OUR TEAM

TEAM

Artisans, Designers, Tool Fanatics and Craftsmen and Craftswomen

Andrew Williams

founder and president

Andrew is the founder and president of IRONGRAIN. He has a diverse background in woodworking, welding, and metalworking as well as woodworking machinery design and repair. He's studied under many master craftsmen, including Paul Discoe, Wendell Castle, Garry Knox Bennett, Tage Frid, Doug Sigler, and Michael Fortune.

Darren Cockrell

Fabricator

From customizing and restoring old cars and motorcycles as a teenager to building a stone and straw bale house, Darren prefers to work with a wide array of materials to keep him learning, customizing, and thinking outside the box. He worked as a 3-D Art lab technician for many years and is a practicing ceramic artist creating wood fire vessels in wood kilns, some of which he has built himself. With an almost obsessive attention to detail he can never resist an opportunity to perfect something.

Shizue Seo

In-house architect.

Shizue is our in-house architect. She has worked on projects for a variety of clients including municipalities and wineries, and has extensive experience collaborating with city planning departments on zoning and permitting issues. She is LEED certified by the U.S. Green Building Certification Institute and is passionate about sustainable building.

Stephan Powidzki

Welder/Fabricator

Stephan is a native of Sacramento, and has been welding for over 20 years. He is an artist by trade and creates scultures out of reclaimed materials.

Colin McFadden

Woodworker

For ten years in NYC, Colin built sets, store windows and showrooms for retail and fashion giants. Upon moving to Oakland he concentrated his efforts more earnestly on furniture and cabinetry.

Andrew Williams combines a fine craftsman’s skill with the problem solving ingenuity of an inventor. His steel and wood work can be refined or rougher, as budget allows. He is excellent to work with, and can work collaboratively or independently.
For us, the back and forth of figuring things out with Andrew has always been a pleasure and very successful.

Laura Hartman

Fernau + Hartman Architects

IRONGRAIN has excelled on several Drew Maran Construction projects at merging superb woodworking and metalworking skills in a way that’s rare to impossible to find at any other company. We’ve trusted IRONGRAIN to design and execute on mechanical challenges that no one else would have been able to accomplish and the results have been great looking and long lasting. Andrew is a pleasure to work with and steps into the design conversation with an ease that allows builders and architects alike to seek his input.

Drew Maran

Drew Maran Construction

I commissioned Andrew and his team to construct a very complex, spiral wooden staircase for my home renovation. The design was so complex that it took multiple trips to the permit office just to explain it. There were significant factors (e.g., moisture) in-situ. Through it all, Andrew and his team painstakingly (lovingly, even) spent all the time required to build, assemble and finish an intricate design. It’s been 5 years since it was installed, and despite rough daily use (I have two small children) the staircase works structurally, and looks absolutely beautiful. I am working on a new project with Andrew for my new home in Lake Tahoe, and look forward to the same craftsman-like, extra-ordinary service and results.

Tip Kim

Home Owner