Seth Sayler – Midwest Glass

Midwest Glass has been serving Brookings and the surrounding area since 1974. That kind of longevity doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when a company takes care of people, does honest work, and shows up day after day, even when no one’s watching.

When Seth Sayler stepped into ownership, the goal wasn’t to flip the company, modernize it for the sake of modernizing, or reinvent what already worked. The goal was simple: protect the people, enhance the culture, and create a clear path to team success.

“Midwest Glass didn’t need saving,” Seth says. “It needed support.”

The previous owners had built something real — decades of trust and a reputation that still means something in Brookings, SD- home of the Daktronics headquarters. Seth recognized quickly that the real value wasn’t warehouses or trucks.

It was the people.

From class to glass

Seth didn’t grow up wanting to own a door-and-window store. His path was anything but typical.

He earned a degree in Early Childhood Education from South Dakota State University and spent nearly seven years teaching second grade. During that time, he ran a lawn care business- learning firsthand what it means to show up, sell work, do the work, and stand behind it. He is now 8 years into a real estate career, where long-term relationships, trust, and follow-through have been the foundation of his success.

Growing up in a small South Dakota town, Seth was surrounded by people who worked hard, stayed loyal, and invested in their community. The best examples of that were his dad and brother. That environment shaped how he sees business — not as a machine to extract profit, but as a group of people working hard to build something that lasts. Drawn to the opportunity through a local connection, Seth appreciated the reputation of Midwest Glass as a hardworking and loyal company established by the founder as an exciting opportunity.

“I’ve spent my whole career working with people — kids, families, homeowners, customers,” he says. “So, I’m approaching this role as an educator, a teammate, and a helper.”

A steady hand, not a loud one

Midwest Glass does roughly $4.5 million in annual revenue and handles everything from residential windows and doors to commercial storefronts, aluminum doors, curtain walls, auto glass, fabrication, and custom showers. If it involves glass, the team can most likely source, install, and repair it.

But what really makes the place run is institutional knowledge.

Five employees have been at Midwest Glass for over 20 years. That kind of experience means Seth doesn’t have to spend his days figuring out how to glaze an IGU or install a storefront. The technical expertise is already in place.

“With all of that institutional knowledge, I get to focus on taking care of the people instead of the technical side,” he says. “I still don’t really know how an IGU gets installed — but I do know that Matt loves to fish, Gatlin is a member of the Curling Club, Lorn has two little kids at home, Logan just got married, and Craig can beat me at darts.”

That’s what leadership looks like to Seth. Not knowing every trade — knowing every teammate.

Running the company with values, not vibes

Midwest Glass now runs on six Core Values and eight Company Commitments that guide every decision. They aren’t words on a wall — they’re how work actually gets done. Every to-do, every improvement, every investment ties back to those commitments.

“It all ties together,” Seth says. “From how we talk to customers to how we eat lunch — it’s all connected to how we treat people.”

Five employees are being sent to Milwaukee this spring for training. The break room is being rebuilt so people have a place to actually sit, relax, and reset. Feedback systems now exist so employees can share ideas, pain points, and suggestions directly. A new profit-sharing plan creates financial rewards for all employees when productivity and efficiencies are taken seriously. The new company handbook is built around values and expectations, not a list of rules.

In addition, Seth has implemented a few targeted marketing campaigns and consistently reminds his team to overcommunicate with customers, each other, and general contractors.

Crew care

At Midwest Glass, mental health isn’t treated as a buzzword or a side initiative. It’s considered a real part of taking care of the people who make the company run.

Seth understands firsthand that employees don’t leave their lives at the door when they come to work. Stress, loss, family responsibilities, and personal challenges don’t disappear during the workday. Because of that, he believes a workplace should recognize the full reality of what people carry with them — not just what they produce.

After losing his mother to suicide at age 21 and additional family members in the years that followed, Sayler developed a deep appreciation for how important emotional well-being is. That perspective shaped how he approaches leadership and ultimately led him to make mental health a core value at Midwest Glass.

For Sayler, the responsibility is bigger than just running a business. With 21 employees, the impact extends well beyond the shop floor.

“When you start thinking about spouses, kids, and the realities of what people are facing in their lives outside of work, that changes how you look at things. You start understanding how important it is to care for the whole person so that they can care for themselves and their loved ones,” he says.

Midwest Glass backs that belief with action. Employees have access to free life coaching, counseling, and support resources, giving them a private and practical outlet if they’re struggling or simply need someone to talk to. The goal isn’t to force conversations, but to make sure support is always available.

The company’s mindset is simple: when people feel supported, respected, and cared for, they’re better able to take care of each other, their work, and their customers.

Growth without burnout

Yes, Midwest Glass plans to grow. But not in the typical way.

“I don’t think we need more trucks, more crews, or more chaos to grow,” Seth says. “There’s a lot of growth left inside the building we already have.”

That growth comes from better systems, better communication, clearer direction, and a workforce that’s fully bought in.

Profit sharing reinforces that mindset. When the company wins, everyone wins. Every hour wasted, every corner cut, every job done halfway hurts not just the company — it hurts coworkers and their families.

“We have 21 people here,” Seth says. “That’s over 50 people when you include their families. The stakes are too high for people to not care about the work we do.”

One of the biggest shifts under Seth’s leadership has been replacing micromanagement with trust.

“I tell them all the time — I’m not here to babysit you,” he says. “I trust you’re doing your job. If you’re not, I’m not going to follow you around. I’m not going to set up cameras. I’m going to let you know that your values don’t align with ours, and they need to for you to be here.”

That clarity matters.

Midwest Glass is built on accountability, but also dignity. People are treated like adults — expected to act like adults — and trusted to do what they say they will do.

Because when someone slacks off, it isn’t just the company that pays.

“You’re taking money out of your coworkers’ pockets,” Seth says. “Money they need for their families. That’s real.”

Seth isn’t trying to build something trendy. He’s trying to build something people choose.

He wants Midwest Glass to be the preferred door and window store in this region — not just for big commercial jobs, but for everything in between. The place homeowners call when a screen tears or they need a door/window fixed. The place general contractors trust for all commercial projects. The go-to for automotive windshield repairs and replacement, residential windows, and custom glass showers.

And he wants Midwest Glass to be the best place to work while doing it.

Seth knows he can’t do it all. But he knows he has the right people — the experience, the pride, the skill — to make that vision real if they’re given the right environment to succeed.

“That’s my job,” he says. “Take care of the people, get them aligned, and let them do what they do best.”

Behind Midwest Glass is a group of people who care deeply about their work, their teammates, and their customers. A place where customer experience matters. Where showing up matters. Where you know the people standing next to you. Seth’s wife, Marli, still can’t believe they own a door/window company. Neither does Seth. But he does hope one or more of his 3 little kids will get to experience what it’s like to work alongside people like those at Midwest Glass.

Midwest Glass isn’t flashy. It’s old-school.

And that’s exactly how Seth likes it.