World Fence News

March 2019

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74 • MARCH 2019 • WORLD FENCE NEWS Conversation with a true veteran The following is an interview by Sheila Sardinha of Oxford Plastics USA with Nick VanDalen, owner of VanDalen Industries LLC in Char- lotte Hall, Md., which serves south- ern Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia. And while VanDalen is a customer of Oxford Plastics and a believer in their BigFoot temporary fence weights, she found there is a lot more to his story. VanDalen is a veteran in the mil- itary sense, having served our coun- try in the Navy, and a veteran fence contractor, spending most of his life within the fence industry. He is the son of Linda and David Clark of C&C Fence of Atlanta, Ga., a fence contractor in operation for over 35 years. Linda and David have been very active in the American Fence Association, with Linda having served as the AFA's first female presi- dent. Here is the interview: Sheila Sardinha (SS) – When does VanDalen Industries come into the picture? Nick VanDalen (NV) – In 2008, I decided to go into my own business in Maryland. But from an early age I was picking up bolts and screws in the C&C Fence yard, and doing all types of jobs at C&C, throughout high school. I opted to go into the Navy af- ter high school, and when coming out of the military, I worked as a branch manager for a large equipment rental business. Often in big corporate organi- zations, the emphasis isn't on being close and personal with the customer. The tendency is not to be "one on one" with the end user. Getting into my own business allowed me that focus. My philosophy is that you need to treat your customers as people and put effort into under- standing them and their needs. I be- lieve in Zig Ziglar's quote, "You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want." SS – What were the early years of VanDalen Industries like? NV – I started with silt fence and erosion control supplies. The business located across the street inquired if I could supply them with temporary fence. I investigated the option of di- versifying and decided to expand. That was 10 years ago. We've been growing and expanding ever since. In addition to the silt fence and erosion control supplies, and now, lots of temporary fence, we also offer wa- ter filled traffic barricades and pedes- trian barricades. SS – What sets you apart from others? NV – VanDalen Industries and C&C Fence have a distinctive cus- tomized temporary fence panel. The diamond design is stronger than your average panel, and helps with brand- ing. When you see sites around town with our fence, you distinctively know it's us. We take great pride in the look of our sites, making sure it's quality product that is out there, and that the fence lines are neat. We are always "on call." When a customer calls our phone, day or night, we answer (versus the customer leaving a message and needing to wait for a return call), and we usually have the job set up the same day. One competitor provides tem- porary fence with a concrete block stand. For most jobs, we offer a stan- dard tube stand with Oxford BigFoot fence weights, when additional weight is needed. Concrete blocks can be damaging and chip, and can be a trip hazard; plus many installers find them cumbersome to handle. Nick VanDalen VanDalen Industries LLC help "brand" their jobs with a distinctive diamond designed temporary fence panel. The BigFoot fence weights provide a clean- er, safer, cost-effective option for the site. Event organizers prefer them. (VanDalen Industries LLC photos) continued on page 79 COMPARE AND SAVE ON TEMPORARY FENCE PANELS WE SHIP COAST TO COAST 4,000 + PANELS of 6 X 10 & 8 X 10 ARE IN STOCK SWAN-BOND Fused-Bonded Wire 800-688-SWAN (7926) www.swanfence.com 600 W. Manville St., Compton, CA 90220 Fused-Bonded Wire 30 Booth No. 2164

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