About us
At AF Steel Fabricators, we are a premier steel company that provides steel fabrication and erection services throughout the state of Arizona. We have established a reputation for quality craftsmanship, attention to detail, and commitment to safety.
Shaping Steel Solutions with Expertise and Integrity
Who We Are
AF Steel Fabricators takes pride in being a reliable and knowledgeable leader in Arizona’s Structural Steel industry. With talented and experienced ownership, and a state of the art manufacturing facility, AF Steel fabricates and erects structural steel and miscellaneous steel for major commercial General Contractors throughout the state.
Under the guidance of President Bill DeHaven, Vice President Chris Payne, and General Manager David Van Horn, AF Steel consistently delivers with the utmost efficiency, competency and professionalism with an unwavering dedication to safety. The team understands the demands of today’s building environment; and the importance of trade partner relationships in meeting project goals.
AF Steel Fabricators’ brand new 65,000 square foot fabrication plant on 18-acres in Chandler, Arizona, provides the manufacturing muscle to consistently deliver and erect on time, meeting – and surpassing – project scheduling milestones. 2024 is set to bring an additional 45,000 square feet of production space directly west of the current building on the existing lot. The AF Steel campus is strategically located along the I-10 Corridor at Wild Horse Pass. Travelling North or South on I-10, you will notice the facility is lit by its 12ft x 20ft LED American Flag, proudly displayed. The flag represents AF Steel Fabricators’ culture, ethics, “can-do” attitude, and American Pride.
AF Steel Fabricators was founded in 1984, and now has over 175 direct full-time employees across departments; including manufacturing, field operations, supervision, safety and administration. The story is a fascinating one, combining the strength of an established company with the talent, attitude, and drive of a young team, leading to winning results. When a General Contractor awards a contract, large or small, to AF Steel Fabricators, they can be confident the project will be successful.
This is who we are at AF Steel Fabricators, LLC. Our culture and daily aspirations revolve around delivering safe, exceptional service to our vendors, customers, employees and all trade partners. We are dedicated to working for you and to being a partner in your success.
Our Collaborative Steel Experts
Our Team
In 1994, Bill DeHaven started his journey in Structural Steel. A new opportunity arose in 1996, and Bill joined the AF Steel Fab team. Throughout the last 27 years, Bill has mastered every position from fabrication, quality control, field erection, purchasing, estimating, and shop management. For years he held the role of General Manager, and now, as President and Partner, Bill has positioned AF Steel Fabricators for future growth and expansion.
In 2019, AF realized the need to take the next step, and needed someone with vast experience. Chris Payne joined the team as Vice President. Chris has been in the steel industry 43 years and has brought the needed horsepower to assist in the growth, including the manufacturing of our new plant. He has been involved in signature projects from coast to coast throughout his career. Chris moved to AZ in 1980 where he started his apprenticeship and quickly became a class A fitter / welder. He quickly was recognized for his abilities and moved to a shop foreman’s position and then plant manager. Again, being notice for his hard work and dedication to the industry he became a Project Manager moving to a Sr Project Manager. Chris always has a thirst to be the best and to never stop growing or learning and became a General Manger, Project Executive. This vast experience and knowledge have led him to his current position as Vice President with partial ownership of AF Steel.
In 2023, with all of the rapid growth AF was experiencing, we needed to bring Dave Van Horn as General Manager to maximize growth and potential for AF Steel. Dave is born and raised here in Arizona and has over 30 years’ experience in construction. Dave was a Structural Steel Ironworker for 26 years where he has held every position from apprentice through Field Superintendent. In 2019 Dave moved to the General Contractor side as Sr. Project Superintendent for a local Contractor here in Arizona. Dave’s love for the steel industry is shown in his eagerness to learn and lead by example as a leader and team mate.
Don’s journey began selling gun nails, staples and framing hardware to the framing contractors. He literally revolutionized the use of nail guns, by initiating a standardized angle of 22 degrees of the nail strip, lowering the cost of gun nails to the framer. This standardized 22’ angle is still the standard used today. A true entrepreneur, Don realized there were more products that could be supplied to the construction industry during this framing stage. Because of his close ties with the top builders and the fact that house framing and fireplace installation occurs simultaneously, it was this natural (but not obvious) connection that helped push Arizona Fasteners Corp to quickly become better known as Arizona Fireplaces in the late ‘80’s. Don would quickly explain with a wink and a nod that it was sure convenient that he didn’t have to change the familiar AF Logo that originally stood for Arizona Fasteners when the name Arizona Fireplaces took center stage.