Those rustic fences that frame rolling fields throughout Williamson County create indelible images that are unique to this part of the world. But beautiful aesthetics come with a price.
While they look great, wood fences are expensive to maintain. And the upkeep is inescapable because beyond their cosmetic appeal, they serve a practical purpose; they set boundaries, secure things that need to be kept inside the fence and deter things that need to be kept out.
“You have to seal a wood fence frequently, at least every other year,” says Frank Quigley. “Otherwise, it’s going to rot fairly quickly. With the extreme weather conditions we have in Middle Tennessee, there’s no getting around it. Routine maintenance and repairs are expensive and the larger the fence, the more maintenance you’ll have.”
Quigley has a unique perspective when it comes to fences. He and his wife, Lori, are the owners of My Forever Fence, manufacturers and installers of custom concrete fences. It’s a new concept in fencing that is stunningly close in appearance to real wood and essentially maintenance free.
“Until you walk up to it and lay your hands on it, you think it’s a wood fence,” says Quigley. “That was our experience. We drove by and then walked up to it and, other than the planks and rails being a little thicker, we couldn’t really see the difference.”
Based along the Tennessee-Alabama line in Wayne County, My Forever Fence opened in January 2024 and has been providing custom concrete fences for farms, businesses and residential properties ever since. They’ve done over $1 million in sales and have shipped concrete fences as far as Missouri, Indiana and Georgia.
“It’s been well received,” says Quigley. “We’ve done a lot of expos so that homeowners can see the product. Most don’t even know that it’s an option but once they see it, they’re impressed.”
A few years ago, the Quigley’s were looking to step away from their longtime careers in the food services industry so they could start their own business. “We wanted to start a business where the entire family could work together now and, eventually, turn it over to our four children (who range in age from 15-30) so that we could have a generational family business,” he says.
They discovered concrete fencing while researching prospective business ventures online. That led them to Justin Dyess, an Alabama resident who was conducting a similar search. As the story goes, concrete fencing had been tried in Colorado but without much success. “They were using steel rebar, and it just wasn’t working; concrete is porous so the steel would rust, causing the concrete to burst,” says Quigley. “We started using fiberglass rods instead, similar to what’s used in the construction of bridges.”
At My Forever Fence, the fiberglass rods are placed in a concrete blend and, when installed, are sprayed with Sherwin-Williams concrete stain and sealer. Quigley says that according to engineers at Auburn University, My Forever Fence products have a serviceable lifespan of 80 years. As for maintenance, Sherwin-Williams says that the stain and sealer needs to be reapplied every 15-20 years due to prolonged exposure to UV rays.
“We provide a lifetime warranty if we, or one of our certified technicians, install your fence,” says Quigley. “Installation is fairly simple, but we don’t want just anybody drilling a hole in the ground on your property.” My Forever Fence will also handle all permitting and coordinate with utilities before installing your fence.
To meet the growing demand, My Forever Fence is moving into a new 10,000 square foot facility – more than double the size of its current space – this spring. That’s in addition to the onsite concrete plant. The total investment for the entire operation is right at $3 million.
When they’re not installing concrete fences, the Quigley’s are actively involved in their local community. Frank serves as chairman of the board for Wayne County 911 and has worked with the volunteer fire department since 1996. Lori volunteers with local food banks and various community-wide programs that address the needs of Wayne Countians who have fallen on difficult times.
The Quigley’s are also My Forever Fence customers. “We live on 16 acres and the kids wanted to put in a fence so we could get some mini cows and Herefords,” says Quigley. “I told them ‘No’ because we don’t have a fence, and wood is too much maintenance. We had to find an alternative. Then I met Justin. “So now we have the fence but still no cows. Maybe later this year.” MyForeverFence.com