| July 20, 2020
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Join us every Wednesday at 2 PM for our MEMBERS ONLY AFA-Q! This is your opportunity to get face to face with staff and ask those AFA questions!
Audio pin will be given after you join the webinar. If joining by phone only, press # for audio pin.
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HARD WORK LEADS TO NEW GROWTH FOR CMS FENCING
AFA member Ross Brimingham is no stranger to hard work. Growing up, he learned about the fence trade from his dad, uncles and cousins, pitching in from time to time to help out on a job. As an adult, he pursued a career as an equipment operator, ultimately becoming a crane operator for the corps of engineers. He worked long hours on a demanding schedule: 12 days on, 2 days off.
Then, a life-changing event turned the course of his career: he and his wife welcomed their daughter into the world. Brimingham knew he wanted to be home with his family, and he also knew he had an affinity for fencing. And so, in December 2019, CMS Fencing was born.
“We started out with just myself and one helper, Zeke, in an old truck,” Brimingham said. “Now, CMS Fencing is doing custom fencing and commercial work, and we’ve grown from one crew to two. I have three more guys installing for me – Eric, Michael and Austin – who are all great guys.”
On top of adding to his staff, Brimingham is excited about the upgrades CMS has been able to make that enables it to provide a wider scope of options to its customers: new trucks, a skid steer, a forklift, and a yard for the business.
“We were able to get to this point all in the first six months,” Brimingham said. “God has been great. If he chooses to bless us with the next six months, that would be more than I could even ask for.”
CMS Fencing set its sights high from the start, and its first big job in particular stands out as a milestone for the company.
The opportunity came from Brimingham’s next door neighbor, whose son-in-law builds warehouses. He gave CMS Fencing the opportunity to build some fence for him, and Brimingham and his crew jumped on the challenge.
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I hope all is well with our American Fence Association members, and that we are all adapting to the new normal -whatever that is!!
As our industry enters a new era of challenges with supply and demand, our contractor members have become very creative and have accepted the fact that changes are required to survive. Our company leadership skills and employee management skills have been challenged as well and we have seen exciting leadership changes occur in a very positive way.
Contractors, suppliers and manufactures have joined forces and new partnerships have been forged throughout our industry. Contractors are exploring new product opportunities and have began to develop new marketing concepts with these new products. The question is- have you adapted to the new normal?
If not, reach out to a new product supplier or something you have considered and not taken the time to evaluate, it could be a new beginning for your company.
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FENCETECH 2021 booth draw will begin on Monday, August 17, 2020 so be sure to save the date in your calendar. Keep an eye on your emails as we send out instructions and the official call list.
Don’t miss your chance to claim a valuable, high-visibility space at one of our most popular FENCETECH destinations, Nashville, TN. In the meantime, check out next year's floor plan to get an idea of where you'd like your booth to be and our new list of sponsorship opportunities.
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The American Fence Association (AFA) is successful because of the dedication and passion of its members and volunteers. We rely heavily on our members to assist with committees, activities, projects and service on our Board of Directors.
We encourage you to consider submitting your name for consideration. Through volunteering you will gain valuable leadership skills and expand your network, which will benefit you personally and professionally. See what other volunteer leaders are sharing about their volunteer experience:
“The biggest opportunity for learning for me has been working with other professionals on association challenges. It has helped me improve my skills when facing challenges in my own business and I am making better decisions as a result. Being in a room with others and seeing how others approach and find solutions has been very insightful.”
–McKay Lundgren, SOS Siren Operated Sensors
“The AFA has stretched me to become a better leader. The different committees I have sat on have been such an eye opener of things I needed to sharpen my skills on by working with so many professional people.”
–Sam Williams, Homeland Vinyl Products
The deadline to submit your interest form for service in 2021 is Friday, August 14, 2020. Visit AFA’s website to learn more about requirements and position descriptions or complete the Willingness to Serve Form now.
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AFA is conducting a Call for Presentations for upcoming virtual and in-person events. AFA is looking for a wide array of topics that are innovative, engaging, inspiring, and informative for fence and deck contractors across the USA. AFA’s goal is to offer relevant, timely education and training to help attendees do their jobs more effectively and make their businesses more successful. Attendees are interested in hearing the latest trends, installation techniques, and best practices from industry experts and peers.
VIRTUAL EVENTS
Webinar presentations are scheduled throughout the year. All completed submissions for webinars are peer-reviewed on a rolling basis; if your session is accepted as a webinar, staff will reach out to confirm and schedule.
IN-PERSON EVENTS
Our next planned in-person event is FENCETECH in Nashville, Tennessee, scheduled for February 23-26, 2021. Educational programming is conducted on Tuesday and Wednesday, February 23 and 24, 2021. Presentations begin as early as 8:00 a.m. and run throughout the day, ending as late as 5:30 p.m.
Please click to visit the Call for Presentations section on our website to find out more information and to submit your presentation!
*PLEASE NOTE: We currently expect to hold FENCETECH 2021 in person, but arrangements are subject to change depending on COVID-19. We will keep all of our speakers informed as the situation changes.
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This year your industry and your professional organization, the American Fence Association (AFA), were all confronted with conducting business in a whole new and virtual way. Our industry emerged triumphant and our fence professionals were mostly deemed essential partners in our great country. We conquered virtual sales where we could, we evolved as safety experts as needed, and we flourished even when our country was put on hold.
But as we continue to face new and exciting challenges, we want to stop and ask our members, what can we do for you during this time and how do we measure up to your needs?
Therefore, we ask that you take this quick survey (no more than 5-7 minutes) to help us to continue to strive for excellence in our events and education and perfection in our membership.
Your time is important and valuable and we appreciate you taking the time to support us in this initiative. And we thank you for being a part of our great #AFAmily.
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The May/June digital edition of Fencepost magazine is now available! Each issue of Fencepost is archived online so you can easily access all of the industry features, member news, AFA updates and more, with the click of a mouse.
In this issue:
• Empowering Fence Professionals for the Road Ahead • Backyard Beauty: Aluminum for Safety and Style Start Reading
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AFA extends its thanks to the following members who have recently joined the association as first-time members. Welcome to the AFA family!
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AFA extends its thanks to the following members who have recently renewed their existing membership. We're glad you're part of the AFA family!
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Did you know AFA members can now participate in a new benefit that employees really value? The AFA Member Savings Program has launched a 401(k) Multiple Employer Plan (MEP) for our association members through our Member Savings Program and Transamerica.
A MEP is a group of 401(k) plans which are combined into one plan. The MEP option came into being in late 2019 through new national legislation which allows smaller companies to join together to obtain buying power and economies of scale resulting in reduced investment fees, reduced billable fees, and a reduction in staff workload. Also, there is reduced fiduciary liability to you as the employer and Plan Sponsor. As the collective assets under management grow; the management fees will be reduced even further under the MEP.
The MEP will allow companies without a current retirement plan to start one at a lower cost and with less work and also allow companies with existing 401K plans to join in our group plan to reduce their costs.
As you know, retirement plans are also one of the key tools to employee recruitment and retention. Check out the new 401k / MEP Plan and see if it makes sense for you, your company and your employees.
One misconception many companies have is that you need to provide a matching contribution. While there are many advantages to doing this, including employee recruitment and retention, you can start a plan with only employee contributions.
If you would like to learn more about providing this benefit to your employees please reach out to our Transamerica National Representative, Mark Cywin at 201-618-9581 and tell him you are with the AFA.
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