Women in Fencing

Sheryl McMahon, CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER DANDY DIGGER

Women are leading the way in a variety of roles within the fencing industry. We’re excited to highlight just a small sampling of the women who are blazing the trail, mentoring younger professionals, and creating unique niches for themselves and those who follow.

“Make your Voice Heard”

As the first female chief executive officer (CEO) of CertainTeed Canada, Julie Bonamy Racine has already forged quite an impressive career, one which began in another country and a field completely unrelated to construction.

She began her professional life as an inspector of finance for the Inspection Générale des finances of France, a body that provides oversight, auditing and analysis functions for the French Government. Later she joined the Office of the French Minister for the Economy, Industry and the Digital Sector, as an advisor for budget and the digital sector. She also has experience in political campaigns, working in her personal time for President Macron’s first presidential campaign in 2017.

Racine has been with Saint-Gobain since 2017 and has held several roles within the company, including Group Vice President-Strategy & Planning and CEO of Saint-Gobain Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia before being named CEO of CertainTeed Canada earlier this year.

“Being new to the business in Canada, each day has been different, as I work to visit our plants throughout the country and meet our employees, customers and other stakeholders,” says Racine. “We have also recently finalized a major acquisition of Kaycan, making CertainTeed the largest manufacturer of exterior siding in the country. As we work to integrate the Kaycan team to our business, each day brings new and exciting tasks.”

Racine says the best advice she’s ever received was not to be too harsh with yourself, from Saint-Gobain North America and CertainTeed’s CEO Mark Rayfield. “I think about it often, and feel this advice is especially important to women, as historically, women have had to work harder to be recognized for our work and accomplishments.”

At Saint-Gobain, Racine says they operate under the principle that diversity makes us stronger and equity and inclusion are priorities. “I have found that my leadership teams in both Singapore and Canada have been nearly evenly split between men and women, which makes us stronger. Women bring new and different perspectives, which can help change habits and culture for the better.”

Racine says the toughest lessons she has learned in her career stem from the COVID-19 pandemic. “During that time, I was covering Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, where we had strict stay-at-home guidelines and closed borders. We had to navigate a remote landscape for the first time and were forced to make difficult business decisions to align with government guidelines such as closing plants. It was hard to console our team members who lost loved ones when we could not be together in-person.”

She adds that this is the most challenging part of her job – managing the unexpected. “Whether a pandemic like COVID-19, geopolitical issues or natural disasters impacting our operations and teams, there will always be situations that require a leader to make tough decisions. You must manage these unexpected challenges while also working to ensure they don’t interrupt day to day functions and business strategies as best you can.”

In her new role CEO, Racine says she most enjoys learning from people. “I have had the opportunity to travel the world with Saint-Gobain and am inspired each and every day by our teams, the work they are doing to prioritize safety at our plants, and their dedication to meeting our company’s mission of being the leader in light and sustainable construction.”

The best advice Racine would give to another woman considering a career in the construction materials industry is to make your voice and perspective heard, as it can have great impact. “At Saint-Gobain, our global purpose is to ‘Make the World a Better Home,’ and in the building materials industry, you can really do that. The sector is changing every day and we have a key role to play when it comes to sustainability. You can make a concrete difference on your community, country and planet.”

Learn more about CertainTeed at www.certainteed.com.

“Every Day is a Brand-New Puzzle”

As someone who did not have a fencing background, Susan Worley has paved a path of success within the industry thanks to enthusiasm, persistence, and skill.

“I was green when I first started with this company,” she explains. “I did not come from anything even remotely related to gate operators, access control, or even sales. I’m proud that I found a career here.”

She was recently promoted to regional sales manager with Southwest Automated Security. She began with the company five years ago, starting in their warehouse, then moved to inside sales, then assistant branch manager. Prior to Southwest Automated, Worley was a full-time college student working on a degree in marketing and working full-time in hospitality. After seven and a half years in the U.S. Navy, she discovered a love for hotels and restaurants.

“I met Jeff, the president of Southwest Automated, and Steve, the retired COO, as I worked the breakfast service at a hotel. I really believed that hospitality was my career path until Southwest Automated Security found me,” Worley says.

