About

A.R.K.’s Evolution

A.R.K. Welding Inspection Services was established in 1991 by welding instructor Kenneth Karwowski. Ken was a devoted family man, which is obvious with how he included the initials of his three incredible daughters (A), his beautiful wife (R) and himself (K) in the name of his company. By establishing networks within associations and welding related companies, Ken built a solid reputation that led to significant growth. As a result of his sustained success, he eventually brought son-in-law Dan Crifase into the business.

Dan’s Career in Welding

Dan began his journey as a welder/fabricator and sheet metal model maker. This led him down the path of becoming a certified welding inspector in the heavy plate welding industry. Since 2012, Dan has been teaching as a welding instructor at Blackhawk Techical College, Wisconsin Community Services and Gateway Technical College. These experiences, coupled with the rapid learning curve he encountered by joining Ken, served him well toward building his own credible reputation in the welding world. Dan places the upmost importance on being thorough, honest and timely…recognizing that his actions reflect directly on the success of his clients. A.R.K. Welding Inspection Services has navigated many different welding codes and specifications related to steel, stainless, aluminum and alloys. Thanks to encountering such diversity, you’ll always receive a knowledgeable and practical approach from Dan’s problem solving skills that will lead to the proper assessment, strategy and procedures chosen for your welding needs.

Community Service

Dan has a passion for paying it forward as Ken once did for him. It’s the driving force behind his teaching career. He also gets great satisfaction from handing the men and women he trains their valued certificates…even posting their success with pride on A.R.K. Welding’s Facebook page. When given a chance to help the community, Dan enjoys taking part. One of Dan’s recent pet projects is taking part in Gateway Technical College’s “Women in Manufacturing” forum to guide female welders toward successful careers of their own in the industry that he’s so dedicated to.

One of Dan’s favorite quotes is: “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” ~William Arthur Ward

Tribute to Ken

We owe a great deal to our founder, Ken Karwowski. In his professional career Ken provided his clients and students a wealth of information that they could count on to further their business goals and careers. As a husband, father, grandfather, friend and mentor he provided so much more. When there was a problem that needed solving, Ken and his wife Renee were right there to help family and/or friends get through the toughest of times. They backed up their words with actions by traveling across the country to help those in need, and volunteered their time and money toward causes that they deemed important. Ken was a guy you could count on to share his experiences to help better someone else’s path in business and life. He believed in “moving forward”. His best piece of advice usually involved telling someone to not dwell on the past…just learn from it.

“I was fortunate to get to work with Ken through A.R.K. and even luckier to be able to call myself his son-in-law. His wisdom and guidance will always be instilled in me. I’m a better businessman, inspector, trainer and teacher thanks to the advice Ken shared. More importantly, as family members and friends we’ve enjoyed many highs and better survived the lows thanks to Ken being by our side. He’ll forever be missed as the heartbeat of this business, and his guidance to his family will always be treasured.” ~Dan Crifase