About Us

It all started prior to 1999, when Randy started selling hay to an Amish family from the Jessup area. Before long, Randy was traveling to Des Moines a few Saturday mornings, selling Amish-made outdoor lawn furniture at the Des Moines Farmers’ Market. He even opened a storefront in Victor (Amish Creations) where he sold a variety of Amish-made indoor and outdoor furniture. Randy had the owner of the local flower shop call him when he had the occasional customer.

It all changed in November 1999, when Randy married Amy Jo “AJ,” a Kansas farm girl turned Kansas City Legal Recruiter. What was she going to do for employment in Victor, Iowa? The summer of 2000, RS Lawn Furniture was born. In 2001, Randy and AJ started incorporating yard art made in Mexico, and the business name changed to RS Lawn Furniture & More. As AJ’s dad always told her, “be friends with your competitors.” In 2003, while attending a show in Cedar Rapids, Randy and AJ met Ben and Donna Haddox, from South Coffeyville, Oklahoma, and a partnership was formed. Yep, kinda like that family thing. Randy and Ben worked together welding products created right here in the Midwest, Ben in Oklahoma and Randy in Iowa. Ben and Donna retired at the end of 2012.

In 2009, our name changed to RS Welding Studio. A new building was constructed here on the farm—a great improvement from he old machine shed Randy had been welding in. Another improvement was the purchase of a CNC plasma table in 2012. AJ filled out the plethora of forms to get RS Welding Studio licensed with Iowa, Iowa State, UNI, Drake and her beloved KSU Wildcats. Later the North Dakota Bison were added to the roster.

Currently RS Welding Studio has two rock star women welders, Emily and Haley, along with Randy and AJ. Open year round, our retail showroom is located on our family farm. We are easy to find—just one mile north of Exit 205 on I-80 (approximately 1 hour east of Des Moines).

Amy Jo (AJ) grew up in southeast Kansas on her family’s dairy farm. She graduated from Kansas State University with a BS in Agricultural Economics and spent the first 13+ years as recruiter, first employed with Kansas State University and then 12 years with the law firm of Stinson, Mag & Fizzell, downtown Kansas City. In September, 1998, through a mutual friend, AJ met Randy (aka Mr. Darling). On a warm sunny day, November 13, 1999, Randy & AJ were married in Victor, Iowa and their journey as a married couple and business partners began.

With a shared knowledge and value of hard work and born with entrepreneurial spirits, it was inevitable that Randy and AJ would create a business at some point. RS Lawn Furniture was created in May 2000. Pinned to a bulletin board in AJ’s office is a daily reminder from her dad, “Risk is the price you pay for the opportunity to be successful.” Twenty years later, AJ’s perfect day is listening to hymns quietly on her computer while doing the day-to-day business from her home office.

Meredith Grace started attending farmers’ markets at 3 weeks old. As she grew with the markets, she too, added a product line. First as “Creations by Meredith,” creating little “unique” wire sculptures, then magnets and then using a $5.00 balloon pump that she received for a birthday present into making balloon animals. She loved to attend markets and shows creating her balloon critters for kids. Wanting her to learn more about business, Randy and AJ gave Meredith the tools to create a name, logo and business plan for her own business. Homegrown Grace, a division of RS Welding Studio was formed with Meredith selling metal charms while she was in high school. She also was the creator behind the name of Got Dough, the Schnebbe’s Edible Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough Business. It is not surprising that currently, Meredith is attending Kansas State University enrolled in the College of Business, graduating in December 2024, with a market degree, a minor in hospitality management and a certificate is sports and entertainment.