Our friend Kito Delgado with Get on the box Podcast did a great job with this podcast interview, have a listen!
If you can hit a target of 500 meters, you can cut that straight and perfect. – Anthony Guadagnino
Listen to the podcast and read the show notes at kitodelgato.com »
Thank you to News Channel 13 for this feature of Veteran Made Woodworks! Click here to view the interview as aired on News Channel 13.
November 09, 2017 05:51 PM
MELROSE — A group of veterans in Rensselaer County has gone from defending the flag to building it.
Veteran Made Woodworks in Melrose makes custom handcrafted wooden flags.
Cut, stained, painted, burned, and finished. It’s a group of woodworking Betsy Rosses making these, and every one of them has served.
“The piece that you’re getting, it’s made by a vet, a service member, or a police officer,” said Anthony Guadagnino, Owner and Lead Carpenter.
All the work is done at Anthony’s garage, basement, and now a second building at the end of his driveway. He served in the Marines, then the Army. He’s currently at the Watervliet Arsenal.
It all started when a veteran buddy helped him fix his house, and Anthony thought he’d build something to thank him.
“He said, ‘I don’t want anything’, well, I made him a flag. And the first flag, it’s kind of funny, because our flags are top notch now, and the first one we kind of critique it now. It was originally from pallets,” said Guadagnino.
People really liked the rustic look. So Anthony took a Boots to Business class at the Arsenal, enlisted the help of other vets, including the guy who he gave the first flag. The business has been up and running for two years and now the requests are rolling in from all over the country; 60 to 80 a month.
“I didn’t realize how fast it was going to take off, but it’s all good, work harder,” said Guadagnino.
And they work hard. The crew shows up after their full-time jobs to start working every night at 6.
“That means it’s something special, because I’m coming from my day job, I’m coming out here to work, I look forward to it. We hang out together, we like each other, and we have a lot in common and we’re doing something that has meaning.”
You can buy a flag at www.veteranmadeny.com.
When we get the chance to hear the story behind one of our flag orders it’s a special thing for the whole team. This flag in particular is very special. It’s headed to the CO and flight leader of the Blue Angels. You read that right…the US Navy’s flight demonstration squadron made up of aviators form the Navy and Marine Corps. Such an honor for our team to be able to provide! Who knew crayon eating Grunts we’re capable of so much?? Fun fact: each order comes with a hand written note from the Boss!
Veteran Made Woodworks has been featured at Spectrum Local News!
Anthony Guadagnino has served under the flag his entire adult life.
“I’ve been serving this country for 18 years. Making the flag just works,” said Guadagnino.
The longtime Marine has found a second career honoring Old Glory by crafting decorative wooden flags. From his home in Melrose, Guadagnino runs Veteran Made Woodworks. It is a two-year-old business with five employees, all of them veterans.
Guadagnino is a graduate of Boots to Business, a free entrepreneurship program offered to veterans and their spouses at no cost.
“This program has given me that path to say ‘I am not going to work for anybody when I retire,’ ” he said.
A session was held at the Watervliet Arsenal Friday.
“This is a valuable curriculum, just based on the veterans are getting trained in the military on leadership skills, tenacity, values, and that can transition right into entrepreneurship,” said Director of Veteran Business Outreach Center Amy Amoroso.
It’s put on by the Arsenal Business and Technology Partnership and the Small Business Administration. Congressman Paul Tonko sponsored the event.
“The two of them provide just a great foundation by which to prepare yourself for the business plans you require,” Rep. Tonko said.
Guadagnino credits the course with giving him the skills to expand. He recently built a workshop next to his house.
“The whole idea of creating something that everybody can stand behind and rally around and spreading patriotism, that means a lot to me, more than money ever will,” Guadagnino said.
Why the distressed look and not clean?….Because we’ve been through some shit, our scars make us who we are. Florida brace for impact we are praying for you. “She’s been through the fire before and I believe she can take a whole lot more”