Charles (Charlie) Bell and his wife Laura Virginia Bell founded Charles C. Bell, Inc. (now called CC Bell Properties) in 1958. Having lived through the Great Depression, they were keenly aware of both the uncertainty of life and the importance of hard work. When first married, they lived with her parents, sleeping in the enclosed porch of the family home on 21st Avenue in Sacramento. Charles apprenticed with Frank Williams, a prominent Sacramento builder, during the day, and drew architectural plans in the evenings. From these humble beginnings, Charles and Laura started a business – slowly at first – building starter homes and selling them upon completion. Charles designed the homes, ran the construction crews that built them, and then sold the homes. Laura was behind the scenes, handling the accounting and financial matters for their fledgling company – a company that was meant to provide for their family, their children.