A company to help get “Fenced in”

The team at Mid TN Fence can tell you business is booming in the fencing industry. It’s a trend seen nationwide. Some of it stems from increased housing construction and a growing desire by people for more privacy and security. 

Since opening a little less than three years ago, the Columbia-based company has installed fencing all over Middle Tennessee.

“We started in 2020, right in the middle of COVID,” says Ashley Robinson. “And we’ve consistently grown. We had a vision for starting a company where we offer great customer service and tackle jobs in a timely manner.”

The company is owned by Kenneth Poag. Robinson handles administration and runs the office, Ryan Springer (who has extensive experience in the industry) handles sales, and a dedicated crew installs the fencing. 

“A customer will call,” Robinson says, “and let me know what they’re thinking. I’ll send Ryan out to meet with them, and he’ll walk through and measure off the linear footage they need. Sometimes they know what they want right off the bat, whether it’s wood privacy fencing or vinyl, aluminum, three-board, or four-board. And if they don’t know, Ryan offers suggestions on what works best.”

Although they handle both commercial and residential fencing, Robinson says most of their work is residential. 

“Many of the calls we get involve people wanting to keep their kids or pets in or other creatures out. They may want a privacy fence or a chain link fence, something their dogs can’t poke their heads through.”

The goal is to help customers determine the best fencing to meet their needs and make them aware of some of the factors involved.

“For example, maintenance is a factor,” Robinson explains. “When it comes to a wood privacy fence, it’s going to require more upkeep. In six months, you’re going to want to stain, treat, or paint it, and then you have to keep up with it. A lower maintenance fence would be aluminum or vinyl.”

For those considering adding fencing, Robinson suggests knowing your property lines beforehand. It’s the homeowner’s responsibility to know where fencing can and cannot go. Another thing to think about is how many gates you think you’ll need. 

“How many gates do you want, and what are the needs for the gates? Is a vehicle going to be driving through it, or is it just a walk-through gate?

With the cost of fencing materials going up in recent years, once customers get an estimate, they’ll need to make a decision rather quickly. 

“Pre-COVID, Ryan could give an estimate and say we’re going to honor this for 30 days,” Robinson explains. “You would have 30 days to think about it. But in today’s world, we can only allow five days because our prices fluctuate so much.”

Once a customer decides, Robinson locks in the price by ordering the materials immediately.