From tractors and combines to boats, docks and trailers, Bluestem Welding brings welding and mechanical services directly to customers throughout northeastern South Dakota. For owners Broderick and Shelby Everson, the Langford based business grew out of a desire to try something new, put Broderick’s welding skills to use and build a business of their own.
The couple officially started Bluestem Welding in 2022 after Broderick had spent several years working as an aircraft mechanic. Although welding was not the career path he originally pursued, it was a skill he had carried with him since high school.
“I had a really good shop teacher in high school who taught me,” Broderick said. The teacher even encouraged him to pursue welding as a career, but he ultimately chose a different direction.
Broderick, originally from Pipestone, Minnesota, and Shelby, a Langford native who graduated from Langford Area High School in 2016, met while attending Lake Area Technical College in Watertown. Broderick studied aircraft maintenance, specializing in jet mechanics, while Shelby earned a degree in human resources and business. The couple married in 2018 and initially moved away from the area for Broderick’s work.
His career took them to South Sioux City, Nebraska, and later Oxford, Mississippi. He worked on commercial airliners before moving into private jet maintenance, a job that brought some unusual experiences, including traveling with clients and attending the Super Bowl in Atlanta as an on call mechanic.
While the work offered opportunities to travel and see new places, the unpredictable schedule eventually became difficult to manage.
Broderick often spent long stretches away from home, making it challenging to balance his career with family life. In 2019, the couple returned to northeastern South Dakota, where he began working as a tractor mechanic for Vern Johnson at Dakota Country Repair in Eden.
The move brought them closer to family and the community, and it also gave Broderick an opportunity to explore his interest in welding. He later worked at Dave’s Marine in Webster, where he gained additional experience with the trade, particularly aluminum welding. He worked on docks and boat lifts, developing skills that would become an important part of his future business.
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