Taylor Swift’s Wedding Guests Don’t Know Ceremony Location — Yet
Rhode Island
In Warren, R.I., new millennial-owned manufacturer is latest to bring metal fabrication back to US – The Boston Globe
In the small town of Warren, R.I., siblings Kelly and Kiffin Ward recently opened Ward’s Manufacturing, a high-tech metal fabrication company.
Kiffen Ward is Ward’s mechanical and product engineer, while his sister Kelly Ward has helped grow the business from the ground up.
Kelly Ward spoke to Globe Rhode Island about Ward’s, and why these millennials are committed to bringing manufacturing back to the US — and their home state.
Q: What exactly is metal fabrication, and what do you specialize in at Ward’s?
Kelly Ward: Metal fabrication is where you create products by cutting, bending, and assembling metal material.
At Ward’s, we specialize in fiber laser cutting, press brake bending, metal engraving, and we offer part design consulting services. So we take metal sheets and can cut any design out of them, and then we can bend them into form. We can make whatever it is that the customer needs.
Are there many metal fabricators left in the US? If not, why not?
Much like other manufacturing industries, metal fabrication has been outsourced over the last several decades. And so what has happened is we get a lot of our metal fabrication from mostly China, as well as some other countries across Asia. Then the pandemic caused major supply chain disruptions, and the cost of shipping went up and lead times were extended so much so that many were unreasonable for the businesses that needed these metal products. On top of this, there’s been increasingly unstable geopolitical factors that have increased these timelines and the cost of goods and services.
What are a few examples of items Ward’s has done?
It’s a real range. We’ve worked on pieces of metal equipment that goes into a tractor or a robot. We can also make a custom metal sign for a small business.
What kinds of businesses or industries are your largest clients?
Our customers are very wide ranging, but most of them tend to be in construction and in the marine industry. So anytime you need a custom metal part that you can’t just get at Home Depot, you come to a metal fabricator like us. We’re serving across industries and for businesses across the US — not just in Rhode Island.
Is there a demand for domestic metal manufacturing?
Outsourcing has become more expensive, slow, and riskier than ever. There is a domestic metal fabrication market, but it’s not big enough to handle the domestic need.
What does the current market of domestic shops look like? What makes yours different?
A lot of the domestic shops that do exist are multigenerational shops that don’t have all the latest equipment, and these shops are also backordered and the lead times are long. In other cases, these shops are massive, and don’t handle more small-scale prototypes for a new tech product or new robotics. If you need something done that’s custom work, many of these shops cannot take on a small order for a single piece.
My brother, who is an engineer by trade, is also a design expert. He’s working in consultation with the customer, and can then build their product.
Who or what is your biggest competition?
If someone has a huge order and an extremely low price point per unit is important to them, then they will probably still go overseas. When we entered this market, we thought other metal fabricators in the area would be our biggest competition. But what we found is that they’re also backordered — even if they are only three to five years old. Many of those local companies have actually asked to partner with us so we can help supply them and take orders they cannot get to.
What kinds of metals are you working with?
We use mild steel (carbon steel), stainless steel, aluminum, brass, and copper are our five primary metals. If there’s a special request for another metal, we can look into those as well.
What challenges do you expect to face this year?
Our biggest challenge is going to be getting the word out that we are here. We have a lot of new customers from around the country already, but we really want to build a strong base of local support to fill up our capacity so we can partner with them and understand their needs, and help make design improvements.
Alexa Gagosz can be reached at alexa.gagosz@globe.com. Follow her @alexagagosz and on Instagram @AlexaGagosz.
SEE IT: A great white shark feeds on a dead whale off the coast of Rhode Island, as the large creature comes across a whale carcass floating in the ocean.
RHODE ISLAND – It’s not often you can get so close to such a dangerous beast like a great white shark, but that is exactly what one boater was able to do in Rhode Island.
A large 15-foot great white shark was spotted feasting on a dead whale in the ocean off the coast of Rhode Island.
STAY SHARK SMART: WHAT TO KNOW WHEN YOU HEAD INTO THE WATER
Despite a reputation for inhabiting waters in Australia and South Africa, great white sharks can be found in temperate waters around the world, as their habitat preferences can change as they age, according to National Geographic.
Mexico, Great White Shark (Carcharodon Carcharias); Guadalupe Island.
(Dave Fleetham/Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group / Getty Images)
Video footage shared by Ian Shilosky shows many birds hovering around the whale carcass, trying to get a nibble without getting too close to the 15-foot beast.
