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Building a legacy for future generations
Carlene Damon is the president of CAAN Fence, Inc. in Boston, MA, specializing in fence installation for commercial and industrial clients. As immigrants, owning a business was the Damon family’s dream. When starting the company in 2012, Mrs. Damon and her husband maintained full-time jobs and worked on their fencing business as a side project. An accident led to an opportunity for Mrs. Damon to go full-time with CAAN Fence.
“When we opened the business, we still had our jobs for the first, at least for me, the first three years. And we were just doing residential work and fitting it in whenever we could because we had our full-time jobs. In 2015, I fell and hit my head at work and had to be rushed to the hospital. I was out of work for two weeks, and when I was out of work during the day, I started answering the phone [for fence installation inquiries]. And before I knew it, we made $54,000 in clients in two days. So, I left my job at that point. And shortly after that, my husband left his job. My husband became the foreman, and I became the person doing the estimating, operations, and everything from the admin end,” Mrs. Damon said.
The name of the business is meaningful to the Damon family. CAAN comprises the first initials of Mrs. Damon, her husband and their children’s first names. Mrs. Damon also delved into her husband’s love for fencing. “My husband has been doing fences since he was 16 years old. When I met my husband, it was weird because he took me on dates to look at the fences he installed. And one day, he brought me to look at a fence over on Mass Ave. and the look in his eyes. He said one day, I’m going to own a union fence company. And I knew in his eyes that this company was going to open with me or without me. So fencing is in his blood."
As she mentioned, Mrs. Damon and her husband always aspired to establish CAAN Fence as a union company. They recognized that it would open doors to many projects. In 2019, their dream became a reality. “Our company is one of a few that’s certified across the board with MBE [Minority Business Enterprise], DVE [Disadvantaged Business Enterprise], WBE [Women Business Enterprise] and Section 3.”
The Section 3 program that Mrs. Damon referred to was created by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Companies taking part in the initiative provide training and jobs to low-income people.
Mrs. Damon discussed how CAAN Fence runs its operations. “One of the things that makes us very unique is that in our company, everybody has a specific role. So, we have the project managers that manage the projects, the estimators that do the estimate. We have a procurement department, a person that solely just secures material. We have a scheduler that just solely does scheduling in that department. And then we have a billing department. So, we broke up the jobs so that everyone’s not doing everything, and we just pretty much focus on whatever task is at hand.”
Although CAAN Fence is a successful business, the company has faced challenges, but Mrs. Damon keeps a positive attitude. “It’s been a bit of a tough struggle because in 2020, when COVID hit, we had to keep the doors open, but we didn’t have any work because we do a lot of government agency work. And we have contracts which they won’t budge on the price for.
However, we’re rolling with the punches. And our revenues have doubled, even though our
expenses have tripled. But I know this is a part of the game, and things will eventually balance out.”
Mrs. Damon noted that running a construction business requires grit and resilience. “Every day is a battle. This business is literally built on blood, sweat and tears. But you get up, and you smile; every failure has been a life lesson, and you just keep pushing forward. I don’t know anything else. Every failure has been a life lesson—lessons that made me better and stronger.”
CAAN Fence’s origin story can inspire others, and Mrs. Damon takes pride in knowing her company is a shining example of first-generation business ownership. “I’m an immigrant who came to America looking for a dream. And my family pushed education and making sure that we go to college and get a good job. But to know that you can actually own your own company—it seems very surreal. And what I love about it is that it encourages my kids. It encourages other people to let them know that a simple person from Dorchester who grew up in the YMCA and the Boys and Girls Club can turn around and open up a company that is doing nothing but climbing and growing. I love the fact that in construction, in all the United States, only 10.9 percent of women are in the construction industry.* And I feel very special to be a part of the elite.”
For the Damon family, CAAN Fence represents more than business success. They work hard to provide a lasting legacy to their children and beyond. “What can we do for our kids? Leave generational wealth. We will be gone a hundred years from now, but this company will still be standing and will feed our kids, our grandchildren and our family’s kids.”
*"Statistics of Women in Construction." The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC). Accessed June 14, 2023. https://www.nawic.org/statistics.
For more information about CAAN Fence, Inc., check out their BBB Business Profile. To learn more about BBB and read more stories like this, visit Behind the Business Stories with BBB in Eastern MA, ME, RI & VT.
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