Property Service

HomeFront Brands bestowed this honor on local owner Bob Stewart for his character and dedication to the company’s core values

RICHMOND, Va. — Top Rail Fence Richmond owner Bob Stewart was presented with the prestigious CARES Award at the HomeFront Brand’s inaugural franchisee convention earlier this month for his dedication to the values that define the franchising company’s brand.

The CARES Award, named for the company’s core values of community, accountability, respect, excellence and service, is bestowed upon a HomeFront Brand’s franchisee that has captured the admiration of the company’s other franchisees. The award winner is determined by a vote of the franchisee community at the company’s Homecoming Convention held at its headquarters in the Charlotte, North Carolina area.

“Bob consistently surpasses expectations for his dedication to community engagement, respect for others and his devotion to superior service,” said HomeFront Brands Chairman and CEO Jeff Dudan. “Our Homecoming Convention was a testament to our incredible expansion since our inception in 2022. Bob Stewart’s outstanding character and commitment to our core values is part of the reason for HomeFront Brands’ success.”

HomeFront Brands presented a CARES Award to a franchise owner from four of its most prolific brands, including Top Rail Fence, Window Hero, The Designery and Temporary Wall Systems. Stewart won the award for Top Rail Fence, the on-time professionals in fence design, quality, installation, and service.

“I’m humbled to be chosen as the CARES Award recipient by a vote of my peers,” Stewart said. “It’s always been my goal to provide great service and a high-quality product to my community. I’m grateful to the other franchisees for their confidence in my abilities to meet these goals.”

Stewart worked as an investment banker for 18 years before entering the building trades, where he has remained for the past 13 years. He is originally from Rochester, New York, but moved to Richmond with his wife Stacy 25 years ago.

He and his wife opened their Top Rail Fence location earlier this year. Together, they serve the communities of Ashland, Bon Air, Chester, Chesterfield, Goochland, Henrico, Hopewell, Mechanicsville, Midlothian, Moseley, New Kent, Powhatan, Prince George, Richmond, West Point and Williamsburg, Virginia.

To learn more about Top Rail Fence Richmond, please visit https://toprailfence.com/locations/richmond/.

Local owners Matthew and Alicia Heck will kickstart their fencing business by presenting the Tampa Bay Humane Society with a donation from the new venture

TAMPA, Fla. — Top Rail Fence, the on-time professionals in fence design, quality, installation and service, will host the grand opening of its Tampa location with a celebration at the Tampa Bay Humane Society at 9 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 8. Location owners Matthew and Alicia Heck will present the animal welfare group with a donation.

“We decided to partner with the Tampa Bay Humane Society because of the obvious connection between pets and fences,” Matthew Heck said. “We’re proud to build a business in our local community and want to be known for our exceptional customer service and reliability. We want to make our community better by building strong, durable, and aesthetically pleasing fences and by partnering with valuable non-profits like the local humane society.”

Top Rail Fence Tampa has also joined the Tampa Bay Business Chamber, and many of that group’s members will be on hand at the event to help the Hecks celebrate their grand opening, complete with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

The Hecks were both born and raised in Indiana but moved to the Tampa area more than 10 years ago. Matthew Heck worked as a sales and marketing executive for a local television station and an advertising agency before moving into business ownership. Alicia Heck is an interior designer specializing in custom closets and accent walls.

The couple met at Ball State University in Indiana. Matthew Heck has a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications with a minor in marketing, while Alicia Heck has a bachelor’s degree in interior design with a minor in residential property management. The couple has three children.

Alicia Heck said she believes her background in design and property management will help the couple build their business.

“My ability to take inspiration and turn it into a working design will help homeowners find the fencing of their dreams,” she said. “But we also want to offer customers these fences at a fair and reasonable price. We want to be known as a fencing company that cares about our clients by being innovative and dependable.”

Top Rail Fence Tampa serves residents in Carrollwood, Davis Islands, Lake Magdalene, Land O Lakes, Lutz, Midtown, Odessa, Seminole Heights, Tampa, Temple Terrace, Town ‘N’ Country, University, Wesley Chapel, Westchase and Zephyrhills, Florida.

Top Rail Fence is a part of HomeFront Brands, a family of emerging, franchised residential and commercial property service brands that includes Top Rail Fence, Temporary Wall Systems, BiltRite Home Inspections, The Designery, Window Hero Exterior Cleaning Services and Mozzie Dome. Top Rail Fence provides residential, commercial and agricultural fencing in a variety of styles and materials.

To learn more about Top Rail Fence Tampa, please visit https://toprailfence.com/locations/tampa/.

Local owners Bob and Stacey Stewart plan to use their expertise in building trades and customer service to create a positive customer experience

RICHMOND, Va. — Top Rail Fence, the on-time professionals in fence design, quality, installation and service, announced today that has expanded its reach in Virginia with a new location in Richmond. The venture is owned by building industry expert Robert “Bob” Stewart and his wife, Stacey.

“I have a passion for the building and fencing industries,” Bob Stewart said. “Forbes recently included Richmond, Virginia, as one of the best cities for start-ups and entrepreneurs, and it’s a city that continues to show growth. With this headwind, we have the potential to build our Top Rail Fence location into a formidable business.”

Stewart worked as an investment banker for 18 years before entering the building trades, where he has remained for the past 13 years. Stacey Stewart, however, honed her customer service skills in retail before jumping into the fencing industry. She has been the manager of a Kohl’s Department Store in Richmond for 20 years and trained in business administration and management at George Mason University.

“We want to provide a great service and product to our community,” Stacey Stewart said. “We want to build a brand that the community will come to know and trust. You do that by creating a great and lasting customer experience. My customer service background is crucial in developing that experience.”

