Nick Kernic is employed full-time with the Federal Aviation Administration; however, in the evenings, he works part-time on his own personal “passion project.”
As a Pennsylvania native, Kernic has lived in several cities on the East Coast of the U.S. He recently settled in Athens a few years back after living in Savannah.
Kernic travels all over the country working for the FAA, so he’s on the road quite often. One of his favorite routes when traveling south out of the Classic City is riding down SR Highway 15 from Watkinsville to Greensboro.
Before travelers reach the Oconee National Forest on Hwy 15 north from Oconee County to Greene County, they pass by the Iron Horse sculpture, which Kernic has seen many times. He’s always been fascinated by its allure.
“It caught my attention the first time I passed by it,” he said. “I don’t know the exact history behind it, but I am aware that it used to be on UGA’s campus.”
He is right as the Iron Horse was originally placed in front of Reed Hall on the University of Georgia’s campus in Athens. It was built by a local artist, Abbott Pattison, in 1954. The 12-foot, 2,000- pound iron sculpture was then moved to a farm in Greensboro shortly after its creation because of students defacing it.
Kernic, who was recently searching for a name for his metal fabrication company, was inspired by the piece of industrial art. He named his business “Iron Horse Metal Designs” after the actual Iron Horse sculpture in Greensboro.
“Whenever I was thinking about naming my company, I wanted to catch the consumer’s eye,” Kernic said. “I wanted to market to the right demographic and show customers what I (can) do without them having to even research me - or skip over me. ‘Iron Horse Metal Design’ is the full name. You pretty much get the gist of what I am doing if you’re looking for metal work. I wanted it (the company’s name) to be geographical as well (for them) to know where I was located.”
Kernic served in the military as a machinist and welder before he moved to Savannah. He continued working as a welder while living on Georgia’s coast. Kernic then moved to the Classic City, where he enrolled at Athens Technical College.
He met a local businessman in Athens who was going out of state to get metal cut. That is when Kernic came across the idea of starting his own business. It would be his side project, but also something that he could call his own.
“The idea for starting my own business spawned from those discussions,” he said. “I thought about it for a little bit, and it took me a while to get the money for it, but after a year or so, I was able to get the business up and running.”
Kernic signed a lease at a nearby garage and purchased the necessary equipment. He bought a CNC Plasma Table, which uses a computer to cut metal.
He can program the computer to cut any 2D shape up to an inch thick. With this machine, he can make different kinds of artwork, designs and sculptures.
“I went with an American-made company that is based out of Oregon,” Kernic said. “When it was all said and done, and everything was finally purchased, the machine cost me around $25,000. … It all came down to reviews.”
Kernic then went around to different companies in the area looking for business. He traveled to nearby Oglethorpe, Wilkes, Putnam and Morgan counties.
His goal was to be the “middle man” so people and businesses would not have to travel to Atlanta to get pieces cut. Kernic also hoped his company’s name would show that he’s more local than those businesses in the state’s capital.
“There are a lot of businesses that are going up to Atlanta to get their parts, and I could be that middle ground,” he said. “I just needed to bridge that gap or find out who those people are. So far, I’ve been somewhat successful.”
Regardless, the 32-year-old is always trying to grow his business and take on new clients.
“As far as trying to get my name out there, I am still trying to work on that and figure that out,” he said. “Because I am a full-time federal employee, and this just is a part-time thing, it’s hard to give as much attention as I would like to. However, it is nice because I can grow it organically, and don’t feel pressured to make as much money. I can keep myself afloat with my full-time job and really make this more of a passion project as I keep growing it.”
Kernic has enjoyed meeting new people through his business. He can do more than custom designs, although he enjoys doing those kinds of projects the most.
“So with the businesses I work with, I just find out what they need cut,” he said. “I find out the dimensions or blueprint, and I will turn around and cut that out for them. Sometimes they supply the money and I just charge them a labor fee. On the other hand, I buy the metal and charge them labor plus cost.”
Recently, Kernic posted a picture on his Instagram of a collapsable charcoal grill. The grill is in the shape of an English Bulldog and resembles Uga. He hopes that his social media posts can help boost his business even more.
“I enjoy what I do,” he said. “I like doing these fun projects, but I can also do more advanced things, too. I have aspirations of growing my business even more in the future. This whole thing started as a hobby and now it’s a passion.”
You can view his work @ Iron_Horse_Metal_Design on Instagram and @Iron Horse Metal Design on Facebook.