The Value of What We Do by Mark Levin

The Value of What We Do

by Mark Levin, CAE, CSP

Executive Vice President, Chain Link Fence Manufacturers Institute

Perhaps the most frequent question I’ve received over the many years I’ve been involved with the fence industry is, “What is the size of that industry?”

I am always a little cautious about responding because, as executive vice president of the Chain Link Fence Manufacturers Institute (CLFMI), I only represent a portion of that industry. In addition, I’m not sure if by “size” they mean the number of companies in the industry, the total output/production of the industry, or the estimated dollar value of that input? I’d guess most of the people asking that question are talking about the latter of those three measurements, so let’s start there.

I’ve seen estimates of the total value of the North American fence industry ranging from approximately eight billion to 10 billion U.S. dollars. That sounds a little low to me, but we can use those numbers for purposes of this discussion. The same sources estimate that within that total, about 70% of the fencing is metal (as opposed to wood or vinyl). From there, we can guesstimate the size of various market segments.

However, whatever those numbers are, they only represent the size of the fence industry, they don’t accurately represent the value of the industry.

Value isn’t something that can always be measured in dollars. The various components of the fencing product – the materials and labor that go into producing and installing it – are just the start of its value. The real value of the fence industry can only truly be measured by the impact our industry’s products and services have throughout the economy and our society.

Yes, there is a dollar value that can be assigned to fabric, framework, slats, temporary fencing, etc., but what about the billions of dollars in property that our products protect each year? Isn’t that part of the value of the fencing industry? What about the hundreds of thousands of people that are employed by this industry, people that have created successful careers for themselves and support for their families? Can our industry take credit for that value, too? I think it can.

Let’s not forget about the thousands of people, many of them young children, who didn’t drown in home swimming pools because the fencing industry, many years ago, worked with public and private agencies to set standards for swimming pool enclosures. I’m guessing their parents put some value on their children being safe.

The infrastructure bill was passed by Congress a few months ago included millions of dollars to protect the critical energy grid. Part of that money is going to go into perimeter security; a good deal of that will be fencing. How do you calculate the value of keeping energy facilities protected?

I know, this sounds a little far-fetched. We really can’t say that fencing is responsible for all those things, can we? Probably not. But, if fencing wasn’t part of the solution, why would fencing be included in the project at all? Why did they specify exactly what kind of fencing was required before the project was considered safe or complete? It’s because they valued the physical assets and human lives that needed to be protected.

There is an old adage that says, “Don’t sell the features, sell the benefits.” We in the fence industry need to go one step further. We need to let people know more than the benefits of our industry, we need to let them know the value, too.