Welding, metal fabrication, and structural steel, Hartsville, TN
The first website in 14 years, built to win prime contracts, for Carey Brothers Welding & Fabrication
Carey Brothers had run a multi-million dollar welding and fabrication shop since 2012 without a single page online. The goal was bigger than a website: move from subcontractor to primary contractor. We built the brand voice, shot original photo and video on their jobs, launched their first website, and built out LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram so a general contractor would see the company that runs the project, not the one that gets called.
By Tanner Herring · Published September 24, 2026
- Client
- Carey Brothers Welding & Fabrication, LLC
- Trade
- Structural and miscellaneous steel, stairs, handrails, architectural and landscape metalwork
- Market
- Middle Tennessee, commercial and residential
- Company size
- Multi-million dollar operation, in business since 2012
- Services
- Brand voice and industry language, original photo and video, full website build, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram buildout, pre-launch content library, ongoing monthly website management
- Engagement
- August 2025 to present
- Headline result
- The first website in the company's 14 year history, launched with a content bank already built and social profiles already live
The situation
Dean Carey had been running a successful welding and fabrication shop in Hartsville, Tennessee for over a decade. The company was doing millions a year, much of it subcontract work for larger steel contractors, and building to AISC standards.
And there was nothing online. No website. Years in business, real revenue, real capability, and nothing a prospective general contractor could find or evaluate.
Dean came to us through a referral from another local business, ready to invest and go all in on growth.
What we found
The strategic goal shaped every creative decision. Carey Brothers did not want to keep being the subcontractor. They wanted to become the primary contractor and sub work out to smaller shops as they scaled. A site that looks like a capable sub gets you more sub work. Here is what stood in the way of reading as the prime.
- No website at all, so a general contractor vetting the company had nothing to review
- No original photography or video of the shop, the crew, or finished structural work
- No defined brand voice, and the buyers here are contractors and project managers who spot generic marketing copy instantly
- Social profiles were missing or thin, not the presence of an established turnkey fabricator
- Nothing online showed the full scope they already deliver: design and detailing, project management, fabrication, and installation
What we did
First text
Dean reached out by text after the referral. That was the first conversation between us.
Coffee shop sit-down
We met at a local coffee shop to learn who the company is, how they want to look, and where they want to be in three years.
Game plan presented
We presented the full plan to Dean. He said "let's move forward with everything" that day, and work started.
More than marketing
We only do marketing, but we care about the whole business. When it helps, we connect clients with people we trust: business coaches, branded apparel and swag suppliers, and accountants. We want every client to win, not just their ads.
Brand voice and industry language
We worked directly on brand voice and the specific lingo of structural steel and fabrication. The people evaluating Carey Brothers live in this industry, so every line had to sound like it came from inside it.
On-site photo and video
Our media team got on site for the first time on October 22, 2025 to capture original video and photography for the website build: real work, real crew, real fabrication. Every shot was planned around one question, does this look like the company that manages the whole project?
Content library and early social launch
We set up and optimized all three profiles: Instagram @careybrosweldingandfab, their Facebook page, and their LinkedIn company page. Instagram became the standout.
- Built a content bank ahead of launch so they could publish consistently from day one
- Set up LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram from scratch and optimized each one to look established, not thrown together
- Advised starting social posting before the website went live, since brand presence does not depend on a site existing
Website launch
The first website in the company's history went live at cbweldandfab.com, built to read as a professional, established, turnkey steel contractor.
Ongoing website management
We continue to manage the site every month: security checks, updates, and new project photos as jobs complete.
Our team went on site at the Carey Brothers shop in Hartsville, Tennessee to capture real crew, real steel and real sparks. No stock photos, every image on their website and social profiles came from this shoot.
The same positioning carried into their sales collateral, so what a contractor sees online matches what lands on their desk.
Visitors decide in about 1.4 seconds whether to stay on a website. So the Carey Brothers home page opens on a moving background of footage from the same shoot, with sparks, steel and crew, to pull people in before they read a word.
The finished site, built around media our team shot for Carey Brothers.
We set up and optimized Carey Brothers' Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn before the website launched. Instagram has grown the fastest.
- Account created and optimized by Hard Labor Marketing with a profile, bio, and highlights built to read as an established turnkey steel contractor.
- Posting started before the website went live, backed by the content bank we built in advance.
- Their most popular video shows both the reach and the shop's fun, down to earth crew culture. Watch it on Instagram and see the view count for yourself.
- Follow along at instagram.com/careybrosweldingandfab to see the work as it goes up.
Follower and reach figures will be added here with an Instagram insights screenshot and date.
Results
| Metric | Before | After | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website | None in 14 years of business | Full custom site live at cbweldandfab.com | cbweldandfab.com |
| Original photo and video library | None | Shot on site by our media team | Hard Labor Marketing production files |
| Social profiles built out | Missing or thin | Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn set up and optimized by us | Public profiles |
| Content bank at launch | None | Two to three months built in advance | Hard Labor Marketing content calendar |
| Instagram growth | No account | Set up and optimized by us, now the fastest growing channel, figures being added | instagram.com/careybrosweldingandfab, insights screenshot to be added |
| Facebook activity | No page | Set up by us, Carey Brothers now posting regularly | facebook.com Carey Brothers page |
| LinkedIn activityWorth flagging | No page | Set up and optimized by us, not yet posting | linkedin.com/company/carey-brothers-llc |
| Primary contracts won from the new presenceWorth flagging | Mostly subcontract work | Not measured yet | Tracking in progress |
This study is a brand and creative build first. The rows above describe what was delivered and are verifiable on the live site and public profiles. We have not attributed any primary contract wins to this work yet, and we will add numbers here only when they come with a screenshot and a date.
"Those look good, I really like the pictures of the welders! Thanks for sharing."
What we would do differently
We would map every stakeholder with a say in the project during the first week, not only the person leading the conversation, and agree on written feedback windows at kickoff. On a build this important, getting every voice in early keeps the launch date where it was planned.
We manage the site monthly and stay in active conversation with Carey Brothers about the next step. This is a business positioned to move up the chain over the next few years, and we will update this page with contract and search data as it comes in. Their LinkedIn page is set up and ready, and getting the crew posting there is the next step toward reaching general contractors and project owners.
Bottom line
- Carey Brothers Welding & Fabrication of Hartsville, Tennessee is a multi-million dollar structural steel and fabrication shop that had no website after more than a decade in business.
- Carey Brothers Welding & Fabrication wanted to move from subcontractor to primary contractor, so Hard Labor Marketing built every piece of its online presence to read as the company that manages the project.
- Hard Labor Marketing developed an industry-native brand voice, shot original photo and video on site, and launched cbweldandfab.com, the first website in the company's history.
- Hard Labor Marketing built out LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram for Carey Brothers Welding & Fabrication, with two to three months of content ready before launch, and manages the website monthly.
Want to look like the company that runs the project?
Book a 30-minute discovery call and we will walk you through what we built for Carey Brothers and what it would look like for your company.
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