Owning a fencing company isn’t the usual path for a woman entrepreneur.

But that is exactly the direction that Katy resident Stacey LaViola chose in 2022.

“My husband, Frank, and I seized the opportunity to invest in a franchise within the fence and construction industry,” LaViola told the Katy Times in an email interview. This venture allowed her to leverage her passion for home improvement and community building, she said.

Superior Fence & Rail of Southwest Houston opened on November 7, 2022. “We started with a small office in my home, but quickly expanded and opened a lumber yard in the neighboring town of Rosenberg to store materials and serve more customers,” LaViola said. The company now has seven full-time employees, along with a team of specialized installers, and handles both residential and commercial work.

“When I first started, I didn’t know much about the construction industry, but I understood the importance of leadership,” LaViola said. “Leading a crew requires me to manage projects efficiently, while also being flexible and communicating effectively. I learned that the more I invested in my team, the stronger our work became and the more confident our customers felt in choosing us.”

“It wasn’t just about leading my team through each project; I had to make sure the phone kept ringing,” LaViola said. “Earlier in my career, I worked for a restoration company doing all the marketing, which was something I quickly applied to my own business. I used what I knew to promote our new fencing business through both traditional and digital channels, helping us reach homeowners across the area. Our efforts paid off as we met our business goals for the first year, allowing us the opportunity to expand our service area to reach even more of Houston.”

The company continues to grow and expand. “We installed almost 600 jobs in 2024,” LaViola said. “Currently, we have 564 jobs completed for 2025, and we're on track to exceed last year's numbers as we continue to grow.”

One of the things that LaViola loves most is being able to give back to the community. “We’ve been able to sponsor several community events, including the Special Olympics, Just Ride for a Just Cause and Sugar Land Veterinary Clinic,” she said. “One of the coolest partnerships we have is with a local woodworker. We donate our scrap wood and materials from a project, and he uses those materials to teach local scout troops woodworking, helping them earn badges.”

Superior Fence & Rail of Southwest Houston is a member of the Central Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce.

LaViola and her family have been part of the Katy community for the last nine years, she told the Katy Times. Two of her children attended and graduated from Katy High School, and they currently work in the surrounding area.