In 2020, the industry thought he was crazy to start a new association. Brian T. Frederiksen didn’t come from a trade show or association background, and he wasn’t backed by big corporations or industry gatekeepers. But he was fed up—fed up with fence and gate professionals being overlooked, under-supported, and overcharged or excluded by an industry that seemed more focused on politics than progress.
So, he built something different. Something for the workers.
With no roadmap and plenty of resistance, Brian launched the Fence Workers Association to put the power back in the hands of contractors, installers, suppliers, and small business owners. Since then, the FWA has been challenging the status quo and leading with a simple belief: if you can create something better or more inclusive, something real, people will follow.
Here are just a few firsts the Fence Workers Association has brought to the industry:
First to offer hands-on Fence University training built by tradespeople, not marketers
First to create a national platform designed to support small and midsize fence companies
First to launch The Fence Show & Security Expo, giving the industry its own independent trade event built for small to mid size contractors.
First to advocate openly for reform in safety standard accessibility and transparency
First to bring the industry together through social media so fence and gate companies of all sizes were included in our industry.
First to challenge the idea that only a few voices should shape the future of our trade.
The FWA is proof that you don’t need permission to lead—you just need purpose. Keep pushing boundaries, supporting the people who build this industry, and staying true to the work. That’s how you change everything.
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