Business Spotlight

by Kris Ann Hegle

SBJ Contributing Writer

Poet Robert Frost once said that that good fences make good neighbors. According to Alan Parry, good fences also make for good business.

Parry, who owns Advanced Fence Corp. with his wife, Amie, said the company posted revenues of more than $1.3 million in 1998, and he said that figure may double in 1999.

Recently, the company won the bid to do the fencing at a new state penitentiary that will be built in Licking. According to Parry, the $1.062 million contract is the biggest job undertaken by Advanced Fence, which was founded three years ago.

Advanced Fence does a wide range of work that appeals to both commercial clients and private homeowners. The company builds wood, vinyl, chain link, wrought iron, and post-and-rail fences.

Advanced Fence also erects temporary fences and does decks, gates and decorative work, such as trellises. Some clients design their own fences, but most of the time Parry and his crew of three full-time salespeople guide the customer through the process.

"One of the things we do is try to educate our customers on how to pick out the right material," Parry said. "We subscribe to trade publications[[In-content Ad]]