Upright and Unshakeable: The Family Garage Door Company That Chose Integrity Over Everything

How a small, faith-rooted, family-run shop became a quiet force for honesty and heart in a crowded industry.

The phone rings inside a modest workshop on an ordinary weekday morning. There is no automated menu, no recorded greeting, and no artificial voice directing callers to press one or press two. Instead, a real person picks up, speaks warmly, and remembers your name. On the other end is a family that has been doing this work for over forty years, guided by a simple principle that has carried them through every storm. As the owner says, “We do honest pricing, no games. We treat people the way we would want to be treated.”

That belief has kept Upright Garage Door Services standing tall from 1983 all the way to today.

A Business Built on a Leap of Faith and a Fresh Start

The story begins in Idaho in the early eighties, long before websites and smartphones, when garage door service was a craft that relied on skill, reputation, and a handshake. Juanita Golay and her husband spent twelve years running one of Overhead Door Corporation’s five Idaho locations. They knew the business, they knew their customers, and they believed in doing things the right way.

Opportunity, or perhaps destiny, called in 1997. The corporate store in Las Vegas was struggling, and the couple was asked to relocate and help manage it. They packed their lives, left Idaho behind, and stepped into a new chapter with the hope of turning the operation around.

What they found, however, was far from what they expected. Behind the scenes was a mess of mismanagement and practices that clashed with their principles. They tried to clean things up. They documented issues, sent reports, and waited for corporate to intervene. Instead of change, they were met with indifference. As Juanita recalls, “We presented everything that needed to be fixed. They sent a liaison, and he took the company credit card, went to Glitter Gulch, rented a BMW, and never helped us.”

It was the moment they realized they could not stay, no matter how secure the job seemed. “We are straight-up people and we do not play games,” she says. So they walked away from corporate life entirely and built something of their own. It would be guided by integrity, grounded in family, and rooted in faith. Upright Garage Door Services was born.

The Heartbeat of a Family Operation

From the beginning, the business was a team effort. Juanita’s husband became the owner. Their son Ryan, who had grown up in the trade, stepped into the field full-time and eventually began running day-to-day operations. “He has been at this for 35 years,” Juanita says. “He has been astronomically trained, and he is out there every single day. He has never done anything else.”

For Juanita, the transition into the garage door world came after twenty-seven years as a dance instructor. She had owned her own dance studio, taught countless students, and lived a life centered around movement and expression. “I would rather dance,” she laughs, “but age creeps in on you.” When she stepped into the office of the Idaho shop, she had no idea that the move would lead her into a decades-long second career.

Over time, she handled scheduling, bookkeeping, office management, advertising, customer communication, and the thousand tiny pieces that keep a small business alive. She taught herself what she needed to know, sometimes the hard way. “When we came here, computers were not a thing. I had to get a computer and teach myself. I had no help.”

One of her biggest trials came early on when her brother, an accountant, showed up unexpectedly. He sat her down and told her exactly what she needed to do to learn bookkeeping. “He said, you have to do this, this, this, and this, and I will be back in two weeks.” She spent fourteen days buried in receipts and records. When he returned, she had mastered it. “He said, OK, let’s go get your licenses. Then he flew back home, and there I was.” She has done the bookkeeping ever since, all by hand.

Rooted in Integrity and Guided by Faith

Many small businesses claim to be honest. Upright Garage Door Services lives it. Their motto is simple: honest pricing, no games. They do not upsell. They do not surprise customers. Every estimate is free. Every expectation is clear.

“We answer the phone,” Juanita says. “There is no artificial intelligence answering the phone and music in the background for 45 minutes.” She laughs at the thought. “We answer, we talk to people, we build a relationship right there.”

That personal touch has earned them a reputation that money cannot buy. They are not the biggest company in the valley, and they have no desire to be. From seven garage door companies in the area when they first arrived, the number has soared to more than 250. Competition is fierce, advertising is relentless, and the financial pressure on families grows heavier every year. Yet Upright Garage Door Services continues to thrive because of something timeless. “Our biggest advertising is referrals,” Juanita says simply.

There is another reason the business continues to stand strong. “This business in our hearts is a gift from God,” she shares. “It was all done through prayer. We consider this business His. We are just blessed to run it.”

A Craft Perfected Through Generations

Today, Upright Garage Door Services handles everything from garage door installations to opener repairs to maintenance needs across the Las Vegas valley. Ryan’s decades of technical expertise set the business apart. He has grown up with the craft, understands every mechanical nuance, and treats each job with the same care he would give his own home.

Customers often meet him after speaking with Juanita on the phone. By the time he arrives, the connection has already begun. People know who to expect and feel at ease welcoming him into their space. Many have worked with the family for years, even decades.

Their approach is consistent: no scare tactics, no inflated pricing, no pressure. If a repair is all that is needed, that is exactly what the customer gets. If a replacement is the wisest choice, they explain why. It is the kind of honest, no-nonsense service that has largely vanished from modern home services.

The People Behind the Repairs

The story of Upright Garage Door Services is really a story about the Golay family. A mother who learned accounting from scratch so the business could stand on solid ground. A father who believed the right path is worth the risk. A son who carries the trade forward with pride.

Three quotes capture their spirit with unmistakable clarity:

“We are straight-up people. We do not play games.”

“We answer the phone and create relationships. People feel comfortable with us because we talk to them and level with them from the start.”

“We are blessed to run this business. It belongs to God. We just try to do right by people every single day.”

These are not marketing lines. These are values lived every time the phone rings, every time a truck pulls into a driveway, and every time the Golays choose integrity over shortcuts.

Why Customers Keep Coming Back

At a time when home services often feel impersonal and rushed, Upright Garage Door Services stands out for its humanity. They know their community. They support local baseball teams, golf teams, and neighborhood programs. They hold on to old-school principles in a fast-moving digital world, yet never lose sight of who they serve.

Customers appreciate that they can speak with the same person year after year. They value the consistency, the kindness, and the sincerity. They trust the Golays to be honest about costs and realistic about what needs to be fixed. Most of all, they support Upright Garage Door Services because the family genuinely cares.

Looking Toward Tomorrow

For all their experience and longevity, the family remains humble about the future. The valley has changed, competition has multiplied, and economic pressures have grown. Their goal is not expansion or domination but simple stability. “If we are still in business a year from now, if our trucks are running good, if we are making a living and helping people, that would be the top goal,” Juanita says.

It is a quiet dream, grounded in gratitude and built on decades of hard work. And for a company that has already weathered so much, it is also a promise. Upright Garage Door Services will continue serving the community, one honest repair at a time.

For readers who want to experience the warmth and integrity of this family business, you can learn more at uprightgaragedoor.com and find them on Yelp, Angi, Houzz, and other local platforms. When you support them, you are not just hiring a garage door company. You are supporting a family that puts people first.

This feature is part of The Business View Journal’s Local Spotlight Series — your trusted source for discovering the best small businesses in your community.