70 Union Street, Medford, MA, 02155 | Phone: (781) 391-8998 | E-mail: carlifence@comcast.net
70 Union Street, Medford, MA, 02155 | Phone: (781) 391-8998 | E-mail: carlifence@comcast.net
Founders of Carli Fence Co., Inc.
About Us
Carli Fence Co., Inc., has been owned and operated by the Carli family for over 55 years. It was established in 1950 and incorporated in 1952. Ralph and Rita Carli, the founders, had five children, Rita, Barbara, Nancy, Ralph Jr., and Tom. Ralph Sr. was a fireman at engine 7, ladder 4 on Highland Avenue in Somerville and worked part time at a local fence company. In 1950, Ralph and Rita decided to open their own fence business. When Ralph wasn’t working at the firehouse, he began laying the foundation for what would soon be known as Carli Fence Company.
Ralph bought his first truck in 1950, a 1948 Dodge pick up truck, which is still housed at our warehouse, and rented a garage close to his home on Berkeley Street in Somerville. He began to acquire small jobs such as fence repairs and installations. Every day he would go to the supplier, load up his truck and proceed to the job. Ralph was a hardworking family man and soon enough his brother, John, who was also a fireman, began working for Carli Fence. In 1960, Ralph found that the business was flourishing and decided to buy his own shop, located on Kent Court in Somerville. Before long, his sons, Ralph Jr. and Tom, were working at the shop in their free time, after school, on Saturdays and during school vacations.
In 1977, Ralph outgrew the space on Kent Court and bought a new shop located at 30 Newberne Street along with a smaller space at 128 Willow Avenue, located next to each other in Somerville. All the while, Rita ran the office from their home while raising their five children. Ralph passed away on June 3, 1985 and Rita continued to run the office while Ralph Jr. and Tom took over the day to day operations. Rita passed away on November 28, 1988. It was then that Ralph Jr. and Tom's wives, Rose and Barbara, joined the family business. Ralph and Rose have three children, Melissa, Ralph III, and John. Tom and Barbara also have three children, Tom Jr., Joe, and Jennifer.
Ralph III and Tom Jr. have continued the family tradition of working for Carli Fence. Keeping it in the family, Ralph and Rita's grandson, Stephen DeBellis Jr., joined the company and worked through his high school and college years. The business has continued to grow, and once again we found ourselves outgrowing our shop. For the first time ever, we moved out of Somerville and into Medford.
Come visit us at our new shop, office and showroom, located at 70 Union Street in Medford, next to the Medford Police Station.
