Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/245905
22 • FEBRUARY 2014 • WORLD FENCE NEWS FENCER'S FIELD REPORT Booth No. 713 A monthly column of industry bits & pieces Compiled by contributing editor Jim Lucci and the staff of World Fence News BOOTH NO. 539! We recently had the opportunity to speak with Alan Brands of Tri-State Fence and Supply of Sussex, New Jersey. At the time we spoke, Alan told us that things were still going strong, and in fact the company was four weeks out and adding. The company's service radius is basically 100 miles, and its business mix is 25% residential, 75% commercial. They sell both wholesale and retail. Tri-State Fence and Supply is a custom wood fence and gate manufacturing company, and Alan told us that on the residential side, cedar is the big mover. They sell wholesale to the trade and retail to the customer. They deal in all types of wood fence such as privacy, stockade, picket, board-onboard, horse fence, deer fence, and rustic. On the commercial side, the company has done work for the United States Military Academy West Point (100 panels of wood), they have sold to the park services and other agencies, and regularly service 35-40 fence companies. We asked Alan about some of the major trends he has seen in the fence business in his area. He replied that one of the biggest has been the trend of consumers going back to cedar, and wood in general. We asked whether the trend has been beneficial for the company, and Alan responded that it has been better, particularly since it offered more variety and helped build up the higher end market. We asked if there were any positive signs in the local or regional economy, and were told that everything is on the upswing. Alan told us that the economy was improving across the board. There is a generally optimistic feeling going forward. There is a feeling on the part of the general public that they must spend for items that they have previously put off, i.e. pent-up buying. On the residential side, there are pockets of new homes going up in the company's service area. On the commercial side, there are renovations taking place and some new work occurring as well. Further, foreclosures have tapered off. We asked about the company's strategy for 2014, and Alan told us that he will continue to work on the company's web site, and that they have no Yellow Pages presence, per se. They are going to continue to streamline their wood processing, and build up their production to make more inventory available. We then caught up with Matt Tracy of Toledo Fence and Supply Company in Toledo, Ohio, who told us that this past season their sales were flat. The company business mix is 20% residential, 60% commercial, with material sales at an additional 20%. The service area is a 60 mile radius, according to Matt. On the residential side, the biggest mover is split rail fence, and on the commercial side, chain link. They have done work at installations such as power plants and refining plants, and have done projects for FedEx, Jeep, the Toledo Express Air Port, and Sunoco, to name a few. Matt then shared some history of the company. It was first established in 1926 as the Toledo Fence and Post Company. During the Great Depression, the company sold roofing, fertilizer and Christmas trees, delivered coal, and parked cars, etc. The face of the company has changed through the years, and bears little resemblance to the company that was started 80 years ago. The company now has a modern showroom, which displays a variety of fence products and materials, along with a complete wood and steel fabrication shop which can customize wood panels, steel posts, plates, steel cantilever gates, aluminum sliding gates, etc. We then asked Matt what are some major trends or changes that he has seen in the fence business in his area, and he noted the lack of recovery in the market. Since 2008, things have seen very little change for the better. The people prefer nice products like vinyl or aluminum, but budget constraints have made them out of reach for many. The biggest mover for the area has been split rail fence. We asked about the economy in the area, and Matt told us things have remained pretty much the same since 2008 – not a lot of improvement. There haven't been a lot of ups and downs, things have been operating in a "narrow channel." "Things aren't going to change in the near term," Matt said. "There are no catalysts to affect an improvement. Fracking and energy development haven't impacted the area as we thought it would." On the commercial side, there is a gradual rise in new construction with