We have all been affected by the construction slowdown - especially those who are focused on residential work. When will it come back? How can we forecast 2008 and beyond. Well, no single person or indicator could do that alone. However, "The World Famous Fence Wizard" is here to guide the Fence Universe and that is what shall be done.

Lets give Wall Street a chance to help. The Wizard has developed the following fund (first of its kind) of publicly traded companies that are directly related to fence material, raw product, and the Construction Industry. The idea is to evaluate a group of companies and stocks to get an idea of what Wall Street is betting on going forward. The difficulty is that there are very few publicly traded companies that focus on the fence industry. The test fund is diversified but the focus is on companies with a strong American presence; this is not an international gauge at this time. When it comes to materials such as raw steel, zinc or timber we must remember that such markets are without doubt related to the world economy, if zinc prices are up worldwide then zinc stocks will rise even if domestic demand is weak. Also - high raw material prices often indicate a strong market but we must recognize they directly hurt end users like Fence Installers who have to pay more for product. So if world demand for zinc is high - Joe Blow's Chain Link Fence Company will pay the high demand price regardless of the strength of demand in his market . Without further ado here are the fund selections, split into three groups:

1. Residential Related industries
TWP (Trex, the largest composite fence and deck manufacturer).
HD (Home Depot - we must included the giant in building product retail).

Often times we fall into the trap of thinking that overhead costs are generally the same for everyone and there is not all that much we can do about it. An average company can get away with that mentality; a great company scraps and claws for every possible cost advantage over their competitors. In a slow Fence Market - cutting costs and buying smart has never been more important for your bottom line. If you are in position to add or replace a truck in your fleet - we hope this diesel vs. gas comparison will help.

Numerous considerations must go into your decision. You have to worry about insulting the local Chevy dealer if you buy a Ford; will Jim (your best foreman) get mad that his truck is now the second newest because Franks 76' International is the truck your replacing and not his. Will your wife complain that you are spending 50K on a new "work" truck while she is still driving the Volvo that she has managed to dent on all four corners, top, and bottom. We can't calculate those items mathematically; we can estimate the cost per mile of a new truck. Your cost per mile vs. your evil competitor is all that matters here.
We all know that Diesel has outpaced the price of gas per gallon for some time now. Lets briefly review the past three years:

From Fence Plowing to FenceTech some strange things can be found on the web when searching for Fence Videos. The Fence Wizard has taken the time to compile the first Fence Video Directory. Grab some popcorn:

Bad Tv Shows try to explain Fence Products:
Designing Spaces at FenceTech 2007
CBS Morning Show Fence Building Advice

Product Display, Installation and Manufacturer Show offs
D & D Technologies Gate Hardware
Amazing Gates - Electric Gate Operator Install
Magna Latch Products
Lock and Latch Gate Handle
Turnstyle Gates- Electric Iron Gates
Elite's Miracle Operator
Viper Electric Operator
Ameristar Montage Install via Hoover Fence
Cantilever Gate Install via Hoover Fence
Electric Fence Installation Part 1
Electric Fence Installation Part 2

Fence Plowing and Electric Fence mishaps:

If you are looking for a Fence Company online for just about anything - take a look at the list below. This list is made of the most visited Fence Websites on the Internet. Some are for Retail Sales, some are manufacturers. The List is complimentary of the World Famous Fence Wizard found at www.fencewizard.blogspot.com.

Now without further delay - The "Wizard 50" with traffic totals (these are unique visitors per month as averaged over the past one year)......