Her typical day consists of many phone calls and emails. “I probably spend a quarter of my day working on quotes. The next half of my day consists of research; either trouble shooting issues or figuring out what all parts are needed to complete a job from the top down or finding new business. And the last quarter of my day is a therapist: listening to my customers, laughing with them, crying with them, and celebrating their successes.”

“I love that every day is a brand-new puzzle. A new quote that needs to be figured out. A new supply chain issue that I need to maneuver. More than all of that, SAS lets me succeed. They give me the space and freedom to figure it out, and the guidance to be successful,” Worley explains. “On top of that, I told them I wanted to try on every “hat”, and so far, they haven’t told me no.”

She finds being a woman in the male-dominated fencing industry can be both a challenge and an advantage because she can bring balance. “I’ve gotten thousands of phone calls asking me if they can speak to a male tech support person,” she says. “My response is always, ‘No, but you can speak with a FEmale tech support person.’ My branch used to rebuild actuators. It’s not hard, but it always shocked some of the men that I did all the repairs for us. There is a huge advantage to being a woman in the industry. We bring a balance to the male-dominated workforce. I’m usually told I have a nicer smile than ‘him’, so that helps.”

Worley feels her success can be attributed to her lack of fear. “When something is scary, I must do it. That’s just God pushing me. My lack of fear has driven me to do more and get more involved in our industry,” she says. “It’s also taught me how to be genuine. Genuinely being myself has gotten me to a place where I’ve really built great relationships with my customers, my fellow owners, and the entire fence industry.”

To learn more about Southwest Automated Security, visit www.southwestautomated.com.

“It’s Not About the Sale, It’s About relationships”

Harriet Statz has been an integral part of Qual Line Fence for over 30 years. Founded by her husband, Ray, in 1956, the company is wellknown in Wisconsin and beyond for their excellent products, service, and long-term support for fences, gates, kennels and railings. Much of that is attributed to Harriet’s panache for getting to know the customers and ensuring they receive the type of product they’re needing.

“Working in the fence industry for so many years, I never felt as though being a woman in this field was challenging to me,” Statz says. “I have so many friends in the fencing industry.” Recently, a customer who had a fence installed by Qual Line Fence about 12 years ago needed an adjustment to the gate. “The lady recalled how, when we initially met to talk about the fence, I spent time playing with her cat before we ever got around to the specifics of the fence,” Harriet says. “I have always enjoyed people and working with our customers has given me even more opportunities to know more people. It’s not about the sale, it’s about relationships.”

Harriet and Ray worked with ASTM, the American Society for Testing and Materials, to publish a guideline they created for a method of setting fence posts solidly and permanently without concrete. “We prepared 13 drafts in all, making the changes they asked for to satisfy everyone at ASTM until finally it was approved in 2017,” she says.

She has received an ambassador award from the fence industry and a recognition of service from ASTM. Having attended most of the FENCE TECH meetings throughout the years, she has many friends and acquaintances in the business and enjoys catching up with them.

For more information about Qual Line Fence, visit www.quallinefence.com.

“Working with Family is So Rewarding”

Sometimes your true calling takes a back seat to what you think you want to do. Such was the case for Laurie Bennett, who pursued a career in law enforcement, working as a park ranger and police cadet during her college years before being accepted to the California Highway Patrol Academy. But in the end, the pull of the family business, Fence Factory, was too hard to resist. Bennett is now the Co-Owner of Fence Factory, as well as serving in several other executive roles for the family’s affiliated businesses.

Bennett’s parents, Robert and Myrna, founded Fence Factory in Ventura, California, in 1972 after working in the industry for several years. Bennett joined the company 35 years ago, but she learned the nuts and bolts of the business – literally – from a young age. “As a teenager, I worked parttime, doing things like counting nuts and bolts, filing paperwork and whatever else they needed me to do.”

“My parents had always encouraged me to join the family business,” says Bennett. “They recognized my aptitude for management and entrepreneurship before I did. I’m grateful they did. The best advice I ever received was from my dad. He told me, ‘Stay in the family business as you will be able to do whatever you want.’ I took his words to heart and I’ve never had a regret about joining the company.”

