Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/178275
10 • OCTOBER 2013 • WORLD FENCE NEWS FENCER'S FIELD REPORT A monthly column of industry bits & pieces Compiled by contributing editor Jim Lucci MEMBER Authorized Developer App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc. Autodesk is a registered trademark of Autodesk Inc. and/or its affiliates in the USA or other countries. iPad and iPhone are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. FabCAD is a registered trademark of FabCAD Inc. SPREAD THE (WORLD FENCE) NEWS! Tell your friends, employees and business associates that they can now read World Fence News and The Fencer's Almanac in a fully interactive format online. And there is no charge! Visit www.worldfencenews.com (click on image of the current issue) We had the opportunity to speak with Mike Wilcox of The Fence Depot in Brighton, Michigan. At the time we spoke, Mike told us that this season was the best he has had in the last four years. Mike said that the company was established in 1980 and has a business mix of 50% residential and 50% commercial. The company's service area, for the most part, is in a 50 mile radius. While the company carries a full product line, on the residential side, chain link is the most popular mover. On the commercial side, the company does a lot of chain link security fencing around cell towers, and they provide materials for schools for repair work. Further, the company sells and installs aluminum picket fence, arbors, decorative fencing, gates, horse fence, pool enclosures, porch and stair rail, driveway fencing, tennis court enclosures, and wood picket fences. We asked Mike if any changes in trends have been seen in the fence business in his area. Mike told us that construction is up compared to two or three years ago, when business was virtually non-existent. We asked Mike what changes in consumer tastes in residential and commercial have taken place. He responded that ornamental and PVC on the residential side were picking up over recent years but that in his opinion, nothing was going to overtake chain link in both residential and commercial venues. We then asked how, over the past several years of economic slowdown, the company was effected. Mike told us that there were times when the company was on the verge of shutting down, but somehow managed to keep hanging on until things turned around. We asked Mike how his advertising approach has changed, if at all. We were told that the company presence in the Yellow Pages has been downsized to a quarter page, and that the bulk of the advertising has shifted to the internet. We then asked about the labor situation in the area, and were told that there was no trouble getting workers, but finding qualified workers is always a problem. We followed that up by asking what the competitive situation in the area looked like. We were told that fly-by-nighters have always been a problem and a challenge, and they come and go. We then asked about the economy in the area. Mike said that it wasn't great, but there are signs that make him cautiously optimistic. The auto industry is recovering well, and there is private money flowing into Detroit, which needs much more development and direction. Renovations are occurring. On the residential side, some new housing is being built, but not a lot. There has been a great reduction in vacant houses. Foreclosures are drying up, however, and Mike told us that first time homebuyers are still having a difficult time. We asked about the business strategy that is being implemented for 2013, and were told that for the most part they have basically done nothing new or especially different, but have worked on making their advertising more effective. I then spoke with Gary Wright of The Wright Place in Redding, Michigan. Gary told us he has spent 50 years in the agricultural business and 25 years in fencing. He noted that the company does 100% highly specialized livestock fencing, and that this season has been, in his words, "a little crazy." The company's service area can extend into seven states when called for. The company is based in South