Q&A with Kathy Redden

AFA Position: Past governor

Industrial Sales Manager at:

Classic Fence

3030 Niagara Falls Blvd.
Amherst, N.Y. 14228

1 716 695 3030

Community service? Check. Education? Check. Raising a child as a single parent? Check. Breaking into the male-dominated fence industry as a female? Check.

Kathy Redden, an industrial sales manager at Classic Fence, considers herself a silent bomb. “I’m a very low profile person, but when the bottom line comes down, people know I’m there,” she said.

Behind the scenes, she constantly contributes to the WNY Fence Contractor’s group through event planning, adding fresh ideas and keeping the ball of motivation rolling along.

In her spare time, Redden enjoys fresh air and outdoor activities, so in the presence of outdoor fish and purple flowers in a fence-less backyard, Stephanie Sadler interviewed her on June 13, 2006.

The Industry:

Q: What do you consider your biggest accomplishment in the fence industry?

A: Being accepted as a woman. At first the men I was working with didn’t trust my knowledge, experience, expertise and my different viewpoint. I look at situations differently than guys do. Before, they questioned it. Now they see it as an advantage.

Q: What aspect of the industry (sales, installation, marketing, etc.) do you prefer and is there an unfamiliar aspect that you would like to explore?

A: I like sales the best. I enjoy talking to customers. My biggest question right now is the new chain link fence with the razor ribbon right on it. It’s a high security type product. You take a regular chain link fence with razor blades, oil and tiny fibers of steel so if somebody gets cut, they get an infection almost immediately.

The Company:

Q: How long have you been working at Classic Fence?

A: Three years. Before that I was employed by Erie Fence for 27 years.

Q: What makes Classic Fence unique from other companies in the area?

A: Stability of the company. They’ve been around for 40-plus years.

Q: How has Classic Fence evolved as a company since you were hired?

A: They have become more involved in security fence than privacy, especially since 9/11.

Education:

Q: What is your highest level of education?

A: College. I took psychology and law, but no degree. I got married. I went to Buff State. I had a scholarship that was never used… for Harvard. I’m kicking myself now. I’m always ready to expand my education. I don’t ever want to stop that. I try to take as many night classes as I can.

Family:

Q: What is family life like?

A: Heather is my daughter. She’s 17 and developmentally handicapped.  It’s just the two of us. We have a 20lb. cat named Mike. I’ve got a male and female Oscar (fish) and outdoor fish. There’s another fish, a top feeder, but he’s been segregated because he was eating away at the others. We have a very small family, but a lot of friends.

Hobbies:

Q: How do you spend your spare time?

A: Outdoors. Camping, fishing, swimming, yardwork. Heather’s basically into what I do. Anything to do with the earth. Heather being handicapped, I try my utmost in my free time to work with the handicapped and disabled at Lothlorian, where they use horses for riding therapy. I take care of my mom in West Seneca. I’m a leader in girl scouts, which Heather is also involved in. We attend church at St. Mark’s Episcopalian. I’m very active in North Tonawanda. I’m also a notory.

When the WNY Fence Contractors donated material to the Erie Country SPCA in 2003, Redden was on site to supervise the volunteers who donated their time to install the product. There was a photograph in the September 23, 2003 issue of the Tonawanda News highlighting the event. Redden was interviewed in regards to this event by the “Why Guy.”

She was also featured in Fencepost magazine’s inaugural article for a new column highlighting women in fencing in the May/June 2001 edition.

As a woman in the fence industry and a nature lover, Redden’s life style may seem contradictory. “I love anything to do with the earth,” she said, “and our industry is obviously totally against that. We take all the trees and make them into fences. I do not have a fence in my yard. It’s an oxymoron. But, then, I’m an oxymoron in my industry.”