SEE IT: SPERM WHALE CAUGHT ON CAMERA IN RARE ENCOUNTER OFF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST
The shark shows off its brutal strength, ripping large chunks from the whale with its 2 to 3-inch razor-sharp teeth, before diving underwater to consume its meal.
“White shark sightings are few and far between until a whale dies and then they seem to appear out of nowhere as this one did,” the Atlantic Shark Institute said on social media.
Great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), attacking tuna bait. Neptune islands, South Australia. (Photo by Auscape/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
(Auscape/Universal Images Group / Getty Images)
The great white shark grows slowly, with males maturing at around 26 years and females at around 33, according to NOAA.
These creatures range in age from 30 to over 70 years old, and they can weigh up to 4,500 pounds.
DEEP-SEA DISCOVERY UNCOVERS ONE OF THE LARGEST KNOWN WHALE GRAVEYARDS ON THE FLOOR OF THE INDIAN OCEAN
Great White Shark breaching at Seal Island, False Bay, South Africa
( Chris Brunskill Ltd/Corbis / Getty Images)
Adult great whites usually swim along shorelines where there is a known food source, such as seals or sea lions.
12-YEAR-OLD AMERICAN BOY ATTACKED BY SHARK WHILE VACATIONING IN THE BAHAMAS
As the largest predatory fish in the world, great white sharks tend to eat a variety of fish, rays, squid, seabirds, sea turtles, dolphins and more.
WARWICK, R.I. (WJAR) — Rhode Island’s Lego Fan Convention Returned to the West Warwick Civic Center.
Professional Lego artists from around the country displayed their creations and connect with fans.
There are meet and greet opportunities with Lego celebrities too.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (2)
Fans can also show off their own skills in the event’s Brick Pits.
Rhode Island
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s 1st Choice for Wedding Was Rhode Island: Why They Pivoted to NYC
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce initially had their sights set on a marvelous coastal wedding, multiple sources exclusively tell Us Weekly.
“Taylor and Travis really wanted their wedding in Rhode Island, and June 13 was the date, but security wouldn’t have worked because it could get out of hand with that kind of scale of an event,” an insider says.
Though everything was initially being planned in Rhode Island — where Swift, 36, has a mansion in the lavish Watch Hill neighborhood of Westerly — the insider notes the pop star had booked multiple venues from coast to coast on different dates.
According to the source, “Ocean House [in Westerly] was planned at one point, and then plans changed to New York.”
The insider, meanwhile, tells Us that Swift’s security “had to assess all the venues to see what made sense.”
“Rhode Island wasn’t great because the nature of the access and the perimeters were too difficult to secure,” the source explains. “So the main issue with Rhode Island ended up being security.”
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Getty Images
“Everything was being planned in Rhode Island,” added a source. “And so many people wanted to come that plans had to change because it became bigger.”
Swift and Kelce, 36, are now rumored to be tying the knot at Madison Square Garden in New York City over the July 4 holiday weekend. While the exact location and date of the nuptials have not yet been confirmed, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani appeared to hint at the wedding taking place in the city during a June 15 press conference earlier this month.
“I am fully confident in the work of the NYPD, as well as our state partners, in delivering that safe experience,” he told reporters. “We are the biggest city in the country. We are used to big events, and we are incredibly excited for the [World Cup]. We know it coincides with the Knicks’ [NBA] Finals run. We know it coincides with July 4, America 250, Taylor Swift’s wedding — all happening at the same time — and we are so excited to welcome the world here.”
Additionally, a permit was filed with NYC in June, the mayor’s spokesperson Dora Pekec confirmed to Us after The New York Times reported on a permit to close the streets surrounding MSG from July 2 to midday July 4 for an event on July 3.
City sources also confirmed to Us that the Street Activity Permit Office (SAPO), which issues the permits, is in touch with the NYPD regarding a possible influx of street and pedestrian traffic.
Though Swift and Kelce’s Rhode Island wedding plans fell through, the “I Knew It, I Knew You” singer’s Watch Hill mansion had an uptick in action last week when security was spotted swarming the area. A group of unidentified women were reportedly seen on the balcony wearing matching robes — three in black and one in white — sparking speculation about a bachelorette party.
A woman who appeared to be Swift’s childhood friend Abigail Anderson Berard was also seen on the property with her 2-year-old son.
Meanwhile, Travis celebrated what was perceived as his bachelor party in Los Angeles and San Diego. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end and his brother, Jason Kelce, as well as Travis’ teammate Patrick Mahomes and others, were spotted at a Chris Lake concert, a Dave Chappelle comedy show, a night out at the members-only Bird Street Club and more.
Swift and Kelce began dating in the summer of 2023 and got engaged in August 2025.
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