About us · Est. 1964
Sixty-two years of keeping weather out.
Slate & Cedar began as one man, one truck, and a borrowed ladder in Marblehead. Three generations later, the trucks are newer. The standard isn’t.
The story
Started on a dare, kept on a promise.
In the spring of 1964, Frank Calloway told the owner of a leaking harborfront tavern that he could fix in a weekend what two contractors had failed to fix in a year. He did. The tavern keeper paid him in cash and referrals, and Frank never advertised again.
His son Doug grew the company through the ’87 and ’91 storms — the years that taught us everything we know about wind. Today Frank’s granddaughter Maren, a master slater trained in Vermont quarries, runs the crews with one rule pinned above the workshop door: “Build it like the sea is watching.”
It always is.
One man, one ladder
Frank Calloway repairs the Driftwood Tavern roof and founds the company on the strength of one handshake.
The slate years begin
First full slate restoration on Washington Street — still watertight today, inspected annually free of charge.
The Perfect Storm
Doug Calloway’s crews tarp 60+ roofs in ten days. The 24/7 storm line has run ever since.
GAF Master Elite®
Certification held by fewer than 2% of roofers nationwide — and a 50-year warranty to put behind it.
Third generation
Maren Calloway takes the reins — the first master slater in the family to also fly the inspection drone.
Roof #3,400
A cedar roof in Ipswich. The homeowner’s parents were customers #212 and #213.
What we believe
Four things we’d never compromise.
Craft over speed
Hand-nailed where it matters, six nails where code asks for four, copper where aluminum would do.
Candor over closing
If a $900 repair buys your roof five good years, that’s what we’ll recommend — and put in writing.
Respect for the property
Tarped beds, plywood over patios, magnet sweeps every evening. The roof is ours; the home is yours.
Warranties that outlive us
Fifty years means our grandchildren will honor what we sign. That’s the point of a family company.
By the numbers
Measured in winters, not quarters.
The crew
The people on your ridgeline.
Maren Calloway
Owner · Master SlaterThird generation. Trained in Vermont quarries, certified in historic restoration.
Doug Calloway
Estimates · 2nd GenerationForty years of quotes with no surprises. He’ll likely measure your roof from memory.
Sam Reyes
Lead Foreman · 18 yrsRuns the flagship crew. Knows every dog on the North Shore by name, and vice versa.
Tessa Brandt
Office · SchedulingThe voice on the phone, the keeper of the calendar, the reason crews show up on time.
Credentials
Paper to back the handshake.
Licenses, insurance, and manufacturer certifications — current copies furnished with every estimate, before you ask.
Request an Estimate- MA Home Improvement Contractor #100482 — current and unblemished since 1992.
- MA Construction Supervisor License #088215 — held by Maren Calloway.
- GAF Master Elite® — top 2% of North American roofers; unlocks the 50-year Golden Pledge warranty.
- Owens Corning Platinum Preferred — dual-certified so material choice never limits your warranty.
- $2M liability + full workers’ comp — every crew member, every day, certificates on request.
- Historic district experience — approved work in all eight North Shore historic commissions.