Mid-Prairie Alumni Awards Vocational Award Jeremy Statler Class of 1990

For Jeremy Statler ‘90, hard work and determination are qualities that were ingrained in him from a young age. His success in the construction business has been a direct result of many years dedicated to his vocation. Jeremy is the vocational alumni award recipient for 2023.

After graduating from Mid-Prairie in 1990 and earning his BBA at the University of Iowa in 1994, he moved to Los Angeles to be with his now wife, Kari, and was more than ready to enter the workforce. He began working for a general contractor in Los Angeles as a carpenter framing houses, but was quickly moved into the office that same afternoon thanks to his impressive work ethic.

While Jeremy gained great experience working in Los Angeles, his father, George Statler, was building his own construction business here in Iowa. As George’s business grew, he invited Jeremy to come home and work together. Jeremy and his wife returned to Iowa in 1997, when he went into business with his dad at Statler Construction.

Jeremy and his father had a great partnership as coworkers. George loved to be out on the jobs and working with the crew, so Jeremy took over the office side of the business. They completed many different jobs together, from light commercial to agricultural businesses, but their main business was, and continues to be, new home construction. Statler Construction has built over 400 homes in Southeast Iowa. Jeremy was blessed to work by his dad’s side for 11 years before tragically losing George to a car accident in 2008. Thanks to the strong foundation built by George, Jeremy and his wife Kari have been able to continue operating and growing the company.

Jeremy feels one of the greatest parts of his job is the opportunity to work with so many different people. The motto of Statler Construction is, “Taking the headaches out of construction,” and he works hard to make that happen with every home they build or project they take on. Most recently, Statler Construction participated in the Iowa City Parade of Homes in 2020 and 2022. He was awarded the Builders Excellence Award for the home category in both of those years. He always strives to build the best home possible for his customers, and he feels it is a huge honor to be recognized for excellence by his peers. During his time at Mid-Prairie, Jeremy remembers many great teachers. He feels his business class teachers were the most instrumental in his career, from Mrs. Fickel’s accounting and keyboarding classes to Mr. Conaway’s business classes. Jeremy loved his time at Mid-Prairie, and he is very thankful to be able to raise his own children in the district. Growing up, Jeremy’s strongest influencer was his dad. According to Jeremy, “He was the hardest working guy I ever knew. He never worked just a regular work week and always had multiple jobs going on to provide the best for our family.” When George started the construction company, he built a strong foundation on the belief that building as many homes as he could and accumulating many happy customers would lead to keeping the company busy if times ever got tough. The year after George’s accident, the economy took a turn for the worst, but the business was able to survive and remain successful, thanks to George’s strong foundation.

Living and working in a small town has motivated Jeremy to strive for excellence on a regular basis, as he wants to ensure his reputation is of the highest caliber. At Statler Construction, they do everything possible to make sure customers are as happy with the business at the completion of a project as they were at the start. Jeremy has two sons, Caleb ‘17 and Elijah, who are also interested in construction, so he is constantly motivated to continue working hard to keep the business strong in case they might choose to join him in the future. His daughter, Abigail ‘19, is currently pursuing the agricultural sciences at Iowa State and will graduate in May. Jeremy has powerful advice when thinking about his keys to success. He advises, “We live in a world that strives for instant gratification, for ‘likes’ and for social approvals, but there is so much more to life than that. Don’t be afraid to dream and set your goals high. Surround yourself with those who lift you up and push you towards your dreams, not those who drag you down into their lack of them. Live life for you, not for what others think of you! If you are willing to work hard and fight for your dreams, the sky is truly the limit to where you can go.”

Jeremy coaches for the Golden Hawk Archery Club, and he believes in their motto, “Your attitude determines your direction.” Life is full of challenges, but he firmly believes that if you keep your faith strong and a smile on your face, you can overcome anything that’s thrown at you.