Women of FWA is an inclusive, judgment-free group. It's for everyone: women owners, spouses, administrators, support staff, adjunct companies, and installers. The idea behind WFWA was to create a group of women that could genuinely generate support and training in our language. Women speak and learn differently than men. We were, in some cases, being left behind. Balancing work, children, and life is drastically different for women than it is for men. I think that is what is beautiful, and ok. It is ok to be different in a male dominated industry.
Initially, we approached Vernoica Richardson with the idea that we wanted her to help us create a path for women in our industry to have a platform. A voice to become mentors, the access to distribute their knowledge, and more than that a place to sit at the table. We do not believe that these did not exist before, however there is power in numbers. When we work together, we get more done. When there are many of us, we don’t have to yell as loud. We is greater than me. Veronica knew we needed to do something different and because of her we did.
From there we started having weekly meetings because we were not organized or prepared for what would come next. So, we created a leadership team. This team is based on participation. It is constantly growing. Our goal is to have a group so strong; you don’t know who is on the leadership team. Currently the team consists of: Baylee Bierman of Corridor Fencing, Heather King of Mr. Fence, Jen Adams of Fence Cloud, Julie Schulze of Fence Cloud, Melanie Goodwin of Campanella Fence, Veronica Richardson of SWI Fence, Yadira Frederiksen of Las Vegas Fence, and Susan K. Worley of the Fence Workers Association. We also have two more in training that are actively participating in meetings, trainings, and interviews. Makayla and Andria Patterson of High Pointe Companies. With many more women reaching out regularly to help, support, and with the goal to be on the leadership team.
Our next hurtle was to create a name. I now understand why there are so many social media posts discussing company names and logos. We did not realize that it would be as hard as it was. Your name is a definition of what you do and love. The logo you choose creates branding. Ashley Roth of Stain and Seal came to the rescue. She said that we are a reflection of the Fence Workers Association. FWA represents fencers. We are for fencers, by fencers. She said to keep it simple, Women of FWA. That reminder has helped us to grow by leaps and bounds, and her dedication to the industry will never be forgotten.
Since the inception, many women business owners have joined our coalition. They helped us to recognize that we all have a lot to say. Some of the projects we have going are weekly live Q&A’s. It’s set up podcast style, but we want to include the audience we are speaking to. Women volunteer their time and knowledge to help make this possible. We go live on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn every Tuesday at 5:30 central time. The conversations consist of anything from pricing per foot vs pricing per job, to working moms, to couples who work together. Sometimes these conversations are not what people are looking for, and other times they are a huge success. We are ok with failing. Failure is our opportunity to get better. We have learned so much since we have started. This year one of our goals was to put out training videos. It has been a hard start of the year for everyone, and we haven’t gotten any out. We have even discussed how hard it has been. We are not alone. However, this is an
opportunity to recognize that we have a lot to learn, and sometimes we can not do everything. Letting others see and know that makes us stronger.
We offer a variety of benefits with this group. We wanted to make sure people had an arsenal of phone numbers and connections. I would have to say this is our biggest benefit. We also offer all the member benefits of FWA. FWA Health Insurance, Lowes Pro Account, ADI discounts, Boot Barn Discounts, FenceMaterials.com access, Fence University Discounts, and soon to be added FWA Pooled 401k. We are bringing access to life changing benefits that did not exist for small companies. Even our website womenfwa.com offers some perks. You’re able to see upcoming Live Q&A’s and you get access to a variety of forms. The “Laura Letter,” Project Manager Checklists, and many more.
Upcoming events for us outside of our weekly lives, is The Fence Show and Security Expo in Las Vegas. The event is September 10-13th. Women of FWA will have an active role at this show. We will be running our own booth, our own events, and help with registration and questions. We will actively be directing the paths to demo days, the show floor, and all events leading up to and around the show.
To sum all of this up, Women of FWA is just a platform. It’s a safe place to sit, it’s a voice to be heard. We want to make sure that knowledge is not lost and is passed on. We want to make sure that women no longer have to follow their husbands around, but that they have a purpose in their business. We want to make sure the industry sees how many women owned businesses there are. We want to make sure people know who we are. We are Women of FWA.
