Come Along
Volume 2013 Issue 1
A letter from our Chapter President, Dear Chapter Members, I hope this letter finds all of you in good health and ready for another busy (hopefully) season. I just returned from the 2013 Fenctech, Fence, Deck & Railing convention in Houston, Texas. I was in three days of board of board meetings where we discussed the current goings on. The AFA has some great new educational programs that we can take advantage of at the local level in our chapter. There’s the opportunity to get certified on gate operators. One state is now mandating that anyone that installs or services gate operators has this certification. This will give those people a leg up on the competition. The certified installer program is a great way for your installers to learn the industry standards in eight disciplines. We will be offering this locally as soon as we can get a certified instructor. We are going to hold another education meeting on May 18th. There are details in this newsletter. Our summer fun meeting and golf tournament is tentatively scheduled for sometime after Labor day. Watch for details. Also, we elect new board members (directors) at our summer fun meeting. Please consider becoming a director. We only hold four meeting per year and it does not take that much time. I want to put a bug in your ear about advertising in our newsletter, and we still have a $100.00 “bounty” for bringing in new members. Thank you,
Dick Boyle 2
PRESIDENT RICHARD BOYLE Dick’s Evergreen Fence & Deck, Inc. 503 640-7700 r.boyle@frontier.com PAST PRESIDENT JOHN KRUEGER Metro Access Control 503-595-4716 johnk@metrogates.com SECRETARY/TREASURER Dennis Fleck Town & Country Fence Co. 503 655-2055 dennis@tcfence.us EXECUTIVE SECRETARY Serena Wood 541-515-5040 pnwcafa@gmail.com SHAWN TOMLINSON Gates & Controls 425 251-1020 shawn@gatesandcontrols.com DENNY WADE Willamette Fence 503 285-2761 denny@willamettefence.com JAKE WARREN Metro Access Control 503-595-4716 jakew@metrogates.com ALEX WEISENSEE Pacific Fence & Wire 503-659-6881 alex@pacificfence.com JOHN ROSEBEARY Viking Fence Co. 360-373-7918 john@vikingfence.biz JENNIFER WEST West-Meyer Fence 503-978-1830 westmeyerfence@aol.com HAROLD HARTLEY Northwest Fence Co. 541-426-4259 nwfence@eoni.com
Project of the
Interstate Fence
QUARTER
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Things Your Used to say “...There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper and the people who consider price only are this man’s lawful prey.” - John Ruskin “Philosopher” There are few things more frustrating to a fence contractor than losing a job to his competitor in the “race to zero”, the never ending search by uninformed consumers for a lower price. Note, I didn’t say a better price, because lower isn’t always better. That sounds like an odd concept, even to someone who believes that quality is always at least as important as price in any purchase. We are conditioned by the marketing around us that the lowest price is the best price and the best price is the best deal. Our parents and grandparents grew up with and lived by the truth, “You get what you pay for”. That meant that every business transaction was based on mutual benefit, and value was traded for value. They built the strongest nation in history. Today, that cliché is turned on it’s head, and you don’t get what you thought you paid for, and we are mortgaging our future to pay for what we are not getting. Somehow, in our enlightened age, we think we can improve ourselves by taking from others, without giving equal value. I don’t think this is a conscious effort to defraud anyone. I think it is caused by uninformed consumers who see little or no differentiation among products that look similar and are marketed similarly. We have all purchased something for our home or business wondering how a company
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Grandpa By Mike Jacob could stay in business selling so cheaply. Of course, it usually doesn’t take long to figure it out, as the stuff we buy rarely meets expectations, and often needs to be replaced long before we think it ought. Anyone who has been in the fence industry for ten years knows that there can be enormous differences in quality and durability between two products that look identical. The trouble is that we have done a poor job of making the differences obvious. We haven’t “trained” the consumer. In many cases, contractors have given in to the idea that a “post is a post is a post”, and treat all materials as if they are created equal. An honest fence contractor is going to know that in most cases, .065 is no substitute for SS20, and full weight is often the right choice. The customer won’t know, unless we tell them, that a full weight gate or terminal post will extend the lifetime of a fence or gate system far beyond what a cheaper SS20 post will deliver. While .065 wall pipe may be alright for your residential dog kennel, the shipyard on the waterfront needs to know that it will not provide the life or the security that a heavier grade of pipe will, and is no substitute for a commercial grade product. Consumers have been conditioned by the big box stores and Madison Avenue to believe that they can get what they want at ever lower prices. In response, too many companies have agreed and lowered their prices, which meant they had to lower their standards and accept inferior quality components, in order to keep up.
