Kenna native wins welding award

Kenna native Rod Lambirth’s welding techniques are now award winning.

Lambirth took two top awards in March for his welding at the National Ornamental and Miscellaneous Metals Association competition in Tulsa.

Lambirth won a silver award in the driveway gates category and a bronze award for interior railings ferrous category.

“This is a world-wide competition that rod iron companies enter every year,” Lambirth said. “There’s only three places, so if you place first, second or third you’re pretty good. I’m patting myself on the back a little.”

Lambirth earned the silver and bronze competing against 800 companies in the U.S. and nine foreign companies.

Lambirth owns and operates Rod Iron Rod in Odessa,Texas, and has won other awards with the association, including gold awards in 2003 for staircase work.

“The competition works by members getting to vote and what we do is set-up a gallery at our annual conference,” NOMMA Executive Director Todd Daniel said. “Members walk through the gallery and they vote. They have a little clipboard and every company has one representative that is allowed to vote.”

Daniel said Lambirth is one of the fun and upbeat metalworkers in the association.

“Rod is a serious contender,” Daniel said. “The categories he entered are very competitive.”