Published: April 23, 2008 09:53 pm      

Friends & Neighbors: Ben Clayton

When all else fails, shoot it.

That could be the motto of handyman, carpenter and car buff Ben Clayton. When he’s given something broken and seemingly beyond repair, he can usually fix it using a variety of methods. However, on Memorial Day weekend in 2006, Clayton found himself in a pickle and he had to think quickly. That’s when he retrieved his 12-gauge shotgun and a slug.

It was the Friday before Memorial Day and he and his wife Beverly were busily preparing for a 10-day trip out West to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. Stormy weather had invaded the area, and suddenly the couple found themselves in the midst of what Clayton said was a small tornado.

“It was the most exciting thing that’s ever happened in my life,” said Clayton, 67. “It blew down a hickory tree which clipped live power lines and fell on the roof of my daughter Kai’s house next door. Kai was outside, but her dog (a teacup Chihuahua) was inside.”

When members of the Cohutta Fire Department arrived, the roof had begun to smoke. Clayton said he was told they couldn’t do anything until the power company came and turned the power off because of the live wires. Clayton wasn’t about to stand and watch his rental house burn down.

“I shot the wire off the transformer, which cut everybody’s power,” he said. “The fire chief asked me how it was done. He was amazed. I did it in one shot.”

The couple was able to leave as planned for their trip, which took them to 18 states. Beverly Clayton did all the driving and logged 6,752 miles.

Ben Clayton was born and raised in Ellijay and came to Dalton at 18 looking for work. His first job was at Carpets of Dalton as a general laborer. After six months, he went to Lawtex Carpet where he ran a cutting table. He had been on the job a year when he was offered a promotion.

He turned it down. Carpet was not in his blood. Building was.

Clayton’s father, France, was a home builder, and Clayton spent his childhood making things like birdhouses and doghouses. The ability came naturally. Clayton says he can create his plans in his mind.

“’I like the creation of it, making things differently than anyone else,” he said. “I build houses like I’d build them for myself.”

Clayton took a job at M&R Building Supply where he unloaded sheetrock and worked on construction crews. A full-time job as a home builder for Owen and Parks came two years later. He stayed there 24 years.

In 1981, Clayton went out on his own, forming Ben Clayton Construction. Harold Anders heard Clayton was building an apartment complex, so he contacted Clayton to build some for him. Thus began a partnership and friendship that continues to this day.

“He is the best partner a man could ever have — honest and dependable,” Clayton said.

He married his other partner, Beverly, in 1981. The two met at Owen and Parks. He had just gone through a divorce and busied himself remodeling the company building and she was a real estate agent there.

Clayton and Anders opened Clayton and Anders Realty in 1992. They developed several subdivisions in the county, including Northridge, Westside Acres and Valleybrook. Clayton said the company was a success until the current housing crisis forced them to close in 2007. They opened Clayton and Anders Used Cars in 2005.

Clayton intends to resume building houses as soon as the economy rebounds. In the meantime, he’s not one to rest.

“You could say we’re unemployed between selling cars, real estate and building houses,” he said. “The economy has hit us hard but we’re still being blessed. Put God first when times are bad and you’ll still be blessed.”

Clayton also enjoys hunting rabbits, running beagles and cooking breakfast each morning for his granddaughter, Tyler.

“I credit all my success to the Lord,” Clayton said. “As long as you depend on the Lord, he’ll always see you through it. If there have been hard times through our blessings, we’ve not seen them.”