Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/384751
22 • OCTOBER 2014 • WORLD FENCE NEWS FENCER'S FIELD REPORT A monthly column of industry bits & pieces Compiled by contributing editor Jim Lucci and the staff of World Fence News We had the opportunity to speak with Sal Millitello, general manager of Wayside Fence in Bayshore, New York. Sal told us that the season start- ed off in brutal fashion. It got off to a very slow start (weather related most- ly) and really didn't get going until May. Further, he said, that even with the softness this year and last year, the company is holding its own. The company business mix is 95% wholesale but it also has an in- stallation company that is doing fi ne. Business is also derived from an inter- net site, and the company has opened a Newington, Conn. branch that is do- ing well. (More on that later.) Wayside has been manufactur- ing and supplying fence and garden products for over 50 years and serving companies not only in the New York Tri-State area but nationally. Products include, but are not lim- ited to, PVC, cedar, chain link, deer fence, bamboo fence, "safari" fence, cedar post caps, PVC caps, post sleeves, aluminum fencing, and cus- tom gates. Sal also told us that with Bound- ary Fence & Railing Systems closing this year, Wayside picked up addi- tional business, as a lot of contractors suddenly needed an alternate place to buy. The company's installation divi- sion has a business mix of 80% res- idential and 20% commercial among its customers. Sal told us that it has been a good enough year. They have not really ex- panded, however, as mentioned earli- er, with Boundary closing, the compa- ny purchased some specialty fi ttings from them. We then asked Sal whether the company had promoted any new prod- ucts this year. He told us that the com- pany was doing more bending of vinyl on the premises, most notably for ar- bors, pergolas, etc. We asked whether the compa- ny has added any new equipment, and were told that it is always buying trucks to replace older ones in the fl eet. Sal then elaborated briefl y about the Newington, Conn. branch which I mentioned earlier. We were told that the branch location is 14,000 square feet on fi ve acres and does fabrication and wholesaling as well as delivering to all of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Albany, N.Y. Sal said it is per- forming well in a tight market that has a good deal of competition. We asked Sal whether the com- pany had experienced any labor prob- lems this year. He pointed out that on the whole- sale side, he has diffi culty fi nding good forklift operators or good re- sponsible employees. Sal continued that by the time you fi gure it out, the season is gone. We asked Sal about his outlook for the industry as a whole. He told us that he is always optimistic. "We have been making gains and expect to be even with last year with no big increase, but always looking forward to more optimistic results for the coming year," he said. He also pointed out that the sea- son now is basically a six month sea- son, not eight or nine months like years ago. We caught up with Stephen Prinz of WamBam Fence Inc. in Corne- lius, North Carolina. Stephen told us that he has a "radical niche" – No-Dig Fence. The fi ve year old business serves a do-it-yourselfers market generated over the internet servicing the lower 48 states. His two products are vinyl and aluminum, which includes fencing, gates, posts, and caps, as well as post pounders. The company business mix is 95% residential and 5% light commercial. According to Stephen his most popular items are vinyl four foot pick- et and six foot privacy. We asked Stephen as regards to the commercial industrial side of the business, what kind of projects he gets requests for. He basically told us that things like "doggy day care" locations represent the biggest segment. We then asked Stephen what his biggest area of service was and he told us the Northeast and the Middle At- lantic states, including Pennsylvania and Ohio. Stephen shared some background regarding the company's develop- ment. When Stephen was a teenager in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, his older brothers had started a successful fence installation company and had their eyes on other endeavors, so they did what they probably should not have done, which was to leave their 18 year old kid brother in charge. Through that company, with some others, he created New England Ar- bors in 1999. In 2003, an entry level salesperson was hired. Four years later Mayne Mailposts was spun off from New England Ar- THE LARGEST • THE STRONGEST THE BEST WARRANTY Proud to announce our newest driver! 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