Meet Victor Yanez | A maker

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

Hi Victor, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Upon returning from a deployment to Iraq, I endured a divorce and starting from scratch. During this time, I endured financial difficulties, where I decided to make some extra money to keep my head above water per se. During this phase I wanted to create more different ideas and the way way I knew was incorporating items I saw everyday with a demand of people wants and ideas. As time went on, speaking with customers and day to day people , ideas Began to flow where I took on more work, making me research or think out how it would work, sparking the creative side of me

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Entering the United States Navy after high school, I traveled plenty observing various cultures and ideas. I later found a calling as a police officer in southern Arizona, I endured plenty of bad situations , where I was called up for deployment in Iraq, things for me had changed and struggles with the mental challenges and working through them..

It later became clear the direction, I need to go with the push of a friend who deployed with me and business owner. I learned take the time listening and truly understand the customers and take a few moments to assist the direction the customer wishes to go. Treating each project with 100% focus and time.. I want the customer to understand and see they are the most important part of the build. I accomplish this by having them involved as I’m progress with the build.. I do not want to make this an assembly line.

Attempting to create items which cannot be found locally and a good quality. While attempt to meet or exceed the customers expectations.

Arriving to my current state, was not easy, moreover dealing all aspects of the business has definitely has it’s ups and down. With the opposite side of the coin plenty of benefits, all this has become an outlet for the PTSD, I live with day to day. It allows for peace with my mind, having the ability to create a product for that specific customer does being a high level of joy. The problem solving of making an item come to life based off an idea and completing work is the best feeling for me.

Learning who to listen from feedback, living and working near the Mexican border and the culture has a tendency to haggle for prices. Placing the best reasonable price. One saying always sticks with me, “ it’s way easier to make customer into a friend , rather than a friend into a customer”.

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?
Living in an area where there is not much to see, I would have my friend enjoy the Sonora Mexico enjoy both the day life of various restaurants and later the night life.

Majority of my good friend enjoy long road trips with little and no planning. Just go with it kind of mind set

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
A huge influence person in creating ideas has always been my best Dana Mattocks and seeing such builders for example Jimmy Diresta, ZH Fabrication and so on. The idea of creating a piece of art for items which have been discarded.

Website: www.yanusmf.Wordpress.com

Instagram: Yanusmetalfabrication

Facebook: Yanus Metal Fabrication