How Bob Ray 5X’d Reviews & Grew a Fence Brand in Just a Few Years
In this episode of The Contractor Grow Show, Mark talks with Bob Ray, owner of North Indy Fence Deck & Rail in Noblesville, Indiana. After selling his family office-supply business, Bob jumped into a completely new industry—buying a small fence company with no trade background, just years of experience running and growing businesses.
Bob unpacks how he evaluated the business, turned it into a highly reviewed local brand, and built steady lead flow through reviews, relationships, and smart job selection—not by trying to be everything to everyone. If you’re thinking about buying a contracting business or leveling up the one you’ve got, this conversation is packed with practical, repeatable tactics.
Key takeaways:
- Why Bob bought an existing fence company (and its building) instead of starting from scratch
- How he went from knowing nothing about tools to confidently running a fence/deck operation
- The simple “spiff for 5-stars” system that took them from ~50 reviews to nearly 250
- How crews are trained to ask for reviews without it feeling awkward or fake
- Building upstream referral engines via HOAs, landscapers, concrete contractors, and GCs
- Why he focuses on aluminum fencing and deck resurfacing instead of saying yes to everything
- The pros and cons of commercial work vs. residential (cash flow, payment delays, pricing)
- How North Indy uses online tools and instant quotes to pre-qualify and educate homeowners