It took 40 years to build the Washington Monument and about 40 years for a Tyrannosaurus Rex to reach full maturity. Even the rare corpse flower can take decades to bloom. Forty years is more than a milestone. It’s a story of endurance, growth, and purpose. That amount of time creates something lasting. For Carey Design Build, these past 40 years have been just as transformative. Built through hands-on work, constant learning, and meaningful relationships, every project and every day has played a role. From the quiet, everyday moments to the major milestones, each step has contributed to who we are today. Like a steady heartbeat, our journey has rhythms of growth, moments of reflection, and the natural ebb and flow of being a business in a small community. And through it all, every experience has mattered. It’s the people, the work, and the trust that have kept us going for 40 years.
From The Beginning
Every story has a starting point, and ours begins with Mike Carey. On his first day at building trades school at Gogebic, in Ironwood, Michigan, he couldn’t have known it would lay the foundation for something that would endure the test of time. With a curiosity for how things are built and a drive to keep learning, Mike expanded his knowledge into solar engineering and stepped into the trades, gaining hands-on experience with a local contracting company, Sundance. Before long, that experience turned into independence. What started as taking on small jobs on his own grew steadily, project by project, into something more. And on April 23rd, 1986, those early efforts became official with the founding of Carey Contracting — the beginning of what Carey Design Build is today.
Our Ethos
As the years went on, through home remodels, building garages, and renovations across nearly every church in the area, one thing never changed: Mike’s ethos was the foundation of it all. What started as a belief grew into a way of doing business: Always do the right thing. Take care of the customer. Create a sense of peace of mind that their home, their investment, and their trust are in the right hands. In construction, not everything goes exactly as planned. Mistakes happen, details shift, human errors happen, but what matters most is staying committed to making it right, to stand behind the work, to fix what needs fixing, and to protect what matters to the people we serve. Through every project, every lesson, and every challenge, one phrase was consistently heard. It’s something simple, but deeply meaningful: We create peace of mind.
The Next Generation
After 30 years of business, the next chapter began — welcoming the next generation. Luke Carey, Mike’s son, grew up in the world of building. From cleaning up job sites as a kid to taking on tasks the seasoned carpenters were more than happy to pass along, he learned the trade from the ground up. Years later, he graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Construction Management and returned home with a clear goal: to carry the work forward. Stepping into ownership of Carey Contracting, Luke brought a fresh perspective while staying rooted in the values upon which his dad built the company. Now, nearly a decade into his own journey in the industry, he continues to learn, refine, and grow. Luke values recognizing what works and where there’s room to improve. That evolution led to a new chapter: rebranding to Carey Design Build. A move driven by our vision to bring thoughtful design services to the community, alongside quality construction. And, like everything before it, this is just another pivotal part of the story of Carey that is still being written.
Design + Build = Peace of Mind
The shift from a general contractor to a design-build firm came from a challenge we saw time and time again. Homeowners would come to us with completed plans, ready to build or remodel their space. And, while that’s a great place to start, a disconnect often came when it was time to price the project. Often, the total investment exceeded what they were comfortable with. Between labor costs and the selections specified in the plans, expectations and reality didn’t always align. We realized there was a gap between design and construction. Independent designers and architects weren’t always working within the same cost framework as the build itself, so we brought the two together. That is the value of our design-build approach. With designers and our build team collaborating on your project from the very beginning, your budget is the driving factor of all conversations from day one. Our team understands current construction costs, thoughtfully guides budget-conscious selections, and helps create a home you truly love, all while giving you confidence and peace of mind throughout the process.
A Photo Captures a Thousand Words
There are countless stories we could tell, projects worth revisiting, moments that shaped us, and milestones we are proud to have taken part in. Over the years, we have captured many of those moments along the way.
We invite you to browse the gallery below and take a walk down memory lane with us.
