For years, Rob Brown was a distinguished and notable landscape contractor. He spent decades mastering his craft until becoming overly frustrated with the excess number of broken tools – especially the wooden-handled drain spades. Rob presented the challenge of manufacturing an all-steel extremely durable shovel to his engineer friend, John Powers. Powers using only the finest American materials wielded the most beautiful powered-coated blue Sharpshooter Shovel in 1997. That original manufacturing process is still used today by our top-notch wielders located in Phoenix, Arizona.
Our Sharpshooter blends the weight benefits of a steel pry bar with the help of a trenching spade to make it the ultimate digging tool known to humankind. The Sharpshooter has been the foundation of our success since our inception, but we also manufacture various other hand tools, including dig bar shovels, bow rakes, and backflow cages. Due to serious health issues in 2007, John Powers allowed Rob Brown and his business associate to buy Metal Concepts. In 2018, Rob took sole ownership of the company and has been focused on getting the company's products to buyers who will benefit from their use.
Fast forward to today, Rob's son Trey is fulfilling the family mission of producing and manufacturing the highest-quality hand tools for the true professional. As of June 2022, Trey and his colleague from the University of Arizona are currently in charge of day-to-day operations while embracing the challenge of expanding America’s next great manufacturing company. Trey and his colleague, Porter, are committed to growing Metal Concepts by following the company’s core values. We thank you for your continued support!
Testimonials
I was introduced to this shovel by a friend of mine. Ever since then, every morning, I use it for my job as a landscaper. It makes cutting through almost anything super easy and efficient. It is by far the best shovel I have ever used!
I've been a General Contractor for most of my adult life. I have dug holes in every soil type. The Metal Concepts shovels are the best hand digging shovels on the market. All their products are of high quality and will last. If you need a custom product, they have a team of people that can help. Thank you, Metal Concepts, for making our jobs a little easier.
Chandler, AZFor really hard conditions, we have the utmost need for the best manual digging tool in existence, to be used along with a shovel. I reserve that accolade of the best manual digging tool for a perfectly engineered and constructed piece of iron ingenuity called a Sharpshooter (pictured). We use it every day; it’s fantastic for everything involving excavations, prying and leveraging.
By far, the highest quality shovel on the market for tough digging jobs. This shovel saves me more time than I could ever imagine. Also, check out the dig bar version, the dig bar on the end is super reliable and can break just about anything you could imagine.
Must-have tool for DIYers and tradesmen.
This shovel’s extended handle, weight and sharpened straight blade have changed my attitude towards digging. What was once a slow tiresome chore is now efficient and enjoyable. Coupled with a lightweight spade for dirt removal, I can quickly blast a large hole or trench into almost any terrain or take out a stubborn stump or post.
Meet the Team
WHERE VALUED TEAM MEMBERS CAN BE PROUD OF THEIR WORK AND RECOGNIZED FOR THEIR TALENTS
Rob Brown
MANAGING MEMBER
Rob has owned and been involved in several businesses over the past 30 years. His most significant venture was co-owning a commercial landscape contracting company for 28 years. Under Rob’s leadership, the company began with $160,000 in sales in the first year, grew to $35 million in sales in 2007. Starting in 2008, the company endured several years of economic downturn, but eventually returned to profitability. After many years in this industry, Rob decided he was ready for a change, so he set aside the landscape contracting business to became the sole owner of Metal Concepts and an avocado rancher, too.
Trey Brown
PARTNER
Trey is a recent college graduate of the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona. He is responsible for maintaining current client relationships, identifying potential clients and establishing business relationships with them, generating new products to meet identified needs, and managing manufacturing warehouse processes and policies. Along with youth, Trey brings new vision and energy to Metal Concepts. When he’s not laser-focused on overtaking all aspects of Metal Concepts, Trey can be found on a tennis court in the Phoenix area. Keeping up the skills he honed by being on his high school tennis team that won a state championship three out of four years. He will take on anyone brave enough to challenge him- just name the time and court!
Ricardo Rosales
MANUFACTURING ASSOCIATE
Ricardo has worked with Rob in previous businesses and has the remarkable ability (and calm patience) to understand what Rob wants and needs without explicitly describing it. Without Ricardo taking care of all the non-welding manufacturing tasks in the warehouse, Metal
Concepts’ tools would not get to the consumer. Ricardo expertly handles all receiving, packaging, shipping, and transporting of shovel parts to and from local businesses and shovels to local distributors. His oversight ensures the manufacturing process runs smoothly and
seamlessly from beginning to end. Ricardo can be found pushing himself to his limits while hiking, biking, kayaking, skiing, or any other outdoor endeavor that catches his fancy.
Porter MacKenna
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
Porter comes to Metal Concepts as a recent college graduate of the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona. He develops strategies to support business growth and coordinates new marketing initiatives to expand the company's customer base. Porter’s excellent organizational skills are crucial to setting and achieving company goals and priorities. When not generating innovative ideas, he can be found at a local brewery trying different IPAs while reading a new book or expanding his network.
Anthony Lynch
WELDER
Anthony is a welder extraordinaire that labors relentlessly in the Metal Concepts warehouse to create the reliable tools he knows will be heavily used once they find their way to a worker’s hands. He is a thoughtful individual who adds to the family work environment that Metal Concepts strives to achieve. With his expertise and degree from Universal Technical Institute, Anthony has steadily become an essential team member. In his free time, you will find him playing with and caring for his three kids.
Frank Tunney
WELDER/FABRICATOR
Frank is a wizard who welds with a magic touch. You may just consider it a shovel, but Frank won’t let it leave the warehouse until he considers it a masterpiece. He has a high level of technical knowledge, but his best work comes after his the real work is done. Frank is in his best element when he's given free rein to weld creatively. In his free time, you can find Frank exploring the great Arizona outdoors with his daughter on an ATV.