Hoover Fence Company (On-line Fence Retail) www.hooverfence.com/ 51,834

Trex (Composite Fence and Deck Manufacturer) www.trex.com/ 29,374

Chamberlain (Access Control Systems) www.chamberlain.com/ 25,870

Invisible Fence (The no fence of fencing) www.invisiblefence.com/ 25,443

Master Halco (National Wholesale Distributer) www.fenceonline.com/ 23,690

Cali Bamboo (Complete Bamboo Product Line) www.calibamboo.com/ 23,153

Academy Fence (NY and NJ Resi - Retailer) www.academyfence.com/ 21,301

Vinyl Fence and Deck (Bufftech and More) www.avinylfence.com/ 18,650

Amazing Gates (Gates and Access Control) www.amazinggates.com/ 18,404

Fence Center (Total Residential Fence Dealer) www.fencecenter.com/ 17,176

Garden Structure (Plans, Custom Wood) www.gardenstructure.com/ 17,009

King Architectual Metals (Iron Parts and More) www.kingmetals.com/ 14,336

Kencove (Farm Fence Supply) www.kencove.com/ 12,313

Fence Depot (Residential Fence Sales) www.fence-depot.com/ 9,839

Long Fence (East Coast full service) www.longfence.com/ 9,308

Husker Vinyl (Westech Vinyl Retail) www.huskervinyl.com/ 8,897

Discount Fence (Resi and Access Control) www.discountfence.com/ 8,819

A Vinyl Fence and Deck Wholesaler www.vinylfenceanddeck.com/ 8,614

Fence Wholesale (Residential On-line Retail) www.fencewholesale.com/ 8,328

Global Fence and Gate (Iron/Aluminum) www.globalfenceandgate.com/ 6,850

Austintown Fence Company (Vinyl/Alum.) www.afencecompany.com/ 5,559

(for activated links view this article in original format www.fencewizard.blogspot.com)

The "Wizard 50" is a list of the most visited web sites in the Fence industry. The Fence Wizard has been counting web hits in cyberspace for some time in order to complete the first known Fence Industry traffic list. In doing so we make the following conclusions:
First - It is likely that more than 500,000 prospective fence customers go online each month for product information, company research, and to purchase material from online retailers. Online retailers represent the bulk of the traffic. This is a direct result of the paid advertising they do with google, yahoo, and msn to secure product ads on search engines.
Second - Many of these companies did not exist 1 or 2 years ago - this tells us that online retailing in the fence industry is still growing and new capital is coming in to create some of these companies.
Third - These online retailers are typically competing with Home Depot and Lowe's - meaning that they are pushing inferior product in most cases and often selling products with specs that most of us would refuse to install ....see one of the Fence Wizard's past articles on the subject -click here.

Now without further delay - The "Wizard 50" with traffic totals (these are unique visitors per month as averaged over the past one year)......

Hoover Fence Company (On-line Fence Retail) www.hooverfence.com/ 51,834

Trex (Composite Fence and Deck Manufacturer) www.trex.com/ 29,374

Chamberlain (Access Control Systems) www.chamberlain.com/ 25,870

Invisible Fence (The no fence of fencing) www.invisiblefence.com/ 25,443

Master Halco (National Wholesale Distributer) www.fenceonline.com/ 23,690

Cali Bamboo (Complete Bamboo Product Line) www.calibamboo.com/ 23,153

Academy Fence (NY and NJ Resi - Retailer) www.academyfence.com/ 21,301

Vinyl Fence and Deck (Bufftech and More) www.avinylfence.com/ 18,650

To view this article in original content with active links visit: www.fencewizard.blogspot.com.

As implied in previous articles by the Fence Wizard the residential fence installation market is enduring a complete recession in "most" American markets and will likely get worse in the short term. One bright spot - new dog owners. Americans have a love affair with dogs. Chances are if a homeowner has no dog; they will get one soon. In addition, new laws such as the no chain law in California are basically forcing some Dog Owners to repair, replace, or add a new fence to comply. It is vital to focus on any trend that could make your company more competitive. The facts are clear, more Americans are getting pets and they are spending more money on pets every year.
Here is some relevant data from the APPMA (American Pet Products Manufacturers Association):

* In 1988, the first year the survey was conducted, 56% of U.S. households owned a pet as compared to 63% in 2006

Total U.S. Pet Industry Expenditures

Year............... Spending (in billions)

2007............... $40.8 Est.
2006............... $38.5
2005............... $36.3

2004............... $34.4

2003............... $32.4

2002............... $29.5

2001............... $28.5

1998............... $23

1996............... $21
1994............... $17

Now, we know we have demand for anything relevant to pet owners and specifically dog owners. Lets address a big problem: "ELECTRONIC DOG FENCING" or "INVISIBLE FENCE". I have linked our readers to these products on the sidebar under "Fence Builders Enemy". Indeed it is exactly that and for a couple hundred bucks homeowners can avoid a $ 5 -10,000 perimeter fence installation. So lets review your sales technique if you think your customer might go to the dark side......
Invisible fence will NOT:
1. Keep out other animals
2. Protect your animals from attack by other animals
3. Keep out thieves
4. Keep out vandals

View this article in original content to see charts, links, and comments at www.fencewizard.blogspot.com

Often times we fall into the trap of thinking that overhead costs are generally the same for everyone and there is not all that much we can do about it. An average company can get away with that mentality; a great company scraps and claws for every possible cost advantage over their competitors. In a slow Fence Market - cutting costs and buying smart has never been more important for your bottom line. If you are in position to add or replace a truck in your fleet - we hope this diesel vs. gas comparison will help.

