Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/465691
WORLD FENCE NEWS • MARCH 2015 • 23 product or a service. People are al- ways looking for bargains. Springfi eld, we were told, is not really a high end market. On the residential side, things are starting to pick up. Terry told us that surveyors are busier than any time in the past 10 years. He also points out that "fi x up" services are gaining mo- mentum as well. On the commercial side, he points out that the two big jobs he got last year were really major for them. Things are starting to pick up there as well. He points out that his company is a small one with a great reputation and that his company gets repeat busi- ness and referrals for many things, in- cluding specialty fencing. We then asked what the company strategy was for 2015. Terry pointed out that the company focus will be on increasing radio advertising. He says it does well for him in his service area. Finally, we asked how he thought the fence industry would fare in 2015. He remarked that the economy is do- ing well for the amount of debt that this country has. The fence indus- try should be good for this year, and hopefully the economy "does not tum- ble like a house of cards." Finally for this column we spoke with Frankie Redding of West Coast Fencing in Coos Bay, Ore- gon. Frankie told us that this past year was "great." The business mix for the company is 50% residential and 50% commercial. We were told that the business mix is generated in a 750 mile radius. Frankie told us the biggest mover on the residential side is slatted chain link. On the commercial side, six foot high security fencing with barbed wire is the biggest mover. The company, in addition to the above mentioned products, also does vinyl coated chain link, vinyl fence, wood, deer, and orchard fence, wood fence, post and rail, and ornamental iron in a variety of applications, along with retaining walls and kennels. The company is locally owned and operat- ed since 1981. We then asked Frankie what the company's biggest challenge was this past season. She told us it was fi nd- ing good workers that add value to the company. She went on to say that the company trains people and then they leave. We then asked what the biggest surprise was this past season. We were told that the company got a couple of big jobs that they didn't expect. One was 800 feet of 8 foot high chain link; another was a natural gas project that involved some 4,000 feet of fencing. We then asked about the economy in the area. Frankie told us that it has been pretty bad since 2007, but in the last two years it has started to pick up in Oregon generally. On the residential side, building is not occurring on a large scale as of yet. However, a new project coming on board is expected to employ some 3,000 people. On the commercial side, there is not too much going on. We then asked about what the company strategy for 2015 would be. We were told they are trying to look for new employees to train and hopefully hold on to. We then asked Frankie what she thought of the outlook for the fence industry in her area as well as overall. Her response was succinctly, "iffy." 800-328-GATE www.tymetal.com We Close Openings *UHHQZLFK1<3HDUODQG7;)W'RGJH,$ &ORVLQJRSHQLQJVIURPWRIHHW 'HVLJQHGDQGWHVWHGDVV\VWHPV ([FOXVLYH86GLVWULEXWRURI 6DIHW\ÀH[&UDVK5DWHG%ROODUGV &DQWLOHYHU*DWH6\VWHPV 2YHUKHDG*DWH6\VWHPV 9HUWLFDO/LIW*DWHV 3HGHVWULDQ*DWHV 3RUWDOV &UDVK5DWHG&DQWLOHYHU*DWHV &UDVK5DWHG6WUHHW)XUQLWXUH 9HUWLFDO3LYRW*DWHV &UDVK5DWHG%HDPV 0DQXIDFWXULQJ4XDOLW\6HFXULW\*DWH6\VWHPV6LQFH Tymetal Corp. Tymetal Corp. Gate & Operator Systems 6KDOORZ0RXQWHG&UDVK5DWHG%ROODUGV 6ZLQJ*DWHV '(6,*16(59,&(6&8672063(&,),&$7,216&86720'5$:,1*67(&+1,&$/6833257 2UQDPHQWDO*DWH6\VWHPV