Who we are
iFab is led by Dr. Sergio Sgro, a professor of Engineering and Technology at Eastern Kentucky University, where he teaches machining, welding, Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and advanced material processing.
Long before the classroom, Sergio worked as a steelworker and certified welder; experience that later took him back to school for a Master's and PhD from Iowa State University in applied engineering and small business development. He now owns and operates iFab, applying that same engineering rigor to projects ranging from industrial systems to marching arts props.
From high school marching band, being a brass tech and marching DCA during his stint as a music major in college (just a few short decades ago), his background and passion for the marching arts gives him a rare, hands-on understanding of what props endure on the field. That experience shows in every design. His props are built for the structural strength a full season demands, engineered for fast setup, takedown, and storage, and refined so each prop moves easily and handles safely in the hands of every member during a live show.
Since 2018, Sergio has designed and built for organizations including The Cadets, Cincinnati Tradition, Madison Central High School, and Madison Central Winter Guard. His work blends technical precision with artistic vision to deliver builds that are as reliable as they are visually compelling. Nothing satisfies him more than seeing his props sold season after season to other bands. It's confirmation that they were built not just to work, but to last well beyond their first season use.
It would be disingenuous not to mention that this is truly a family affair. His sons, Josiah and Domenico, have both recently learned to fabricate and weld, and each brings his own marching arts perspective to the builds. Josiah marched Cincinnati Tradition ('18 & '19) in the pit and bass line, then went on to the bass lines of Music City ('22), Cadets ('23), and aged out with Boston ('25). Domenico is finishing his senior year of high school marching band and just wrapped his first season with Cincinnati Tradition ('26) on baritone. And it doesn't stop there. His wife, Susie, and daughter, Anna, are regulars in the shop too, always lending a hand with fabrication.