out with about three to five hundred," Root said. He managed to meet the production demands of the store and did it by himself. There are no other employees.

One of Root's more recent innovations is a portable tree-friendly viewing platform for hunters or bird watchers. The welded frame can be ferried by trailer behind a four-wheeler to the site and then the platform can be put together on the ground and hoisted into the tree by an apparatus.

Once in place, the steel beams supporting the platform pinch together with bolts to hug the trees on either side, instead of invasive bolts or nails. The platform is then covered by a camouflage tarp and paneling for the floors and walls.

"I think this is one of my more Wasilla-type designs that I've come up with, considering all the hunters around here," Root said.

Root is open for business anytime and anywhere.

"If it is metal, I can fix it, build it, or I will find out how. I take all jobs that come my direction and pass nothing up."

To find out more, people may call Visions Steel at 376-4766.

Contact Bob Martinson at (907) 352-2269, or bob.martinson@

frontiersman.com.