Stanley Sayler Sr. and Stanley Sayler Jr. are partners in Carey Construction, a roofing and siding business. They also love the Lord and seek to serve Him as part of their everyday lives.
By Corinne Scott, Living Stones News Publisher

Stanley Sayler Sr. and Stanley Sayler Jr. are father and son. Both Stans were born in Bismarck, N.D., and the same doctor delivered them. They were raised in the same home in Underwood, N.D., and both graduated from Underwood High School and the “School of Hard Knocks.”

Stanley Sayler Sr. (left) and Stanley Sayler Jr. own and operate Carey Construction of Hermantown, Minn. The company’s Christian foundation, strong work ethic and penchant for quality workmanship began in 1945 with original owner Wally Carey and since the 1990s with the Saylers.

They are both Christians and co-owners of Carey Construction Inc. in Hermantown, Minn. Sitting around a table in a local restaurant, the younger Sayler quips, “We are also known as Big Stan and Little Stan,” which gives a clue to the warm and fun relationship the two men have. More seriously, he said about his father joining the company, “He is the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
               
Carey Construction does residential roofing, siding, additions and remodeling. According to 32-year-old Sayler Jr., who owned the company before his father was involved, the firm tries to do one or two substantial addition projects each year.
               
“Usually we have a roofing crew, a siding crew and framing crew,” he said. “In the past several summers we had been running seven to eight crews, but this summer we revamped to fewer crews. We can keep closer tabs on the work and that seems to be working out better. I run the crews.”
               
Sayler Sr., 62, makes the project bids, gets the jobs up and running and keeps them going. He also does small projects. Prior to moving to Duluth, he was a coal miner in North Dakota for 19 years.
               
“When the mine closed up, I decided to come to Minnesota because all the kids and grandkids were here,” he said. “I went to work for Carey Construction in 1992; in 1996, I became a co-owner.”
               
As he gets older, Sayler Sr. has been trying to retire, but Sayler Jr. said, “I won’t let him. He tried to sell me his ladder rack, but I wouldn’t take it. I told him, ‘You might need that some day.’”
               
Carey Construction was around long before the Saylers got involved. The company was founded in 1945 by Wally and Ardeth Carey.
               
Sayler Jr. said that Carey had a wonderful name, and since the Saylers have owned the company, they have always tried to live up to him. This January will mark the second anniversary of the death of Wally Carey, who was nearly 80 years old. His wife, Ardeth, still lives in Duluth.
               
“He had some pretty big shoes to fill, and I’ve tried to live to that,” Sayler Jr. said. “We go to whatever extent we need to to work out a problem. Since 1945, we have been to court one time, and the judge threw it out because he’d seen how we’d bent over backwards to help these people.”
               
As Christians, the Saylers ask their workers to refrain from profanity on the job.
               
“We have pretty good crews,” said Sayler Sr., who attends Hermantown Community Church with his wife, Karen. “They turn out good work. People are happy with them. Seldom have we been called back.”
               
One important ethic the Saylers hold high is communicating with homeowners to update them daily on what is happening on the job site. If the Saylers say they are going to be there, they will be there.
               
Carey Construction did a remodeling project for...

...Larry and Christine Lurch on London Road in Duluth. Larry Lurch said Carey Construction built an addition to their kitchen and did very good work.

“We were very happy with the work,” Lurch said. “Stan and his father were both on the job. I know it is hectic work and they work under a lot of pressure. But, they always kept us informed when they were going to be here and what was happening. We’re very happy.”

Steve Matheson of Midwest Transmission in Superior said Carey Construction came to his rescue about 15 years ago when a contractor who was building his house had made several errors.

“I had some eye problems and couldn’t see some of the problems,” Matheson said. “I got rid of that contractor, and Carey Construction and P & M Construction from Duluth came in and fixed it up. These guys saved our house. Stan and his dad and Steve Tucker from Carey Construction did a wonderful job. Once it was so cold out you could pound nails with a banana, and Stan Sr., who must now be in his 60s, showed up to work. He’s tough, but such a humble guy.”

A major reason why Sayler Jr. holds the late Wally Carey in such high esteem is that he considers him to be a spiritual father as well as a career mentor.

“I grew up in church,” Sayler Jr. said. “Carey got me back on track. Shortly after high school and for about six years, I was doing music in bars and clubs along with using alcohol and drugs. I went through drug rehab, and three months later I was back doing the same thing.”

It was in the mid-80s when Sayler Jr. was going through this difficult time. He had lost his job in North Dakota because of drugs on a Friday. His best friend, Wayne, called his uncle, Wally Carey, in Duluth to see if he could bring a friend home with him.

“All Wally knew about me was that I had a drug problem, but the answer was, ‘Yes, bring him home,’” Sayler Jr. said. “On Monday, I went home with Wayne and went to work on Tuesday for Wally Carey. One stipulation was that I had to go to church if I was going to live there. The church was New Hope Bible Chapel in Esko.”

Meanwhile, back in North Dakota, Sayler Sr. and Karen prayed.

“We didn’t know what to do anymore, and when this opportunity came for him to come out here and start a new life, we were all for it,” Sayler Sr. said. “It was tough to leave him go. But, it is one of those things you call tough love.”

Life began to change for Stanley Sayler Jr. At the church, he met Angela. She asked Stan if he wanted to sing a special number with her. They have been singing together ever since. In fact, they were married and have six children, ages 3 to 18.

The family formed a praise and worship band called “Simplicity Ministry” and are in the process of finalizing their first CD. Stan Jr. plays the guitar and sings, and Angela plays the keyboard and sings. Their 18-year-old daughter, Kayla, sings, but is leaving for the state of Washington to work as a nanny. Son Tyler, 16, plays the bass and his brother Jesse, 14, plays the drums. Ten-year-old Travis is training on the drums, and the two youngest children, Levi, 5, and Alaya, 3, just go along, according to their dad.

The Saylers lead worship at their church, Walk on Water Ministry in Morgan Park, Minn. They also have traveled as a family to Oregon two years in a row to lead worship for a family camp. Three years ago, they went with the Steve Tucker family under the Bridge Builders organization to Watford City, N.D. They held meetings in the evenings and during the days tore the roof off a church and replaced it.

Last Christmas, the Saylers went to Mississippi with the Mike Bruley family and put a roof on a house that had been condemned.

“That was our Christmas,” Sayler Jr. said. “Again we played worship music in the evening and worked our tails off during the day. Our desire is to do more contemporary praise and worship music.”

Carey Construction Inc., 4410 Welsh Road, Hermantown, Minn., 55811, Office: (218) 348-3026, Home: (218) 729-8992