Since the company began, Bennett says they have expanded and diversified significantly, both in products and affiliated services. This includes four material sales and installation divisions along the south-central California coast; three rental fence and port-a-potty divisions; one special events division; one vinyl manufacturing and material sales division; one gate operator and garage door installation and sales division; and seven national electronic entry distribution facilities. They also have one union heavy highway division, C&W Construction Specialties, that contracts along the California, Nevada, Arizona triangle.

Bennett says working with family is so rewarding. “In the early days, I felt like I had to compete with my brothers for my parents’ approval. It took me a while to learn there was no competition; we work very well alongside each other and united as a team. Now, seeing my mom every day and working with my brother and all of the 200-plus employees across our companies is what I enjoy the most.”

On a typical day, Bennett interacts with the majority of the company’s subsidiary businesses, overseeing and managing several of their personally owned commercial properties that our businesses are operating from and dealing with federal and state operational issues. Her newest job function is as the corporate philanthropist, a role that she fully embraces. “The real fun is representing our business and the fence industry in Rotary International. I am currently President of our local Rotary club and it keeps me busy on a weekly basis, sometimes daily.”

Bennett says she never felt that being a woman in the construction/fence industry held her back. “I had a front-row seat to a female role model – my mother. She co-founded the company with my father and never let anything hold her back. She continues to serve as the CEO and President of the holding company for all of our family businesses and I report to her every day.”

Although working in in her family-owned business sheltered her from many of the unique challenges faced by women working in such a male-dominated field, Bennett realizes those hurdles for women do exist. That’s why she has become an active mentor and advocate for girls and women in construction through the National Association of Women in Construction, the Associated General Contractors of California, and her local Ventura County Contractors Association, to promote women in construction in all aspects. She conducted a middle and high school girls’ construction camp for ten summers, before COVID restrictions, and hopes to pick this back up.

“There are many opportunities for women in the industry that aren’t necessarily dealing with installation of the products,” says Bennett. “Project management, estimating and customer service, just to name a few, are key roles women can and often excel at. Keep an open mind and don’t rule out an industry that is thought of as non-traditional one for women. Don’t be afraid to blaze a new trail.”

Learn more about Fence Factory at www.fencefactory.com.

“Find your People”

Jessica Ammons has come to learn there is no typical day in the fencing industry. As the national wood product manager for Fencing Supply Group, she views her position as the ultimate marketing job.

“I touch all the P’s of marketing: product, price, promotion place and people. As a product manager, I am using all the 5 P’s while working with our 70 locations to buy, sell, and promote wood products,” she explains. “My favorite part of this role is being able to work with all our incredible people throughout Fencing Supply Group, I take these opportunities to learn from them and hopefully, together we get the right products, at the right time and the right price to our customers.”

She doesn’t feel her gender was an issue in working in the fencing industry; it was more her age that made a difference. “I found that at the start of my career, my bigger obstacle was my young age,” Ammons says. “At 22, fresh out of college, I had a lot to learn about the business and the veterans I was working with made sure I was learning and growing with each opportunity, I was presented. The gender factor was probably only something I faced 3% of the time.”

“I never allowed there to be any impacts or issues with being a woman in a male-dominated field. I approach all business as I would anything, building relationships and learning from my peers,” she explains.

Ammons has been with Fencing Supply Group since April, 2022. Prior to that she was the media and wood product manager for Binford Supply for three years, and before that, was the senior cedar buyer for 15 years with Weyerhaeuser.

Her favorite part about the fencing industry is the people. “I enjoy all the interactions I have with this diverse group across the industry,” she says. “I truly feel like I have joined a family within FSG and the fence industry. I am building some incredible friendships along the way. My conversations always center around partnerships and building relationships.”

