Meet the Owner
Austin Whitehead
Specialty Welding Services
Missouri welder. Network founder. The guy who answers the phone.
15+
Years Welding
500+
Projects Completed
6
Service Categories
MO
Based in Missouri
The Story
Built the Network.
Still Runs the Shop.
Austin Whitehead's welding career started in high school at Lewis and Clark Career Center, learning the fundamentals of fabrication and shop work. From there he went to Missouri Welding Institute for heavy structural welding, pipefitting, and pipe welding, and then hit the road as a traveling welder. Over the years that followed, Austin welded pipe at industrial plants and construction sites in 20-plus states and 50-plus locations, handling new construction, shutdowns, add-ons, and expansions across refrigeration, chemical, manufacturing, refinery, and food and beverage industries. Food and beverage became his specialty: utility piping, mechanical and refrigeration piping, sanitary tubing, and orbital welding to some of the industry's toughest standards. That experience led him to start Specialty Welding Services, bringing the same standards to jobs he now runs himself with hand-selected crews. SWS has worked for Fortune 500 companies and stepped in where larger contractors needed help hitting deadlines and quality specs other shops couldn't meet. Along the way, Austin got to know other local welding contractors who shared the same commitment to doing the job right. That led to Select Welding Group, a network of hand-picked contractors who refer work, partner on jobs, and back each other and each other's customers up when it counts.
What Austin Does
Specialty Welding Services
Specialty Welding Services was founded in 2023 when Austin Whitehead set out to build a different kind of welding contractor, one that hand-selects a specialized crew for every project. Austin is one of the few welders who can do nearly anything, and his career has put him alongside some of the best specialized welders in the industry. For each job, SWS picks the right crew for the work and the location. Food and beverage, chemical, pharmaceutical, data center, or pipeline: SWS has a crew that fits. You get a skilled, specialized team, fast response, and top quality. SWS carries the qualifications, certifications, insurance, and contractor compliance programs Fortune 500 companies require. Welding and fabrication, anytime, anywhere.
Custom Fabrication
Gates, fencing, frames, trailers, and one-off steel builds. If you can sketch it, Austin can build it.
Structural Steel
Building frames, mezzanines, equipment bases, and heavy plate work for commercial and industrial projects.
Agricultural Repair
Farm equipment, implements, grain handling gear, and livestock infrastructure — Austin grew up around it.
Welding Repairs
Broken frames, cracked welds, failed brackets. Fast turnaround on repair work that needs to hold.
Mobile & On-Site
Austin runs a fully equipped mobile rig and serves farms, ranches, and job sites across central Missouri.
Aluminum & Stainless
TIG welding for clean, precise work on aluminum and stainless — food service, architectural, and industrial.
The Shop
Equipment & Capabilities
Specialty Welding Services runs a well-equipped shop with the tools to handle most jobs in-house — and a mobile rig for everything else.
- MIG, TIG, and stick welding — all processes
- Plasma cutting up to 1.5" steel
- Fully equipped mobile welding rig
- Ironworker for punching, shearing, and notching
- Press brake for sheet metal bending
- Overhead crane for heavy lifts in-shop
- Certified for structural welding (AWS D1.1)
- Aluminum and stainless TIG capability
Service Area
Central Missouri & Beyond
Specialty Welding Services is based in central Missouri and serves customers within a reasonable drive. For jobs outside the area, Austin routes projects to the appropriate Select Welding Group member closest to you.
- Columbia & Boone County
- Jefferson City & Cole County
- Sedalia & Pettis County
- Fulton & Callaway County
- Boonville & Cooper County
- Surrounding rural areas
Not in the service area? Submit your project anyway — we'll connect you with the right network member.
Central Missouri
Columbia · Jefferson City · Sedalia
Fulton · Boonville · Surrounding areas
Recent Work
Project Gallery
A sample of recent fabrication and repair work from Specialty Welding Services.
Custom Fabrication
Custom Entry Gate
Ornamental steel entry gate with scroll detail, powder coated black.
Custom Fabrication
Custom Entry Gate
Custom Fabrication
Equipment Trailer Frame
Heavy-duty equipment trailer frame, 20' deck, built to customer spec.
Custom Fabrication
Equipment Trailer Frame
Agricultural Repair
Grain Auger Repair
Structural repair on a 10" grain auger — cracked housing and flight replacement.
Agricultural Repair
Grain Auger Repair
Structural Steel
Structural Steel Package
Column bases, beam connections, and stair stringers for a commercial shop building.
Structural Steel
Structural Steel Package
Work With Austin
Submit your project through the form below and Austin will review it personally. If it's a fit for Specialty Welding Services, you'll hear back directly. If it's better suited to another network member, he'll make the right introduction.