Owner of Fresno's Torres Fence Company keeping family legacy alive

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The owner of Torres Fence Company is getting recognition as Council District Five's Woman of the Year in Fresno for her dedication to her family business and community involvement.

Mari Torres Salas and her family say the business has been a family-run operation since 1963 when her parents Ralph and Rebecca started at a much smaller scale.

"We were two streets down over on Pitt, and then he bought this property, and we moved here over 30 years ago," said CFO Mari Torres Salas.

For Mari, the business takes her back to her childhood and motherhood.

"Just every day after school, I would come in when I was younger. Running around outside. And our kids did the same. My mother would watch the kids after school and so literally my nieces, my nephews all grew up here at Torres Fence."

Mari was a legal secretary before deciding to join the family venture in the late 1990s.

A few years ago, she and her husband, Ray Salas, took on the company.

"After my mother passed away in 2015, my father passed away in 2017, my brothers did not want to continue with the business. I had been working here, my husband Ray has been working here for over 35 years, so we said, 'let's do it, let's try'. It has not been easy, but we are in it for the long run, and hopefully, we make my parents happy."

Salas gave Action News a tour of the detailed work of building chain link fences from scratch.

He says every measurement and step matters.

"(Fence) gets wrapped around this flat bar so it forms a coil, and then it spits it out, cuts it and feeds it back over here," said Ray Salas, " You can see the diamond is bigger so it can accept the slab."

Once complete, the company's yellow and black sign reading "Torres Fence" is added.

Mari's older brother, Ralph Torres, says it brings him great pride to experience and see the growth of the business throughout the community.

"Torres Fence signs are everywhere, everywhere. It's almost like it's a sign of Fresno," said Ralph Torres.

The family is hopeful the business will continue for generations to come.

"My son has worked here since High School, so he knows the business" said Mari, " I have nieces and nephews who have also worked here, and they want to continue the legacy."

Mari and her family are passionate about helping stray animals and giving back to the community.

They've donated fencing materials and installation to kennels for animals across the city, including the Fresno Bully Rescue and many more.

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