About Us

About Our Fabrication Company in Chicago, IL

Suburban Welding & Steel has been serving the Chicagoland area for over 65 years! Suburban Welding & Steel started its journey in 1952 as a one man mobile shop by our founder Robert (Bob) Karner. His attention to detail and willingness to do whatever it takes for his customers allowed him to quickly and efficiently grow his business through word of mouth. After many successful years running his mobile shop he was fortunate enough to open up a permanent shop in Franklin Park known as Suburban Welding and Manufacturing. His hard work and dedication in the field transferred seamlessly into the shop environment and the business continued to grow. While Bob was an all-around great welder with a mind that could rival the best engineers in the area he also had an undeniable heart for the Village of Franklin Park as well as the greater Chicagoland area. It was his heart and his drive to do things right that kept customers coming through the doors day in and day out. Many of his customers became great family friends and are still active customers to this day!

Bob was no stranger to adventure and pushing the limits. If he wasn’t ‘burning the midnight oil’ to keep up with the growing demand of his customers, he could be found building and racing boats, flying planes and tinkering on just about anything with a motor. Bob was a true craftsman and a pioneer in the welding and fabrication field. Those that had the pleasure of working with Bob still hold memories of him closely. He may have been ‘rough around the edges’ but he had a heart of gold and those that knew him had total confidence in his abilities. Bob was known to be a man of his word and that is still a driving force behind Suburban Welding & Steel today.

Robert Karner passed away in 2000 and ownership of the company was confidently passed on to his daughter Karen Karner and grandson Brian Kasmer who continued to preserve and grow the legacy that Bob had left them. Growing up in the shop and working with Bob regularly, Karen and Brian knew the tall task that lay before them and were prepared to take it to the next level! After continued success and increased customer demand they opened Suburban Welding & Steel in 2005. This was done as a continuation of the outstanding customer service that Suburban Welding and Manufacturing had been known for but with an increased emphasis on serving all customers, large and small no matter their needs. Repair welding and new fabrications had always been the focus of Suburban Welding and Manufacturing but we were seeing a higher demand for raw material sales so that customers of all sizes could repair and fabricate items themselves. We saw a gap in the market where customers were unable to purchase raw materials from the steel mills and found the best way to serve our customers was to offer raw material sales to them. This made it so that customers would be able to build and repair their own projects if they so desired. Doing so allowed us to thrive in all market conditions.

To this day, Suburban Welding & Steel remains your one stop shop for all welding, fabrication and raw material sales with unmatched customer service!