Fernando Villavicencio: A Fencing Master
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By Leslie VanSant
or nearly twenty-five years, Fernando Villavicencio has been the face of George White Fencing. Leading a professional and dedicated crew, it’s safe to say that the Middleburg-based company has built miles of fencing across Loudoun, Fauquier, Rappahannock and Prince William Counties. To put this in perspective: a five-acre paddock requires approximately 1,850 feet of fence. A conservative estimate of installing about half a mile of fence every week of the year, figuring some weeks are more and some less to account for weather, adds up to 26 miles a year. Over his 25 years, that would total 650 miles of fence, the equivalent of a 10-hour drive from Middleburg all the way to the Georgia-Florida border. But for Villavicencio and his crew, it’s all in a day’s work. He started working for company founder, the late George White, in the early 1990s. A native of Chile, he had come to the United States to follow his chosen career path: agriculture. After working on a few farms around Middleburg, White hired him. “I started in the feed store,” Villavicencio said, “but I was always ordering the supplies for the fencing crew.” When the feed store closed, and the fencing business was starting to grow, Villavicencio started doing more and more. Then, when White wanted
Photo by Leslie VanSant
Fernando Villavicencio of George White Fencing. to scale back and semi-retire in 2002, he was put in charge of the business. Anyone who’s ever had to dig a fence post hole or replace more than a few boards knows that building a fence is physically challenging, and it’s also harder than it looks to build a good, solid fence. The purpose of the fence must be considered. Are you fencing something in, or fencing something out?
For example, you fence around a paddock or field to keep livestock in. Around a pool or garden, it’s there to keep things out—deer and critters (or maybe even your neighbors). “I like to walk the perimeter with the client, and understand how they are going to use the fence, by asking questions,” Villavicencio said. He then makes suggestions and recommendations such as where to install a gate, proper fence maintenance and more. The visual aesthetics come next. There are several options, 3-board, 4-board, wire, split rail, deer fence, picket, or fancy estate fencing. And color must be considered, too. The “secret recipe” for fencing, according to Villavicencio, is the quality of both materials and the installation. “When you build a fence with the best materials,” he said, “it should easily last for 20 years.” He also attributes the company’s success to his experienced work crew. “These guys have been working with me for 15 to 20 years,” he said, adding that their familiarity with each other and the rhythm of working together goes a long way toward an efficient and effective installation. For the record, 3-board fence, painted black, is their best seller, the choice by three of every four clients. Most find Villavicencio’s contact information from a neighbor, or from the sign on the neighbor’s fence. You can learn more about this familyowned business by visiting their website, www. georgewhitefencing.com.
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