Numerous considerations must go into your decision. You have to worry about insulting the local Chevy dealer if you buy a Ford; will Jim (your best foreman) get mad that his truck is now the second newest because Franks 76' International is the truck your replacing and not his. Will your wife complain that you are spending 50K on a new "work" truck while she is still driving the Volvo that she has managed to dent on all four corners, top, and bottom. We can't calculate those items mathematically; we can estimate the cost per mile of a new truck. Your cost per mile vs. your evil competitor is all that matters here.
We all know that Diesel has outpaced the price of gas per gallon for some time now. Lets briefly review the past three years:
As you can see Diesel is projected to stay higher in 2008 but the cost gap is narrowing. The Fence Wizard Calculator says that Gas was running 5.5% cheaper than diesel in 2005 but that number is expected to narrow to 3.1% in 2008. Those who already own diesel trucks know that paying a small premium for fuel is well worth it - lets briefly review why that is the case:

We have all been affected by the construction slowdown - especially those who are focused on residential work. When will it come back? How can we forecast 2008 and beyond. Well, no single person or indicator could do that alone. However, "The World Famous Fence Wizard" is here to guide the Fence Universe and that is what shall be done.

Lets give Wall Street a chance to help. The Wizard has developed the following fund (first of its kind) of publicly traded companies that are directly related to fence material, raw product, and the Construction Industry. The idea is to evaluate a group of companies and stocks to get an idea of what Wall Street is betting on going forward. The difficulty is that there are very few publicly traded companies that focus on the fence industry. The test fund is diversified but the focus is on companies with a strong American presence; this is not an international gauge at this time. When it comes to materials such as raw steel, zinc or timber we must remember that such markets are without doubt related to the world economy, if zinc prices are up worldwide then zinc stocks will rise even if domesitc demand is weak. Also - high raw material prices often indicate a strong market but we must recognize they directly hurt end users like Fence Installers who have to pay more for product. So if world demand for zinc is high - Joe Blow's Chain Link Fence Company will pay the high demand price regardless of the strength of demand in his market . Without further ado here are the fund selections, split into three groups:

1. Residential Related industries
TWP (Trex, the largest composite fence and deck manufacturer).
HD (Home Depot - we must included the giant in building product retail).
XHB (This is an index fund of U.S homebuilders...... new homes = new fences).
WLK (Westlake Chemical Principal is a leader in manufactured vinyl products including fence).

Fencing Calculators and Project Estimators!

The question we get most here concerns planning and material needs. Here is a collection of some helpfull fencing calculators from around the web:

Concrete calculator (tells you how many bags or yards you need):
Calculator provided by Hoover Fence - click back to the homepage for some other options

Fence Project Price estimator (Includes Labor)
Total project calculator from Master Halco

The Master Halco link will actually give you project options for several types of fence and can link you to companies that will respond for installation. These are real fence companies that are not forced to purchase material from Master Halco.

PLEASE NOTE:
Be very careful of some of the new companies that are advertising leads - service magic and others - I can not vouch for these services or how they do business.

(To view the original content and active links visit www.fencewizard.blogspot.com)

1st annual web design awards for fence companies

This guide should serve a model for up and coming companies to view and emulate the best websites in the fencing industry. If you see a category that we have missed or a company website that trumps our choice -LET US KNOW! Its a big internet out there.

Category #1: Best product (manufacturer website)..........www.fenceonline.com
Lots of ideas, options, and pictures. Clearly the online fence info winner and its from a company with a long history of quality distribution.

Category #2: Best new product website.............. www.simtekfence.com
This must be the fastest growing fence product in America with dealerships now expanded throughout the country. The growth is so promising that Simtek spun off from the parent company "Mity Lite" into a stand alone company.

Category #3: Best local fence company website............www.champifence.com
Found this one from Central California - gives viewers important company information and background and then hits you with recent project pictures and key links right on the homepage; very professional. Nick Champi Enterprises Inc.

Category #4: Most travelled Fence Website..............www.hooverfence.com
According to alexa.com and wholinkstome.com the winner for this category is Hoover Fence - they have been online retailing for longer then anyone and getting more hits than anyone else.

Category #5: Earth friendly Fence product that makes sense.... www.calibamboo.com
Cali Bamboo is worth a visit even if you have no current fence needs; check out the multitude of project pictures and ideas for inside and out of your home. For you Greenies - check out their regular newsletter and total commitment to renewable resources; the Wizard is impressed the companies 1% giveback program .

Category #6: Best online tool for Fence Companies...........www.fencebids.com

United Fencers Network Established on Facebook...

