Mark your calendars for Feb. 2-5, 2017, when AFA takes FENCETECH to San Antonio, Texas. You'll join leading fence industry manufacturers, distributors and contractors and get four days of education, certifications, networking and sessions about industry trends and technology.

A privacy fence offers more than just privacy. Many community members have opted for this installation, and are a few reasons why. (Mills Fence Company)

The January/February issue of Fencepost is now online. The magazine has a new look and fresh content to help AFA members stay informed on the latest association news and industry information. You will be able to read Fencepost on your desktops, tablets or smart phones and stay in the know! The digital edition contains the same articles, images and ads as the printed copy in a convenient format that mimics the print version. We're excited to bring you this improved version of Fencepost and would like to hear your feedback. Contact the magazine's editor-in-chief at editor@americanfenceassociation.com.

Are you an AFA member with a great success story to share? Is there an article topic you'd like to see covered in an upcoming issue? Do you have a story you'd like to submit for possible publication? Please contact Jeanie Clapp, editor-in-chief, at editor@americanfenceassociation.com.

EMX along with other OEM companies in the door and gate industry are coming together for a "TOUR 4 2016" tour to educate distributors, dealers and installers on the new UL 2016 requirements and the changes that have transpired for UL325 compliancy. This coalition will also focus on the newest operator models manufactured by DoorKing and Nice and explain how access control accessories manufactured by EMX and Miller Edge work in conjunction with these operators and others. The tour will include 31 seminars from April through October 2016.

Piedmont Fence Inc., a Winston-Salem, North Carolina based contractor, recently installed approximately 400 ft. of fence for security around a storage area for a national communications company. The architect specified the Winchester Grey color. Piedmont mounted barb wire with arms on top of the fence to provide additional security.

When entrepreneurs launch new businesses, we go to extraordinary lengths to earn clients. We’ll take any meeting, make dozens of cold calls and send out hundreds of emails. Slowly, our hustle is rewarded as our client list begins to grow. But despite our best efforts, we quickly learn that not all clients are created equal. Not all clients are worth keeping, either. (Forbes)

We all are too busy. There is no doubt about that. Thanks to Internet and smartphones, everybody is available all the time. However, did you ever notice that the people who constantly mention that they are very busy are in fact the least effective? Being very busy is not an indicator of being effective or successful. (Small Business Trends)

Nowhere in the formal education system - from kindergarten through college - are people skills taught. Yet no matter what technological trends take over, people and how you work with them will always matter most. (Forbes)

That big black hole between creating a strategy for success and then actually making it work traps dozens of companies every year. Here's a new book that offers a roadmap for finding the successful route from strategy to execution. (Forbes)