Fifteen years of manufacturing experience in the family business led to the founding of Saint Catherine’s in 1999 from a multigenerational line of metal experts. Originally operating as a small welding shop in the basement of the historic Fairmont Creamery Company building in Cleveland, Saint Catherine’s has grown to become a full service machining and fabrication shop located in the heart of the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood.  

Van Peplin is the founder, president, and primary manufacturing engineer at Saint Catherine’s Metalworks. Van has spent his lifetime in the family metalworking business with companies such as Lakewood Manufacturing. He began coining and creating beautiful miraculous medals as a service to the community. While this first project will have a special meaning to Van and continues to be an important project for St. Catherine’s, Van has turned his company into a full-service manufacturing entity that performs on contracts for military products and large equipment manufacturers.