The United Fencers Network or UFN has recently been established on facebook. Facebook allows groups of the same ilk to converse, meet, and discuss common interests. The UFN will be focused on concepts and concerns that suppliers and installers are currently dealing with. The advantage of using Facebook for this enterprise allows free access to all who join, access to industry news, and instant communication with other companies, suppliers, and even customers that are literally around the world.

When you have a minute or two - stop by www.facebook.com - sign up - and look for the United Fencers Network (UFN). It's easier than running a 20' stringline and hopefully it will keep us all in line. Our consumers are online now - lets get back ahead of the game, get informed and connected.

(if any of the links in this article are inactive you can view the original content at www.fencewizard.blogspot.com)

How to find and hire an employee....

This is the best article I have read on the subject, it was brought to us from Fenceweek.
FINDING GOOD EMPLOYEES (using your cell phone)
Good employees, with a strong work ethic and knowledge of their trade, are already employed. When they want to change jobs, they can usually do so quickly. That is why, when you decide to hire an employee, you also need to move quickly.

Here is a method that some of our coaching clients are using and so far it is working great.

Write a four or five line ad, starting with "Top Pay for (insert job name here)." Then list briefly what you are looking for, i.e., experience, must have own hand tools, late model vehicle, good driving record, no drugs or alcohol, whatever else you feel is important. The key phrase is "Top Pay for . . . "

Put the ad everywhere you can: in the paper, on the Internet, on the bulletin board at the supply house. List your cell phone number - and make sure you have your cell phone with you to take the calls. When potential employees call in, here is what you say:

"I'm going to give you a 30 second commercial about the job, when I am done I want you to tell me if you can do it. You will be checked and evaluated during the first two weeks of employment so if you tell me you can do the job, be aware you will be checked and tested. I will not talk about money on this call. If you can do the job, we will meet later today or tomorrow morning, have some coffee, talk about the job, the pay and see if there is a fit between us. Is that fair enough?"

Now, notice that you won't talk money. That forces the potential employee to focus on the job requirements, and it stops your competition from calling and finding out what you are willing to pay good help. If the caller comes back with any questions about pay, they are the wrong person for you. Their focus is obviously on the pay, not the work, and it tells you they won't follow directions!

Architects already know it - go to caddesisgns.com

This website can be a great tool for folks looking to specifiy exactly what they want on their private business or even residential fence project. Its very simple and this is a free site --- go to http://www.caddesigns.com/
Type in "Fence" in the main search on the top of the page and you will see:

CSI CATEGORIES (Select category to refine search)
(32 31 00) fences and gates
(32 31 13) chain link fences and gates
(32 31 19) decorative metal fences and gates
(32 31 29) wood fences and gates
(32 31 23) plastic fences and gates
(32 31 16) welded wire fences and gates

(Go ahead and use the above category links, I made them active)
Follow your nose from there - you will have acces to designs like the
one pictured (Top) from Builders Fence Company.
(
If links in this article are inactive view the original content with links at www.fencewizard.blogspot.com)

Principia announces results of Fence Market Study...

Unfortunate for us, Principia does not believe in the free lunch philosophy that guides the Fence Wizard Blog. The major results of the survey are described HERE.
However, for the full report you will have to pony up some money. Here are the points that I wish to pass on to Fence Wizard readers:

1. Demand for residential fence is estimated to be nearly $3 billion of the total fence market value in 2006. Steve Van Kouteren, a Principal at Principia Partners explains, “The residential fence market consists of five major fence styles including privacy, post and rail, chain link, ornamental, and post and wire/wire mesh. The market can also be segmented by the four distinct material segments including wood, metal, plastic and mineral-based or masonry materials. Wood and metal are the dominant materials used, accounting for over 70% of the total value.”

2. In addition to vinyl fence, polystyrene, wood-plastic composites (WPC), and polyethylene are the other plastic-based fence materials. Mr. Van Kouteren says that the recent study estimates demand for plastic fence materials in the North American residential market to be over $600 million or nearly 25% of the total market in 2006.

3. Plastic fence will continue to grow its market share over the next five years. Most demand growth will be for vinyl and for new wood-plastic composite privacy fence. Both materials will be replacing wood. Plastic fence manufacturers have developed new privacy fence products with embossed wood grain and earth tone colors as well as low gloss to mimic wood. The new WPC fence products have an edge over vinyl in regards to availability of a wide range of darker colors. Both vinyl and WPC suppliers are looking to take advantage of the growing consumer demand for low maintenance, non-shiny, white plastic fence by tapping into the huge portion of the wood privacy market that will not consider white vinyl as an option.