Customer Spotlight: Ellis Fence Co.

Maybe we're biased, but we believe family owned and operated businesses are the backbone of America, and the values and high quality that shows in all of the Ellis' work embodies this ideal. We sat down with them to learn a little more about their story.

Tell us a little about yourselves, your company and your philosophy.

Wayne started working at a local fence company in 1988, where Shanon also worked starting in 2001. In 2004, we decided to start our own company. It's definitely a family business - our son and two of Wayne's brothers work with us. We love the work - it's great to be outside and in different locations every day.

We focus only on the Barstow area because it's easier to keep customers happy when it's all local - if they have any issues they can call and we can take care of it right away. Fortunately that doesn't happen often! But we do offer a great warranty on our workmanship. We believe that whatever you're working on, if you give 100%, good things will happen, but we also know we could never have made it without our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

In our personal lives, we're very active at First Baptist Church here in Barstow, and we're big fans of the MORE race series. We also like to sponsor local youth sports teams.

When you first started the business, were you nervous or have any doubts that you would succeed?

I was nervous. It was a big risk, find a job or start my own business. I did a lot of praying. Shanon wasn't nervous - she knew I had plenty of experience, and she had learned the office side of the business. She put a plan in place to pay all our bills off before we started the company because she knew that in the beginning, the employees have to get paid and we might not be able to pay ourselves.

What has been your most rewarding project to date and why?

It's hard to pick just one that stands out - I definitely enjoy the jobs that require me to learn something new and then see it turn out like it should. We had a job at Edwards Air Force Base installing security turnstile entrance gates. I wasn't sure at first but decided to tackle it and they turned out perfect.

What is one thing that most people don’t understand about fencing and should?

It's like any other construction trade: you can tell whether a professional did the work or whether a do-it-yourselfer did. It pays in the long run to have a professional do the work - it will look better and last longer.

Thanks for talking with us. We certainly wish you continued success.

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