She has been part of a beneficial network and says finding your people can make a big difference. “The most important thing to establish when joining any industry is a network of like-minded people, it does not have to revolve around gender,” Ammons says. “I grew up in the wood industry alongside some other amazing younger guys and we now have our own network of people. We congratulate each other on promotions and sympathize when career disappointments occur. We connected over being young people in the industry when the closest person to our age was 15 – 20 years older than us. As a collection, we are now mentoring all the up-and coming people, male or female. I love seeing how many of these new members of the fencing fraternity are women.”

Ammons acknowledges the women who blazed a trail of success. “Women in the wood and fencing industries have come a long way and thanks to all the women who have come before us, we are met with respect and camaraderie. For women who are joining the fencing industry for the first time, I encourage all women to network and let’s continue to welcome women to our industry.”

For more information, visit www.fencingsupplygroup.com.

“ There’s Never a Typical Day”

A summer job before starting college turned into a lifelong passion and career in the fencing/building products industry for Kerri Hughes. After working in several different capacities in the industry, Hughes is now the Inside Sales Manager for Fortress Building Products. She’s been with the company for six years.

“This is the only industry I’ve ever worked in, and I’ve never felt held back or overlooked because I’m a woman,” says Hughes. “I have been fortunate to have very positive and empowering work environments. I also feel like we are seeing a rise in women in all segments of the construction and building materials industries, and our company is no different. Over the past decade we have seen many influential female role models join our industry and their impact on women now, and in the future, will see lasting benefits.”

One of the things Hughes loves most about her job is the relationships she has developed with colleagues over the years. “So many of the people I work with have become lifelong friends.” She also enjoys the variety of the work itself. “There is never a typical day and I think that is what keeps me excited about coming to work every day. I can’t imagine having a job where you do exactly the same thing every day. This industry is constantly growing and changing, which requires that I continue learning and growing as well.”

The best advice Hughes ever received was in relation to clear communication. “I was once told by a dear friend that ‘many wars have been started over misunderstandings.’ That statement has had a profound impact on me over the years. It’s especially important in today’s world, where so much of our communication is via email and text, where the emotion and intention can be so easily lost and/or misconstrued, leading to misunderstanding. Even in a fast-paced environment, when an issue arises, I believe it is important to pick up the phone and have a conversation.”

Hughes says a challenge for anyone – men and women – is figuring out a work-life balance. “This has been a tough lesson for me. As driven individuals, we all can fall into the trap of prioritizing work, when in reality, we need to be cognizant about putting our family first. I feel this is a work in progress for most, including myself, but it’s goal that we should always be working toward.”

To any woman considering a career in the fencing industry, Hughes give a strong recommendation for the field. “Do it! Not only are we fortunate to have amazing women who will spend time mentoring someone new to the fence industry, the men are welcoming and willing to share their knowledge and passion as well. You’ll be amazed at the camaraderie and support in this industry. I think that comes from people who love what they do.”

Learn more about Fortress Building Products at www.fortressbp.com.

“ Don’t Take it Personally”

Growing up the in suburbs surrounding Philadelphia, Gwen Sims always felt a love for the city, so when she founded her company, E.C. Fence & Iron Works, there was no question in her mind – or her heart – regarding the location.

Now, 23 years later, her company has grown into one of the leading fence companies in the tri-state area, with 35 employees and offering a wide range of commercial and industrial services. E.C. Fence & Iron Works specializes in industrial and commercial fencing and iron works and has the capability to undertake all types of fence and metal projects.

“We are very versatile and work in a variety of settings, from heavy construction sites and refineries, to schools, substations, airports, sports fields, Homeland Security projects, metropolitan buildings and many others,” explains Sims. “Our team can design, build, repair and maintain fences, gates, railing, and many other miscellaneous metals for various applications. Providing high quality work with the highest level of safety on every worksite is a top priority. We are committed to customer satisfaction and strive to create long standing relationships with all of our clients.”

Sims was raised by her grandmother, who taught her to be a strong woman and encouraged her to pave her own path in the world. “She’s the reason I became a confident person who is always up for a challenge. I attribute the success I have achieved to her.”

Every career path encounters some bumps along the way, and Sims says hers was no exception. “We’ve had our share of tough times, but we have a strong team and the drive to work through any problem. I’ve learned a lot of tough lessons along the way; one of the most difficult is that not everyone is as honest and trustworthy as they lead you to believe. You can’t assume that everyone has the same business ethics as you do.”

