Meet Becca Ludlum | Co-Owner, L4 Wood and Metalworks

We had the good fortune of connecting with Becca Ludlum and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Becca, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
We have a few businesses, actually-Steve left Raytheon in 2018 to help with our food blog and social media management business. His MBA was something that really benefitted our company and a perk of working from home with a flexible schedule was that he had extra time for hobbies, including metalwork.

In 2020, we found ourselves staying home a lot more and we created a “Covid projects” list for around the house, including making metal planters and wood shelves. People started asking if we could make and sell similar items, and L4 Wood and Metalworks was born.

Being able to add a business where we could get out from behind the computer together and work with our hands has been a blast. Steve’s father has had a hobby wood shop since Steve was very young and he has learned so much from his Dad over the years. Even though this business is new for us, Steve started with a good amount of experience.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
L4 Wood and Metalworks is a business that was formed out of a hobby-a love of working with our hands to create something beautiful.

We pride ourselves on creating something custom and meaningful for each order that comes out of our shop. This might be a small addition like offering a handwritten recipe engraved on a cutting board, or adding a set of LED lights in back of a metal sign to help draw attention to a customer’s new outdoor kitchen area.

We have grown quickly over the last two years. We started out in our garage and living room with a CNC plasma table, welder, CO2 laser, small powder coating station with an old kitchen oven, and a few wood tools. As of today we have moved into a small shop space with three lasers (two fiber and one CO2), a large sandcarver, a CNC router for wood projects, a powder coating cabinet and oven, and an industrial sander-in addition to all of the basics you’d expect to find in a wood and metal shop.

It hasn’t been easy growing as fast as we have, but it has been rewarding. Steve has helped me learn so much about pricing, workflow, and how to make business-minded decisions, and I’ve loved teaching him about fonts and design as well as how to add his personal touch to projects he makes-oh, and to trust his creativity.

I think the most important lesson we have learned is that we make a great team. Our strengths compliment one another, we work well together during both the short days as well as the long days, and we live the motto, “work hard, play hard.”

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Ohh! This is my favorite question yet. We were able to do this just last month when some friends came to visit, and it was a blast being able to experience Tucson through their eyes.

Steve and I are passionate about visiting locally owned restaurants, and love sharing our favorite spots with anyone who asks.

We’d start out by recommending the downtown location of Seis Taco for a calabacitas burrito, then suggest a walk over to Westbound in the MSA Annex for cocktails (of course, stopping in a few of the container stores to check out the local shops). You can’t just go to the MSA Annex once, though-you have to go back for ramen at Kukai. Their vegan ramen is the the best in Tucson.

We live out in Corona de Tucson, which is just southeast of Tucson. We have a gem out there, and it’s worth the drive-Argenziano’s Italian Restaurant. Their Ray’s Italian sandwich (with my favorite, their homemade dressing) is delicious, and we recommend sitting at the bar so you can chat with the owners, Dom and Annie, as they make cocktails and ring up to-go orders.

Saguaro Corners is also on the east side of town, closer to where our shop is. Sit outside and go for the sunset (even if it’s hot or cold outside-it’s worth it), because it’s right across the street from Saguaro National Park East. Their cocktails are delicious, and I have yet to order something I don’t love from their menu-the homemade chip and dip appetizer is our favorite.

We love the breweries in Tucson, and we have committed to visiting all of them. Our favorites are Dragoon (their Pils is our favorite) and Crooked Tooth (we love the Crooked Light)-both of those breweries welcome outside food and have the friendliest pint pourers in town.

Though not a brewery, the Gardens at Bear Canyon has an awesome beer selection and a large BBQ style menu. For every item on the menu, they offer a vegan option that is delicious.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There is no way we could pick just one person or even one group of people. Our family, friends, and local community are hands-down the reason we are here.

We have yet to dip into paid advertising-we rely on word of mouth referrals and I can’t tell you how much it warms our hearts when someone calls and mentions that they heard of us from ____ (enter anything there-a friend, someone at the corner store, another local business owner, or someone on Facebook).

We brainstorm with our friends and family a lot, and are so thankful for their willingness to help us out with designs and business suggestions. It truly takes a village, and ours is pretty amazing.

Website: https://L4WoodAndMetal.com

Instagram: Instagram.com/L4WoodAndMetal

Facebook: Facebook.com/L4WoodAndMetal

Image Credits
CP Photography