AFA UNIVERSITY

April 10-11, 2024 | Mansfield (Dallas), TX

— Gate Automation Designer School (GADS)
— Fence Installation School (FIS)

Early bird discount to save money ends March 30!

– Register for GADS here
– Register for FIS here

Book hotels separately, located next to each other:

– Hampton Inn and Suites (GADS School will take place here)
Book by March 10
– Fairfield
Book by March 27

THANK YOU SPONSORS!

– Wood Defender
– D&D Technologies
– Ameristar
– Master Halco
– DoorKing
– SOS

In the fence and gate industry, veterans bring invaluable skills and experience. But beyond their industry contributions, they often carry another badge of honor, the shared bond of military service. At FENCETECH 2024, a new tradition was born: the Veterans in Fence Special Interest Group identified many industry veterans and presented them with a special gift, an AFA challenge coin. In the military, challenge coins are small emblems used to convey unit pride and camaraderie, and they serve as a powerful tool to recognize mission success and leadership. They have a similar purpose in AFA: to welcome and connect industry veterans.

While the origin of challenge coins is a mystery, they've evolved into tokens of recognition, unit pride, and esprit de corps. At AFA events, veterans can be presented with a coin bearing the AFA logo on one side and a solution service member on the reverse. It’s a recognition of service and a tangible reminder that they're not just industry colleagues, but part of a broader industry fraternity forged in service.

AFA president Brad Howard (Army) presented Veterans in Fence chair Brian Boutte (Navy) with a challenge coin in recognition of his service to both the country and the association. “Brian represents the very best of veterans helping veterans, and it is an honor to give him a AFA challenge coin for his efforts to support workforce development and mental health initiatives in the industry.”

Make sure you join the Veterans in Fence Special Interest Group (it's free with your AFA membership!) so you can connect with other veterans.

Once you are on the Veterans in Fence Connected Community page, you can contribute your knowledge to an ongoing discussion or post a question to get feedback from your peers!  You can also find upcoming event information posted in the community.

We have some exciting opportunities coming up to engage with Women in Fence!

The AFA will be hosting 3 virtual, Women in Fence Zoom sessions throughout the year. 
The first session will be on April 9^th with two times to choose from:

• 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. CT
• 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. CT. 

This will be a great opportunity to get to know other women in the industry and learn from each other. A link for this event will be shared soon.

Make sure you join the Women in Fence Special Interest Group (it's free with your AFA membership!) so you don't miss any of our resources.

Once you are on the Women in Fence Connected Community page, you can contribute your knowledge to an ongoing discussion, or post a question to get feedback from your peers!  You can also find upcoming event information posted in the community.

Finally, are you active on Facebook?  Join the AFA Women in Fence Facebook page for even more conversation and connection.

After many months of collaborative work and raising awareness around gate safety with the Hummingbird Alliance, the AFA was happy to see Alex’s Law introduced by California state Assembly Member, Damon Connolly. 

Alex’s Law (also known as Bill 2149) was written in response to the tragic death of Alex Quanbeck and will work to make gates safer in the state of California. The bill will improve the safety regulations for any automatic vehicular gate, manual vehicular gate, or any gate that is greater than 48 inches wide or 84 inches tall. 

Eric Quanbeck, Alex’s father, commented, “In honor of Alex, we started The Hummingbird Alliance, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving school safety through education and advocacy. Tragically, we’ve discovered numerous child fatalities from gate failures that could have been prevented with safety devices.”
“No family should have to endure the pain of an utterly preventable death,” said Dayna Quanbeck, Alex’s mother. “We are proud that Alex’s Law will not only implement common-sense gate safety regulations, it will also save lives. Beyond our home state of California, the work will continue to improve gate safety throughout the U.S.”

Alex’s Law requires any automatic vehicular gate, manual vehicular gate, or gate larger than 48 inches wide and 84 inches high to meet specified industry standards and requires that the owner of a regulated gate have it inspected on or before July 1, 2025, and re-inspected at least once every five years with written certification by a professional. To meet specified standards, the gate must not fall more than 45 degrees from a vertical plane when detached, the gate must not move under its own weight, any rolling wheels must be covered, and the gate must have a positive stop, which is an immovable component that impedes motion of the gate. If a gate is determined to be an immediate threat to safety, any use of the gate must immediately stop until necessary repairs are made by a licensed contractor within a prescribed period.

AFA Executive Director Michael Reed said, “The American Fence Association is proud to support Alex’s Law to help improve gate safety. Our organization has worked closely with the Quanbeck family on industry initiatives that increase awareness, educate communities, and raise standards to eliminate gate related injuries and deaths. By working together, community leaders, code enforcement officials, and industry professionals can improve gate design, installation, and maintenance of gates so that no more parents have to suffer the death of a child. We applaud the work by Assemblymember Connolly and strongly urge passage of this important legislation.”

The AFA looks forward to following this bill through the legislative process. We will keep you informed of any updates.

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!

Are you ready to join hundreds of your peers and level up your career?

Sign up today and start working toward your Certified Fence Contractor, Certified Gate Automation Designer, Certified Gate Automation Technician, and Certified Operations Manager designations. 

More and more testing events are being added to our spring calendar and we invite you to join us!

• Groton, CT - February 29, 2024 (Northeast Regional Tradeshow)
• Bay St. Louis, MS – March 16, 2024
• Mansfield (Dallas), TX - April 11, 2024
• Tulsa, OK – April 19, 2024
• Hawaii – May (city and date TBD)
• Salt Lake City, UT - July (dates TBD)
• Pennsylvania/New Jersey Area - September 2024 (dates TBD)
• Reno, NV - September 2024 (dates TBD – West Coast Fence Show)
• Tulsa, OK - November 8-9, 2024 (AFA University)
• Salt Lake City, UT - February 26-27, 2025 (FENCETECH)

To submit your application and reserve your seat, please click here.

Questions? Contact Sara Surprenant at sara@americanfenceassociation.com. 

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.The deadline to submit feedback is Friday, March 1st.

Your Member Savings Program has developed several employee benefit programs designed specifically with you and your staff in mind.

Are you taking a hard look at EMPLOYEE BENEFITS as a focus in 2024? Offering valuable, yet cost effective employee benefits is key to attracting and retaining staff.

See what your MSP offers and get more information:

• Health Plans
• 401 K Retirement Plan
• Employee Savings Accounts

Did you know that as part of your AFA Membership, your company has access to over 35 money savings programs? National Supplier Savings on day to day items such as tools,gasoline,facility supplies,insurance(both Health and Business),uniforms/workwear,credit card processing and even consumer financing with Synchrony Financial.

See all of our Member Savings Program partners here.