Eligibility Requirements
COM eligibility requires a minimum of one year of experience working in the fence industry (sales, installation, management, etc.). You may still sit for the exam before you have one year of experience; if you pass the exam, your certification will be held until the experience requirement is met.
Topics Covered
- Building Team Members
- Cycle of Operations – Sales
- Cycle of Operations – Project Management
- Cycle of Operations – Installation
- Operations Manager Toolbox
Study materials are sent electronically following application approval.
Testing
The COM exam includes 100 questions and must be completed in two hours. It is not an open book test. All test questions are developed directly from the program study materials; no other resources are used. All ACI exams are in-person only.
Once you have passed the exam and received your official notification that you have earned your COM designation, you are entitled to advertise yourself as a Certified Operations Manager. Once certified, you may use the designation, its acronym and its logo on your business cards, sales proposals, and other materials normally used in the sales and marketing process.
The designation belongs to you, and it is not owned by your business or employer. Should you leave your current company, your certification will go with you. If you do change jobs or otherwise change your contact information, please contact ACI to update your records.
Recertification
The Certified Operations Manager designation is valid for three years from issuance of the credential.
Renewal Requirements
Earn 12 hours of fence and/or business-focused continuing education in the three year period prior to renewal. These hours can be earned by attending educational programming offered at FENCETECH, or at any other industry or relevant event offering educational opportunities. Manufacturer and distributor training and education also qualify.
Continuing education will be reported as part of the renewal application and must include the following:
- Date(s) of session
- Session title
- Instructor name
- Name of organization providing training
- Proof of attendance with hours earned included (payment receipt not accepted; must be certificate of attendance/participation or, if unavailable, letter from course instructor confirming applicant’s attendance and hours earned)
Criteria for continuing education programming is subject to change per the AFA Credentialing Committee.
If the renewal requirements are not met, you must reapply for the COM program and retake the certification exam to reactivate your COM credential. Once certification is earned again, your certification issue date will change accordingly.