Things your Grandpa used to say contd... After all, it was what the customer wanted, and the customer is always right, right? There are companies that have refused to bend in their demands for top quality materials. Those companies are committed to providing the best product and service to their customers, even if it means they have to spend extra time educating their customers. That’s the key to the entire issue. As an industry, we must be willing to do the hard work of educating the consumer. For too long price has been a sole determinant and customers are getting a bad deal. How can you work toward the goal of building your market into one that supports quality rather than price? 1. Decide that you will use only quality materials for your fence jobs. Hold your supplier to it. Make sure you know what is acceptable quality and why for each instal-
lation you do, and be able to explain to your customer, in plain language, why the alternative you offer is superior to what is offered by your competition. Don’t mention the competition, and never, ever, run them down, Simply state your case for the top quality product you offer, and ask the customer to compare apples to apples. 2. Hold your fellow Association members accountable. Make sure that they know that as a fellow member, they have a responsibility to each of the members to uphold the common core values of professionalism and integrity that each of you has a right to expect from one another. 4. Work together in chapter meetings and at public venues like home shows and trade shows to find ways to educate the public about the benefits of using quality contractors and quality materials to build lasting projects.
-tMike Jacob Modern Fence Technologies
ACCESS CONTROL
503 - 595 - 4716 / 360 - 823 - 0115 The Northwest’s gate automation specialists CCB# 46091 CC# METROOD121MJ
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12104 NE 95th St. Vancouver
2525 NE Columbia BLVD Portland
Thank You! Thanks to the following vendors that purchased booths at the Reno Fence Show. These vendors help support our association. So, let’s help them by purchasing their products and services! - Nationwide Industries - Avant Guard Gate & Hi Motions - Ameristar - Mc Farland Cascade - Davis Wire Corporation - Electronic Entry Distributors - Encon Electronics - PrivacyLink - Gates & Controls - World Fence News - Chamberlain - Lift Master - Rhino Tool Co. - Southwestern Wire, Inc. - Fortress Iron Railing & Fence Systems - Active Yards (Barrette Outdoor Living) - Lockinox -RCS - Reno A & E - Allied Tube & Conduit - Security Contractor Services, Inc. - DOORKING, Inc. - Wire Crafters LLC - Structure PVC - Master Halco, Inc. - ci-Fabrics - Alumi-Guard, Inc. - Platinum Access Systems, Inc. - Gates That Open / GTO - Cedar Fence Co. / Trex Fence - Alpha Plus Inc. - Access One Technologies - Builders Fence Company, Inc. - Merchants Metals - B D Loops - Access Hardware Supply, Inc. - Miller Edge, INC.
- Weldon Industries - Trident Enterprises - Mountain Peak Vinyl - Sierra Pacific - Software Design Associates - MFM Sensors, Inc. - Flynn & Enslow, Inc. - Western Tube & Conduit - C M Steel Processing - Swan Fence, Inc. - California Fence Contractors Assoc. - Pexco LLC - Aruvil International Inc. - Controlled Products - Douglas Industries, Inc. - Jerith Manufacturing Co. - Hy-Security Gate, Inc. - LMT / Mercer Group - J.C. Gury Company - Airgas - Chemque, Inc. - Duramax Building Products - Elite Fence Products, Inc. - SPECRAIL - Emcon Engineering & Mfg. - Vinyl Craft - C.E. Shepherd Co. L.P. - Homeland Vinyl / Waymark - Waymark Products, LLC - Dandy Digger & Supply, Inc. - Pacific Wholesale Fence - Hilti, Inc. - Abbey Trading - American Physical Security Group - Maria Elana Roland
And thanks to Pat Hines for this beautiful photo of the Houston skyline from FenceT ech 2013
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Spring Education Seminar
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Spring Education Seminar
continued...
