Free live webinar · Thursday, November 12

How to Stop Sucking at Technology in 2027

Your fence company isn’t bad at fence. It might be bad at software. That part is fixable.

Too many apps that don’t talk to each other, a CRM nobody fills in, and estimates that go cold because nobody followed up. If that’s your shop, you’re normal. You can fix it this winter, before spring leads pile up.

In one hour, Mike Petroskey walks through what’s out there for 2027, how to judge the new AI-built tools, and how to build a stack that lasts, starting with the CRM. Justin Judy takes your questions live.

When: Thursday, November 12, 2026
10 AM Pacific · 11 AM Mountain · 12 PM Central · 1 PM Eastern
How you watch: In your browser. No camera, no mic, and nobody sees who else is watching.
How long: One hour, with live Q&A at the end.
Can’t make it?: Sign up anyway. Everyone gets the recording.

Sound familiar?

What owners tell us about their software

Real lines from our calls with fence owners and their office staff this fall. No names, because nobody signed up to be an example.

“I choose to hate it, but I haven’t figured out how to get to something else.”

Owner, fence company, on his CRM

“It books appointments and takes customer information. It doesn’t do anything else great.”

Owner, fence company

“Our weakness is our follow-up system, because it’s so manual.”

Office manager, on hundreds of old estimates

“It stops at him. It never gets communicated to the team.”

Office manager, on messages that pile up with the owner

“I appreciate how many options there are. But I do get a little bit lost.”

Office staff, first week on a new CRM

“It’s gonna take a couple months to switch over.”

Owner, on why he hasn’t left

The hour

What we’ll cover

Four parts, then your questions.

1
What’s out there for 2027, in plain words
CRMs, estimating, accounting, phones, and the new AI tools. Who’s who for fence companies right now, and which ones actually talk to each other.
2
Built to last: how we think about a tech stack
Fewer tools that share one customer list. Your data in a place you own and can take with you. Software your office will really use, because the best system nobody fills in is worth nothing.
3
The new AI-built tools: real product, or weekend project?
A new one shows up every month. We’ll give you the questions to ask any of them: who fixes it at 7 AM Monday when crews are waiting, can you export everything, who carries the insurance, and what happens to your customers if the company disappears.
4
Start with the CRM: which one fits your business
A simple fit test by size, by how you sell, and by the tools you’re keeping (ArcSite, QuickBooks, CompanyCam). Sometimes the answer is “keep what you have and set it up right.” We’ll say so.

“If your CRM’s down and the crews show up Monday morning at 7, that’s not a situation you want to be in.”
Mike Petroskey, on why “built to last” comes first

Why listen to us

We’ve sold, built and supported the software fence companies run on

20+ yrs

Mike in IT infrastructure, integrations, fintech and construction software

4½ yrs

Justin working daily with fence, deck, roofing and concrete contractors at ArcSite

11 yrs

Justin building a specialty sales force at Best Buy, where he learned why rollouts fail

Fence is one of the fastest-moving markets in contractor software: every few weeks there’s a new CRM, estimating app or AI phone agent chasing your business. We sit in the middle of it every day.

Your hosts

Presenting

Mike Petroskey

Co-founder of StashGrade. Before that, Mike ran revenue and operations at ArcSite, the drawing and estimating software much of the fence industry runs on. Earlier: enterprise storage at Compellent and Dell, and go-to-market infrastructure at Blue Medora.

Live Q&A

Justin Judy

Co-founder of StashGrade. At ArcSite, Justin rose to Director of Business Development and Partnerships and owned the integrations that tied ArcSite to the rest of a contractor’s tools. Before that, eleven years at Best Buy building and running a specialty sales force.

“We know how much work it takes to build a custom CRM. Can we do it? Sure. Do we want to? Absolutely not.”
Justin Judy, on the build-your-own trend

Before you sign up

Is it free?

Yes. One hour, no cost, no card.

Will other people see me?

No. You watch in your browser like a video. No camera, no mic, and nobody watching can see who else signed up. Only Mike and Justin are on screen.

Is it recorded?

Yes. Everyone who signs up gets the recording, so sign up even if you can’t make it live.

Can I ask about my own tools?

Please do. Put your question in the sign-up form, or reply to the confirmation email. Justin picks the best ones for the live Q&A.

Is this a sales pitch?

No. We do run a CRM ourselves (Front Office), and we’ll hold it to the same test as everything else. If the honest answer for you is a different tool, or the one you have, that’s what we’ll tell you.

Who is it for?

Owners, office managers and sales leads at fence companies and other trades. A few crews or a few hundred people, it fits.