Owners: Greg (pictured) and Kate Paschal
Location: Bethel Heights, Ark.
History: “Mark Thomas started this business in 1993, but only put up wood fencing. My wife Kate and I bought Thomas Fence in 2003 and retained the name,” owner Greg Paschal said. “Before that, I was in an engineer and manager for Glad Manufacturing and Clorox, but tired of the move every two-year program. I knew nothing about fencing except when I had helped at my grandparents’ place when I was young. We began with a workforce of me and two subcontractors each with one helper. We currently have a staff of 12 and are on the lookout for hard-working and experiencing fence builders. We have worked hard so that now our business is more than seven times greater than when we started, and we’re still growing.”
Products and Services: “We build, not repair, fences. Customers usually contact us by phone when we discuss what they are looking for. Then a fencing expert goes to the location to discuss options and provide a free estimate. Most of our customers are hobby farmers who often initially aren’t sure what they need or want. Hobby farmers tend to want to keep small animals like chickens or goats in and unwanted visitors and coyotes out. They also frequently like something that is aesthetically pleasing but also practical without understanding that’s what they want or how to get there. We build more five-strand barbed wire fence than three- strand, and have the capacity to install fencing in places so that deer and other herbivores cannot get in. We pride ourselves in building fences in difficult terrain, something important in Northwest Arkansas.”
Philosophy and future: “Our goal is to at least meet, but hopefully exceed, customer expectations from that first contact on. We never charge customers for our mistakes and have an A-plus rating with the Better Business Bureau. I don’t ever plan on being an absent owner. I will always oversee and consult but I can foresee a time when I will cut back on my 50- to 60-hour work week so Kate and I can travel to visit our two children, who are currently in college on opposite coasts.”
