| January 31, 2024
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A big THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to the incredible success of this year's FENCETECH/METALfab in Nashville, TN! We are grateful to the board, staff, volunteers, exhibitors and sponsors, presenters, and attendees who traveled from across the map to take advantage of first-class education, networking, and certification opportunities in Music City. With over 7,000 attendees, this is certainly a FENCETECH that will go down in history!
Mark your calendars now and plan to join us for FENCETECH next year in Salt Lake City, Utah:
February 25-28, 2025. More details to follow this spring.
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Next! BCO, AHJs Safety, Standards & GR Virtual Event
February 13-15, 2024 – 1 hour daily
- Wednesday Feb. 13th, 2024, 12 p.m. CT
- Thursday Feb 14th, 2024, 12 p.m. CT
- Friday Feb 15th, 2024, 12 p.m. CT
Join us for a virtual conference to learn how you can help keep your community safe and be updated on the highest gate safety standards in the industry, from experts in the field and others in the industry who are working to raise awareness and provide attainable solutions to this safety issue.
Speakers:
Nick Rike, Zach Eichenberger, Rick Sedivy, Mike Gulledge, Dayna Quanbeck, Eric Quanbeck, San Rafel Inspector, San Rafael Attorney.
Register Now!
AFA U at Northeast Chapter Regional Trade Show — Groton, CT
February 28-29, 2024
- Gate Automation Designer School
- Sales Training School
Register before February 19 to get the early bird rates!
Ignite! Rockwall (Dallas), TX
March 12-14, 2024
An extraordinary team-based learning experience focused on leadership development and exploring the strategies and tactics necessary to IGNITE business growth.
Registration opening soon!
AFA University Tulsa, OK
November 4-8, 2024
- Fence Installation School
- Sales Training School
- Operations Manager School
- Leadership Academy
- Fence Contractor Business School
- Gate Automation Installation School
- Gate Automation Designer School
Registration opening early summer!
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 AFA is committed to providing you with the tools necessary to achieve your professional goals. We understand that communicating your credentials in an ever-expanding online marketplace can be challenging. That is why we have partnered with Credly to provide you with a digital version of your credentials called a digital badge.
If you have earned your CFC, CGAT, CGAD, or COM designation, or if you have completed FIS, FCBS, GADS, GATS, OMS, or STS, you should have received an email from Credly inviting you to claim your credential. This digital badge contains information describing your credential and allows you to easily share your achievement to LinkedIn and other platforms. There is no fee for this service – only added benefits.
What are the benefits of a digital badge?
- Easily manage, share and verify your learning achievements
- Secure verification adds credibility to your achievement
- Market your skill and expertise to potential customers and grow your business
What happens next?
- Click the button in the email from Credly inviting you to accept your badge
- Create and confirm your Credly account
- Accept your badge and start sharing!
We hope you take advantage of this benefit and enjoy the professional recognition afforded by our badging program. If you have questions, or have not received your badge (check your spam folders), please contact sara@americanfenceassociation.com.
Don’t have your credential yet and don’t want to miss out? We’re here to help! Apply for certification here or register for an upcoming school here!
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One of the many benefits available to AFA members is participation in our country-wide association chapters. We hope to see you at an upcoming event in your area this winter and next spring!
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March 1, 2024
Northeast Regional Tradeshow & Education Seminars
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Sept 5, 2024
CFCA/Pacific Northwest Chapters West Coast Fence Show
We offer learning, networking and community participation opportunities year-round. Stay up to date with all of AFA's upcoming chapter happenings at www.americanfenceassociation.com/events.
Contact AFA staff with questions at memberservices@americanfenceassociation.com.
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We'll have a full review of FENCETECH 2024 in our upcoming March/April issue of Fencepost magazine. From innovative products to unforgettable networking opportunities, plus our 2024 Hall of Fame, Association, and PRO Award winners, we're excited to bring you the highlights of this year's record-breaking event. Stay tuned!
Have FENCETECH news to share? If you attended this year's show, tell us about it! Send your thoughts, comments and event photos to editor@americanfenceassociation.com and we'll include them in our recap.
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The January/February 2024 issue of Fencepost magazine is now available online. Take a look at some of our top stories:
Or, dive into the full issue from cover to cover here.
And remember, all our back issues are available to AFA members any time at www.fencepost-digital.com.
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The global fencing market attained a value of about $33.73 billion in 2023, driven by the rising applications of fences in the residential sector. The market is expected to witness a further growth in the forecast period of 2024-2032, growing at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.5%.
As the fence industry looks ahead to 2024, a combination of market trends, technological integration, sustainability practices, and global economic factors will shape its trajectory.
Read the full Fencepost article here.
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ID Theft Awareness Week is January 29 – Feb 2, 2024.
Scams are designed to either steal your money or steal your identity to take your money later. Scammers use a range of techniques to collect personally identifiable information (PII).
Fortunately, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) offers many resources to help consumers protect their identity from scammers. They also provide tips for spotting and preventing potential scam, such as:
• Looking for unexplained withdrawals, charges, and accounts.
• Noting unauthorized inquiries and accounts under your credit report history.
• Using strong passwords - and never using the same password on multiple sites.
• Shredding outdated documents with personal information.
Follow these links to learn more:
• FTC's Identity Theft Site
• BBB Tip: How to Protect Your Identity from a Data Breach
• 10 BBB Tips to Avoid Scams
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AFA would like to welcome the new members who have recently joined the association.
We're glad you're part of the family!
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AFA would like to give a shout-out to our members celebrating anniversaries with the association.
We're honored to mark another year in our partnership!
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Your AFA Member Savings Program has partnered with Experian to provide Employee Retention Credit services for our members. As you may have seen in our September update, the ERC Program recently revised program expectations. The good news is that our process was and still is fundamentally supported by ERC statute and IRS guidance. The IRS is still required by law to receive claims and abide by their own safe harbor notices for processing, even though they will now take a little longer to process claims.
Why apply for the ERC?
The Employee Retention Credit program (ERC) is a refundable tax credit based on wages and healthcare costs. Eligible employers may be able to receive up to $5,000 per employee in 2020 and up to $7,000 per employee for each qualifying quarter of 2021. You can qualify based on your W2 employee count, and your participation in the PPP loan program does NOT disqualify you.
Many industries were significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the CARES Act, the Employee Retention Credit provides a refundable tax credit for businesses that either experienced a significant reduction in revenue OR whose operations were suspended due to government orders. Even if you do not meet the specific revenue reduction threshold, you may qualify due to temporary shutdowns, modifications, travel restriction or social distancing requirements.
The deadline to submit the 2020 refund claim is April 15, 2024, and the deadline for 2021 is April 15, 2025. We recommend that members file as soon as possible, in order to be at the front of the line when they finally get caught up.
You can have an Experian Representative contact you by registering your interest HERE.
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