Met-Con Ornamental Wrought Iron
Met-Con of Topeka is in the business of ornamental wrought iron. The majority of its projects are gates, fences, handrails, window well grates, staircases, and other functional pieces, but they are proud of their custom and decorative work, too. Owner Rito Saenz notes that he and his crew can work with customers to design unique pieces.
“We can pretty much custom build whatever you want,” he said.
The company has been in operation since 1955 and has been under Saenz’s ownership since 1973. Saenz says he was always interested in welding and originally came to Topeka to take classes at the technical college, which landed him a job at Met-Con. When he was offered the opportunity to take ownership, he jumped at the chance. Saenz did not have training or a background in business, but he says that it came pretty naturally.
“If you really want it, it comes easy,” he said. “This is what I always wanted to do, and I was lucky to come into an already established business.”
Saenz says that if you drive around Topeka, you will see Met-Con’s work all over the place. Have you ever noticed that striking horse mailbox on Croco Road? That was created by Met-Con. Recently, the company completed a large gate studded with handmade sunflowers for a property on Button Road. Years back, a life-sized deer welded by the company was featured in the Arts section of the Topeka Capital-Journal. Less noticeable, but just as important, are Met-Con’s fences and rails.
"Our job is to help them design the best product to do the job and measure up to the vision.”
Met-Con works with both businesses and homeowners, and much of the volume of their work comes through contractors who are building homes. Exact measurements aren’t available for some of the work they need to do until after much of the home building process is complete, which means that the company has a tight turnaround in order for everyone to meet their deadlines.
At a recent morning in the shop, sparks flew as men cut metal to size. Others worked to stack materials or bend iron into shape. The company is small, only five full-time employees, plus Saenz. Several of the crew are family. One of Rito’s grandsons actually helped build the sunflower gate.
Damian Laster is a fabricator and welder, and is also Rito’s son-in law. Pride in his work and in the company is obvious.
“I like making something from nothing,” Laster said. “We start with a pile of iron bars and turn it into something that will be there long after us, something that makes an impression.”
Laster says that one of the biggest challenges of the work is bringing together form and function.
“We need our pieces to be up to code but we want them to look good, too,” he said. “Often someone doesn’t know what exactly it is that they need, but they know what the piece needs to do, or they have an idea about how they’d like it to look. Our job is to help them design the best product to do the job and measure up to the vision.”
