Donny Chester was a project manager at other local roofing companies when he decided he wanted to do something special for the kingdom of God. He says he thought it over for a while. Then he started his own roofing company and gave it a name that says what it is for: Calvary Mission Roofing & Construction, based in Grandview, Missouri.
Chester describes the company as a missions arm for the kingdom. The plan, as he lays it out, is to set aside some of the profits and give back to the church community. That means helping get church roofs fixed or replaced, and giving to missions work.
The faith is not tucked away. It is in the company name, and the business presents itself as faith-based on its own website. Chester ties it to how he deals with customers. He says he aims to be upfront and transparent in every deal, with what he calls “full integrity.”
The work itself is ordinary roofing. For now it is mostly residential. Chester says the company has taken on some small commercial jobs and is widening that market a little at a time. Besides roof replacement and repair, the company’s site lists gutters and remodeling. It also says the company doesn’t rely on drones for inspections. Someone climbs onto the roof and looks at the shingles, flashing and seams up close.
Chester says about 80 miles is as far as he will go for a job for now. The service area the company lists takes in counties on both sides of the state line around Kansas City.
He is careful about how fast the company grows. He does not want it to outrun him, he says, because he wants to keep his head on his shoulders and hold on to the company’s core values.
He runs the company without partners, and he sees an advantage in that. Because it is just him for now, he says, he has full control over showing up when promised. He calls himself a man of his word: if he says he will be somewhere, he is there.
When he can’t be, he says, he gets on the phone, explains why and offers another option. He skips the stories about a broken-down car or lost keys. He simply tells the customer what is happening, apologizes and promises to get there as soon as he can. Most people, he figures, understand that things happen when you are honest about them.
He would like to bring in partners eventually, and says he has been praying about it and keeping his ears open. He does not claim to have a timetable. “I’m just along for the ride at the moment,” he says.
What he does have is a picture of where it could go. He wants the company big enough to make a meaningful difference for the church. That could mean “maybe even build a whole church building for someone someday,” in the United States or overseas.
“I don’t have any limitations on what God wants to do with it,” he says, “because I’ve dedicated it to him and it’s all his.”