other wholesalers, contractors, and end-users. Joe credits New Trend’s exponential growth to his and his team’s hard work, dedication, and resilience. Of course, he also credits the quality of New Trend’s products. In turn, he credits that quality to his own creativity and his “artsy eye,” which he says was fostered in him by his upbringing. “I grew up doing a lot of things that were creative,” he explains. “I just basically took that creativity and applied it to metal working.” When New Trend first started, Joe adds, “we had products that nobody had ever seen, and we had different ways of installing products that no one had ever tried.” “When we were up and coming, the fencing industry was basically just barn boards. A lot of wood fencing, when closed in, looked like a jail cell. But I always did a lot of hand-drawing and art, that’s how I started out, and I applied that to fencing. I said ‘Let’s put a different spin on it. Let’s try some geometric designs. Let’s make some art.’” Over the years, New Trend has sourced ideas from anywhere and everywhere. For example, Joe has been inspired by bath towels: “One time I was shopping for towels at the Bay and I saw a pattern, and I thought ‘That would work for a fence topper.’” Throughout their history, New Trend has balanced that kind of creativity and inspiration with practicality. Because of his history in manufacturing, Joe knew how to produce his new ideas in ways that were costeffective. “That’s a big key to this industry,” Joe explains. “You have to make sure what you’re coming up with is not going to be crazy expensive. You have to be able to produce it. That’s a big part of what has always set us apart. We’ve been able to come up with different designs and patterns and we’ve been able to create different products that nobody else is doing, and we’ve also been able to make them cost-effective. That’s where my manufacturing background has comes in.” MARCH 2023
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