Sims says being a woman in the construction field is not something she’s ever given a lot of attention. “I stay focused on working hard. Starting and running a business isn’t easy, whether you’re male or female.” Some advice that has guided her through the years is, “Don’t take it personally. Business is tough and not for everyone,” and, “If it were easy, then everyone would have their own business.”

A typical day for Sims is in her office, paying invoices, looking ahead at jobs and material planning. Managing multiple jobsites involves a lot of emails and phone calls. “There’s a lot of demands and a lot of juggling, but there’s nothing like the satisfaction of seeing projects move forward.”

Sims says there are three things she loves most about owning and operating her own business. “I love to drive around the city and see what my team has accomplished. Second, being able to connect with some of the greatest people in construction is a privilege. Third, being able to donate and give back to our community is very rewarding. Non-profits are the heart of our communities and I feel the work they do is so very important to us. I’m proud to support it.”

Learn more about E.C. Fence & Iron Works at www.ecfence.net.

Women in Fencing Series Launching at FENCETECH 2023

FENCETECH 2023 will feature an expanded topic: Women in Fencing. The seminar debuts on Thursday, March 2 at 4:15 p.m. with a reception following at 5:00 p.m. The reception is sponsored by Ameristar, Fencing Supply Group, Master Halco and Wheatland Tube.

“We’ve had Women in Fencing panel sessions at previous FENCETECH’s and they’ve been popular,” explains Alexa Churchwell with American Fence Association. “We are always looking for ways to create more value for our AFA members which is why we are expanding outside of FENCTECH in 2023 to provide year-round resources for women in the fence business including continuing education and business tools to attract more women to the industry.”

Andrea Hogan, CEO with Fencing Supply Group, is the lead organizer of the committee. “I attended a Women in Fencing session years ago and was a panelist in Salt Lake City in 2021 and in New Orleans in 2022. As I left New Orleans, I ran into Bobby Batchelor, the incoming AFA president. We talked about the Women in Fencing panel and ways to expand the idea. After a 40-minute conversation in the airport, we were excited about the possibilities. I was enthusiastic about Bobby’s interest and impressed when he reached out to me a month later to see if I was interested in helping them build upon the idea.”

In addition to Hogan, more volunteers have joined forces, creating a great momentum for this expanded topic. They are:

• Catherine Mills Reynolds, Mills Fence Company
• Kerri Hughes, Fortress Building Products
• Paige Ginn, Jefcoat Fence
• Susan Colson, Security Fence
• Ashley Roth, Expert Stain & Seal

The committee’s goals are:

• Improve content provide to all AFA members, particularly around how to recruit and retain women in the industry
• Increase the number of women who participate in Women in Fencing events by providing a place for them to network, learn and grow
• Be a resource for mentorship

“In addition to the seminar, several companies within the fencing community have graciously volunteered to sponsor a reception immediately following the seminar,” explains Hogan. “The reception is open to everyone. We have more ideas for the future and look forward to growing this idea in the coming years.”

InCord Awarded Women-Owned Small Business Certification

InCord has been certified as a Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). For InCord, this is a milestone and a transition from its founding years, recognizing Meredith Shay and Robin Ritz as sole owners of InCord, a woman-owned and operated manufacturing business entity, on a federal level.

WOSB provides bidding opportunities for InCord for all state and federal jobs and in many instances, within private industry. In addition, the SBA-backed status will provide InCord an edge over a company that is not certified. The SBA plans to award at least 5% of all federal contracting dollars to women-owned small businesses yearly to support this goal.

“We’re excited to have achieved this certification,” says Shay. “It allows us to demonstrate our values and capabilities to more clients. We can connect with companies who share our commitment to diversity and inclusion.”

InCord is a safety net manufacturer located in Colchester, Connecticut. The company has a 27-year history of manufacturing unique netting systems for the material handling, construction, automotive, amusement, and sports industries. InCord has been honored with Connecticut’s best workplace awards wince 2011.