Bob Stewart is originally from Rochester, New York, and Stacey Stewart traveled extensively with her military family during her childhood. The pair moved to Richmond 35 years ago after they married. The couple has two daughters, Alexandra and Lauren.

Top Rail Fence Richmond serves Ashland, Bon Air, Chester, Chesterfield, Goochland, Henrico, Hopewell, Mechanicsville, Midlothian, Moseley, New Kent, Powhatan, Prince George, Richmond, West Point and Williamsburg, Virginia.

Top Rail Fence is a part of HomeFront Brands, a family of emerging, franchised residential and commercial property service brands that includes Top Rail Fence, Temporary Wall Systems, BiltRite Home Inspections, The Designery, Window Hero Exterior Cleaning Services and Mozzie Dome. Top Rail Fence provides residential, commercial and agricultural fencing in a variety of styles and materials.

To learn more about Top Rail Fence Richmond, please visit https://toprailfence.com/locations/richmond/.

Local owners Mark and Lisa Johns want their business to be a positive force in the community by creating safer neighborhoods and providing jobs

CHICAGO — Top Rail Fence, the on-time professionals in fence design, quality, installation and service, will celebrate the grand opening of its Naperville, Illinois, location with a booth at the Batfest event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28 in downtown Batavia, Illinois.

Top Rail Fence Naperville owners Mark and Lisa Johns said the team will have games and prizes for the kids who visit their booth and will showcase the company’s fencing samples for the adults.

The couple said they want their Top Rail Fence location to be seen as a positive force in the Naperville area.

“I’ve always nurtured a passion for craftsmanship, design, and creating tangible, lasting construction projects,” Mark Johns said. “This venture offers a direct avenue for me to channel that passion into a thriving business that caters to the community’s fencing needs. We are a family owned and operated business and look forward to bringing that to the local community.”

Johns, a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, worked as the vice president of construction for The Sports Authority and Fresh Thyme Farmers Market for more than 20 years, where he specialized in commercial retail construction.

Lisa Johns said the couple’s experience in hiring a professional and dependable fence contractor played into their decision to provide the Naperville area with a reliable fencing company.

“We plan to combine my business administration degree with Mark’s 30-plus years of construction experience to provide Naperville and the surrounding areas with the impeccable service that Top Rail Fence provides,” Lisa Johns said. “It’s been a goal of ours to be business owners, so we’re blessed to have accomplished it in this amazing community. We are excited to raise the bar of customer service and give Naperville and the surrounding area the service it deserves.”

After relocating from Denver, Colorado, the couple have spent the last seven years in the Chicago area and have a 16-year-old daughter, Kate.

“We are excited about the opportunity to build and lead a dedicated team in this community,” Mark Johns said.

Top Rail Fence Naperville serves the suburbs west of Chicago including Aurora, Batavia, Big Rock, Bloomingdale, Bolder Hill, Bolingbrook, Carol Stream, DeKalb, Elburn, Geneva, Genoa, Hampshire, Huntly, Lisle, Maple Park, Oswego, Plano, St. Charles, Sycamore, Wheaton and Yorkville.

Top Rail Fence is a part of HomeFront Brands, a family of emerging, franchised residential and commercial property service brands that includes Top Rail Fence, Temporary Wall Systems, BiltRite Home Inspections, The Designery, Window Hero Exterior Cleaning Services and Mozzie Dome. Top Rail Fence provides residential, commercial and agricultural fencing in a variety of styles and materials.

To learn more about Top Rail Fence Naperville, please visit https://toprailfence.com/locations/naperville/.

Local owner Ryan Van Epps said he saw a need for a reliable and transparent fencing company in the Kennesaw area

KENNESAW, Ga. — Top Rail Fence, the on-time professionals in fence design, quality, installation and service, announced today that it is expanding its services in the Peach State with the opening of Top Rail Fence North Georgia. The location is owned by Ryan Van Epps.

“It’s my goal to provide the homeowners of North Georgia with beautiful fencing that improves their property values and provides them with security and peace of mind,” Van Epps said. “I worked construction during the summers when I was growing up in Roswell, Georgia. It was great to be able to step back and actually see the physical product of my hard work. This sense of accomplishment inspired me to open my own fencing company.”

Top Rail Fence North Georgia’s territory is northwest of Atlanta and is growing rapidly with families who are leaving city life to settle in more suburban communities.

“These families are going to need fencing for their new homes,” Van Epps said. “The metro Atlanta area has been growing steadily for years, and Woodstock, a city in our service area, has been listed as the second fastest growing city in the state. With all this development, separating spaces and adding privacy is a top concern. Top Rail Fence North Georgia is here to meet that demand.”

Van Epps is from the North Georgia area but went to college at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, where he received a bachelor’s degree in economics. He has spent the last 18 years working in the life insurance industry as a business analyst.

“As an analyst, I’ve spent my career providing my clients with a focused attention to detail,” he said. “I believe this will serve me well as I build my career in the residential services industry. This area needs a company that will deliver quality fencing at a transparent price with excellent customer service.”

Van Epps and his wife have been married for 13 years and have two boys, ages 12 and 10.

Top Rail Fence is a part of HomeFront Brands, a family of emerging, franchised residential and commercial property service brands that includes Top Rail Fence, Temporary Wall Systems, BiltRite Home Inspections, The Designery, Window Hero Exterior Cleaning Services and Mozzie Dome.

Top Rail Fence North Georgia serves clients in Acworth, Buford, Canton, Cumming, Duluth, Flowery Branch, Gainesville, Kennesaw, Lawrenceville, Suwanee, Winder and Woodstock, Georgia.

To learn more about Top Rail Fence North Georgia, please visit https://toprailfence.com/locations/north-georgia/.