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Certified Fence Professional Program Application Form
Name_____________________________________Title__________________________________ Company _____________________________________________________________ Address_______________________________________________________________ City___________________________________ State____________ Zip__________ E-mail Address_________________________________________________________ Phone_____________________________ Fax________________________________ Payment Information (US Dollars only): Visa MasterCard American Express
Check (Made out to AFA)
Name__________________________________________________________________ Number______________________________________________Exp_______________ Signature______________________________________________________________ Do Not Write Below This Line ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Please initial any entries made on personal record Initials
PERSONAL HISTORY & SERVICE FEE ($345 members, $695 non-members) Date Rec ’d SPECIFICATIONS AND STUDY MATERIALS Date CFP Written Exam Score Location______________________________ Date_____________ Proctor______________ CFP Written Exam Score Location______________________________ Date_____________ Proctor______________ REFERENCES AND AFFIDAVIT Date Rec ’d
CFP AWARD DATE
________ ________ ________ ________
________ ________ ________ ________
________
________
________
________
______________________, 20_____
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PERSONAL HISTORY AND SERVICE
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You must qualify by education level and time in the fence industry or related field with one of the following: (Please Circle One) 1. COLLEGE DEGREE WITH 3 YEARS EXPERIENCE IN THE FENCE INDUSTRY School & Year of Graduation __________________________________________________________ Major & Degree Received ____________________________________________________________ Year & Month entered fence industry____________________________________________________ Employer__________________________________________________________________________ 2. ASSOCIATE DEGREE WITH 4 YEARS EXPERIENCE IN FENCE INDUSTRY School & Year of Graduation __________________________________________________________ Major & Degree Received ____________________________________________________________ Year & Month entered fence industry____________________________________________________ Employer__________________________________________________________________________ 3. HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA OR GED WITH 5 YEARS EXPERIENCE IN FENCE INDUSTRY School & Year of Graduation __________________________________________________________ Location___________________________________________________________________________ Year & Month entered fence industry____________________________________________________ Employer__________________________________________________________________________ 4. NO HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA WITH 10 YEARS EXPERIENCE IN FENCE INDUSTRY Year & Month entered fence industry____________________________________________________ Employer__________________________________________________________________________ I hereby certify that all of the information given on this form is true and accurate. I understand that if any of the information herein submitted is false or misleading, certification will be denied or withdrawn. ______________________________________ Signature
____________________________________ Date
I understand that by authorizing/providing the fax number(s) listed above, I consent to its receipt of communications sent by or on behalf of the American Fence Association, Inc., AFA Education Foundation, AFA chapters (and their subsidiaries and affiliates) and CM Services, Inc. (and their subsidiaries and affiliates). [I understand that AFA and CM Services, Inc. will not share my fax with other organizations.] This consent is intended to fully comply with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1990 and subsequent amendments. This consent remains in effect until specifically terminated in writing by an authorized person. Name: (print clearly) _________________________________________________________________________ Signature: _________________________________________ Date: ____________________________________
Please send completed form along with your payment of $345 for members or $695 for nonmembers to: American Fence Association 800 Roosevelt Rd., Suite C-312 Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 Fax: (630) 790-3095
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FENCETECH 2013 Houston, Texas Photos by Pat Hines
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Can You Guess Where This Is??
As always, you can email with your answers at: chapternewsletter@gmail.com Editor’s Note: All email addresses and web addresses in this publication are hyperlinked, you can simply click on them to email or look at a website.
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Special Thanks to Our Advertisers: PEXCO Metro Access Control
Have a Project of the Quarter?
Email me at: chapternewsletter@gmail.com
www.pexco.com/fence www.metrogates.com
And Our Contributors: John Krueger Dick Boyle Mike Jacob Pat Hines Mike LaValla
Useful Links -ASTM Standards: www.astm.org -AFA Website: www.americanfenceassociation.com -AFA PNWC Website: http://www.americanfenceassociation.com/ Members/Chapters/PacificNorthwestChapter/ tabid/348/Default.aspx -AFA Facebook: www.facebook.com/americanfenceassociation -AFA PNWC Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Pacific-NW-Chap ter-of-The-American-Fence-Associa tion/169092446136 -Pool Standards: www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/pool.pdf -AFA Newsletter: http://www.americanfenceassociation.com/ LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=pty%2bDm90KlY% 3d&tabid=382 -Call before you dig: www.call811.com -NW Chapter Shutterfly: http://fencelines.shutterfly.com/ 14