FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Frederick Fence Celebrates 35thAnniversary and a Change in Company Ownership
Frederick Fence, one of the leading fence providers to residential and commercial clients in Maryland, DC, and Northern Virginia, honors its 35th year in business with a special event for its staff, business partners and clients as its founder makes way for the next generation in company leadership.
FREDERICK, MD, June 6, 2017—Frederick Fence proudly announces its thirty-fifth year in business as a residential and commercial fence provider and its first change in leadership since the company began in 1982.
What started as a truck, a strong back and one man’s desire to succeed is now one of the most successful fence companies in the Maryland, NOVA, and DC area. Charlie Powers, the company’s founder and President, simply felt he could do a better job than his competition and wanted to make an honest living and provide for his young family. With a loan from his father for $5,000, Charlie Powers steadily grew Frederick Fence from a small company serving Frederick county to a thriving fence enterprise that now includes a public showroom, a retail sales division for do it yourself enthusiasts, and its dynamic external sales and installation teams that have served well over 25,000 clients in its history as a small business, a number of which are repeat clients.
Frederick Fence’s early success came from both Charlie’s steadfast devotion to his family and from his natural sense of salesmanship. “I knew how to get people to tell me what they wanted for their homes when it came to building a fence and I delivered on the promise of offering a quality fence at an affordable price,” states Powers. Without the benefit of a yellow pages ad or a major advertising campaign in the local papers, Frederick Fence got most of its early clients through the signs with the company logo and phone number on it that were attached on the outside panel of a completed fence project for a client. “A well-built fence sells itself,” said Powers. “When you put your name and company number on a fence, people will call you because they know you can deliver.”
To expand his reach in the area, Powers purchased Seneca Fence in 1986 and created his first office on Grove Lane in Frederick. As the real estate market began to expand throughout the area, so did the demand for fences, which allowed Powers to quickly add sales, installation and office support staff to keep up with its growing customer base. A few years later, Powers built his current office and showroom, complete with a large supply yard to keep up with inventory, at the current company site on Tilco Lane. When asked what contributes to Frederick Fence’s longevity, Powers admits that he knew how to attract and retain talent.
Most of the company’s employees are also celebrating—on average—more than two decades of service, a rarity in today’s fencing industry. “People work with me, not for me,” said Powers. “I wanted to build a place where people wanted to stay.” For Kathy Crum. General Manager, Frederick Fence is “all about spending time with family. We laugh a lot, we sometimes argue about how to handle things, but everyone in the company pulls together for our clients. Charlie’s always maintained a friendly atmosphere, and I think that supportive environment flows into how we are with our customers. We get notes from people each year saying they consider us their family as well! I cannot imagine working anywhere else as Charlie built a great company that I think will easily last another 35 years.”
To honor its employees, thank its business partners and most frequent clients, Frederick Fence will commemorate its 35th Anniversary with a celebration at Dutch’s Daughter, one of Frederick’s fine dining establishments, on June 23rd. During the event, Charlie Powers will mark the occasion to publicly transition the company to its next generation of Frederick Fence ownership: his children. Powers’ daughters, Erin and Kelly, and his son, Todd, now share joint ownership of the company and work with a newly formed Advisory Board who are ready to grow the company in the coming years through expanded retail sales and new fence products for home owners. “I’m humbled that my children chose to be a part of this business when they could have freely chosen something else to pursue, said Powers. “I can think of no greater honor than to see your own children wanting to follow in your footsteps.”
