Kevin Johnston

Founder - (1948-2006)

Kevin Johnston began working in the fencing industry in 1971, following his tour of Duty in Vietnam.   Kevin acquired a vast array of knowledge over many years working in the industry..  He initially attended Hobart Welding School in Ohio, apprenticed under an experienced welder, and worked in the industry.  In 1988 Kevin and his wife Donna made the decision to start up their own company.  With the knowledge Kevin and Donna had acquired, and the friendships and contacts they had developed, they had a solid foundation to start Economy Iron. 

Through the years, aside from owning his own company, Kevin also became actively involved with the American Fence Association of Chicago.  A few of his company's accomplishments were recognized with the  following awards:
·         Golden Fence Award in 1993, and 1999
·         Outstanding Service Award in 1994-1996
·         AFA Chapter project of the year in 1997

Kevin  proudly served the AFA Greater Chicago Chapter several years as a Director, then held the position of President from 1997-99 and again as a Director  from 2000-2001.  Kevin brought many new ideas to the AFA.  He served the AFA well, and he served it proud.

Kevin was always known as a husband, a father, a leader  and a friend.  He opened Economy Iron with a solid foundation, built it up with integrity and quality, and left behind a well run family business  that is still standing strong and serving the Chicagoland area.

Kevin Johnston will be remembered, his legacy evidenced by his vast work throughout the Chicagoland area.

Dan Johnston

Vice President

DanJohnston@sbcglobal.net

Dan attended Downers Grove North High School from 1990-1994.  During the summers Dan worked around the shop learning how to earn a living from the "ground up"……literally!!!  Dan was able to familiarize himself with the different aspects of running a manufacturing plant.  In the fall following his high school graduation Dan attended Eastern Illinois University.  There he took courses in Graphic Design, Marketing, and Management.  During summers and breaks Dan worked on the installation trucks and assisted in all of the fence installations.  Dan graduated with Economics degree in the spring of 1999.  Following Graduation, Dan became a full time employee.  He began his first summer by running an installation crew.  He was later brought in to the shop, fabricating products and gaining knowledge of what it takes to turn customer’s visions into realities.  In 2006 Dan became the Vice President of Economy Iron. Dan heads our design team and handles sales and customer relations. 

In Dan's spare time….(yeah right), he often attempts to play golf!!  He is also a HUGE Cubs fan and in the summer seems to have a lot of sales calls around Wrigley Field!!  In the spring of 2008, Dan and his wife Heidi bought a house in Sugar Grove.  They love going on long walks and spending time with their 2 Golden Retrievers Tonka and Apollo.

Donna Johnston and Jenny (Johnston) Tschopp

Office Operations

Donna Johnston: donna0901@aol.com

Jenny Tschopp: jcdt@sbcglobal.net

Donna and Jenny oversee the office Operations at Economy Iron.

Donna is an owner, and along with her now deceased husband Kevin, she established her family owned business, Economy Iron in 1988. Donna is the mother of 4 kids, Jenny, Dan, Barb, and Lauren.  In 2009 She added a new addition to her family…..an amazing dog named FETZER!!!!!!  Donna and Fetzer enjoy long walks, movies, and playing with the neighbors bunny rabbits!!  She is currently training with Fetzer to run in the 2011 Iditarod.

Jenny has worked at Economy Iron since 1999.  She has become very efficient at AR/AP, filling our forms, mailings, ordering supplies and keeping our office machinery up and running.  Jenny also graciously does a majority
of the lunch runs for the office.  She should be a stock owner for McDonalds, as she could drive there with her eyes closed!!!  With all of Jenny's other jobs she also finds time to keep our Facebook account running properly all day long!!!  Jenny has a 16 year old daughter and a 13 year old son. Her lovely children give her plenty of practice in the book keeping department.  If you have a question about bills or billings, direct your questions to Jenny….she will find an answer for you!!!

Joel Ley

Operations Manager

joeldley@sbcglobal.net

Joel came to Economy Iron almost at it's inception as a part time employee while attending College of Dupage.  Joel became a full time employee in 1988 working the cutting saw and laying out jobs.  Over the next eight years Joel honed his skills as a welder/fabricator while gaining experience in all aspects of the production and installation portions of the industry.

In 1996 Joel became the shop foreman.  He supervised daily production, applied design, and painting of our custom ornamental iron products.  In 1998 Joel was promoted to production manager and in 2001 to plant manager as Economy Iron doubled its plant facility to add a powder coating system. In 2006 Joel was made Operations Manager, overseeing plant operations, installations, and customer service as it pertains to manufacturing and installation.

Joel married Wendy in 1990. They have three daughters Jessica, Faith, and Rachel.  Joel enjoys spending time with his family, golfing (if you can call it that),  and watching his beloved Chicago Blackhawks.