SMYRNA, Del. (AP) — When Samantha Grantland comes up with an idea, she has to see it through.

For the former model and current welder and business owner, there are no bad concepts — just opportunities to learn and grow.

“I get an idea in my head, and I roll with it. Sometimes, they fail, and sometimes, they work,” she said.

Though the self-described tomboy said she’s more confident in a “man’s world,” the wife, mother and entrepreneur doesn’t see society as broken up into gender roles. She’s just busy making “Sam’s world.”

In 2016, her husband, Andy Grantland, started Grantlin Fabrication — a metal-production shop that has created everything from custom fencing to specialized lockers for Smyrna’s Citizens’ Hose Co. In 2018, Ms. Grantland took over as CEO, boosting the business with multiple employees and partnerships, while stretching its territory to the mid-Atlantic region.

Along with custom metalwork, Grantlin Fabrication works closely with Allan Myers, the largest civil construction and materials producer on the East Coast.

Meanwhile, in November 2019, Mr. Grantland’s father passed away, leaving behind his AG&G Sheet Metal, owned with his other son, Geoff Grantland. AG&G was a leading restaurant hood-maker and sheet metal fabricator in the region.

As a result of the loss, the family decided to shutter the well-known business. But to continue to serve AG&G’s customers and maintain her husband’s family legacy, Ms. Grantland had another thought.

She and Andy recently launched CRS Hoods. The venture will absorb AG&G and continue to create customized ventilation systems. She runs both businesses from her family’s home, near Smyrna.

When Ms. Grantland was 19, she worked on an assembly line, building cars.

“I’ve always been a tomboy. I worked at General Motors on the assembly line. I built the (Pontiac) Solstice and (Saturn) Skys,” she said.

While there, FHM magazine came to write a story on the company, and she was featured in photographs for the piece. Once it hit the streets, readers wrote in, asking to see more of Ms. Grantland. FHM reached out to her, and she agreed, becoming one of the feature models in the last issue printed in the U.S. in 2007.

After meeting her husband, she wanted to learn and do more, she said. She earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science and started her entrepreneurial journey.

After learning from her business-savvy in-laws that “it’s OK to take a risk,” her first initiative was Pretty’s Primitives, a home decor store in Kenton.

“I had the idea, got my business license. I went to Pennsylvania to buy my stock, and I opened on a Monday,” Ms. Grantland said.

The venture only lasted a year, but instead of seeing its end as a failure, she took it as a lesson.

“When that closed, I said, ‘OK, what’s my next season?’ Everything comes in seasons,” she said. “This season may say that you can do it, but next season might say that you can’t. I’ve never had a plan. I rolled with it. I said, ’This is our season. We are just going to keep going.”

And keep going she did: Ms. Grantland and her husband decided they were going to follow their passions.

“We both quit our jobs. We only had $2,000 to our names. But we both said, ‘Let’s venture out and do what we want to do,” she said.

Soon, the couple were working together at Grantlin Fabrications.

“We are mainly commercial and industrial work. But we do residential work for some customers. We build everything custom,” she said.

After helping any way she could, she eventually earned her welding certification, became CEO and started CRS Hoods.

“It’s not about me. It’s about who I can help. At the end of the day, that’s what it is about. Providing for other families and giving back. I always feel like I have to be replaced in life. I want someone to replace me,” Ms. Grantland said.

The idea in her head now is centered on building her businesses and helping others thrive.

Along with supporting other local enterprises, she has taken to YouTube to teach welding and metal fabrication.

“We wanted to show people how to weld. We wanted to teach people how to do different things,” she said, adding that she hopes to grow her channel to reach more interested in the industry.

When asked if she had any advice for those thinking about starting a new opportunity, she recommended: “Don’t have a plan.” She encourages acting on dreams and following “seasons.”

“You have to invest in what you believe in. Research, research and read. ... Unless you have someone that can teach you the ropes, you have to teach yourself.”

Another piece of advice is to keep showing up, something she had to embody when her mother recently died. Ms. Grantland was left dealing with her grief, raising her family and leading her companies.

“It’s hard facing challenges, dealing with losses and family. When you run a business at your house, it doesn’t shut off,” she said. “We just had to keep showing up and showing up.”

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