04/24/2026
Jodi Waggonner Rector and I were taking a trip down memory lane last night. The subject of Rockin’ J Fence came up and we decided that we should share a bit of the history with our friends and customers that may not know how all of this began. My original intent was to start a lawn and landscape business as I had some knowledge of the trade. I knew that things weren’t going to be easy and that I had to be a bit of a “jack of all trades” so I pretty much took on any work I could find while still working a more than full time job at Reece Albert, Inc on the paving crew. The fence business picked us and circumstances dictated that it was time to go out our own, which meant it was also time to eliminate all unnecessary debt and expenses. There went my lifted ’97 GMC Z71 w/ Centerline rims and 33 x 12.50 BFGs. I loved that truck, but it had to go. As a play toy, I had purchased a1973 Chevrolet Blazer and that thing was rough! It was about 10 different colors, but it ran pretty good and I was able to haul all of my tools in the back of it. Jodi & I decided it needed to look presentable and being that we had very little money, went to the paint store and bought a gallon of exterior oil based paint in hunter green, a couple paint brushes, and a small roller and went to work. It actually turned out pretty good. Then I landed my first official fence job and it was a good one. Myself and one part time guy built the fence around Bent Tree Apartments which has since been replaced, but stood for about 25 years. As we were building that fence, Steve Fowler stopped by. He was a salesman for San Angelo Area Wide Phone Book. Yes, that’s how long ago this was. The phone book, newspaper, and the Thrifty Nickel were the main sources of advertisement back then. Anyway, Steve made me an offer that I couldn’t refuse. He would buy the materials, I would build his fence at his house, and he would place a half page add in the phone book for me. Done! Well it took a bit for the phone book with my shiny half page add in it to print and be distributed, so I had to go to work for some other folks. Once the new phone book was distributed, the phone started ringing ….a little, and I started picking up a few jobs. I couldn’t afford to hire help, so I was pretty much a one man show, but there were times when I just had to have help. Once the old fence had been removed and post holes dug with the posts in them, I would use my analog bag phone to call Jodi, and she would come to the job site with our then six month old son in a back pack. I would get the post where I wanted it, she would hold it in place, and I would dump the sackcrete in the hole, then I would water jet the concrete with this PVC contraption I built which actually worked pretty good. I would check the post and once it was right, we would move to the next one.
I look back on things and truly wonder if we were really tough or just too dumb to know better. There were some close to us that did their dead level best to keep us from being successful, but there were many others in our lives that we couldn’t have done it without. Since we officially started in 1998 with that old Blazer, the business has evolved into a very viable business with our own shop, seven highly regarded employees, pickups and trailers, skid steers, concrete mixers, and all of the tools and equipment needed to efficiently construct fences for our San Angelo friends and neighbors. This little trip down memory lane is as much of a “thank you” San Angelo for your continued support over the last 28 years as it is a history of Rockin’ J Fence, LLC and we ain’t done yet! I miss that old be**er Blazer.
