About Us
History of Kline-Johnson & Associates
The company known today as, Kline-Johnson, Building Envelope Choices, was started in August of 1979 by Ken Kline, and was known as KR Kline & Associates. From the very beginning the company focused on representing quality manufactures of thermal and moisture protection building materials to the architectural and contractor communities of Minnesota, North & South Dakota.
In 1980, Ken became affiliated with Firestone Building Products Company who, at the time, was just beginning their long and successful journey into the manufacturing of membrane roofing systems. Announced in 2022, Firestone roofing, wall and lining systems has been renamed to Elevate. Today, Elevate, a brand of Holcim, offers a full line of roofing membranes including; EPDM, TPO, Modified Bitumen, and BUR systems. To complement the roofing membranes, Elevate also offers all installation accessories, flat and tapered roof insulation as well as architectural sheet metal systems. Elevate’s recent acquisition of Gaco adds a sophisticated line of coatings to the product line. Kline-Johnson has the honor of being the longest-tenured independent representative of Elevate.
During the ensuing decades, Kline-Johnson has added lines to round out our selection of materials for the building envelope. These manufacturers include: GenFlex - single-ply roofing systems, Kemper - high performance waterproofing, Protean – metal wall panel systems, USG – SecureRock gypsum fiber and glass mat roofing boards. These products allow us to provide comprehensive assistance with the building envelope.
Today, Kline-Johnson has 10 full time associates, 5 inside sales and 5 outside sales. Eric Johnson has taken the company over as President and Ken serves as Chairman of the Board. We are honored to have been able to serve the construction community for the past 44 years and are looking forward to many more.
Our Mission
Your - "Building Envelope Solutions" - resource
Our mission is to be the resource of choice for Architects, Building Owners, Roofing Contractors, Roofing Consultants and Roofing Distributors. We do this by focusing our energy on providing the highest quality, most professional representation for our manufacturers on every project.
Eric Johnson, President
Industry Recognition and Awards
Lifetime Achievement Award
Industry Recognition
Elevate Master Contractors
As a Master Contractor, you will enjoy a wide range of benefits designed to grow your business, eliminate costs, advertise your capabilities and celebrate your accomplishments.
Elevate Inner Circle of Quality Award Winners
The Elevate Inner Circle of Quality Award is one of the most prestigious honors in the commercial roofing industry. It is awarded to Master Contractors who install:
- a minimum of eight warranted roofs in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, and 4 warranted roofs in 2013,
- Maintain at least two (2) million square feet under warranty;
- Achieve an annual QIR of 1.0 or less; and
- Achieve Master Contractor Status.
Contractors who earn the Inner Circle of Quality Award are recognized at Elevate’s annual Master Contractor Event and receive regional and local publicity promoting the achievement. In addition, Inner Circle of Quality Award winners will be eligible to participate in Elevate’s Community Service Program and Inner Circle Insurance Program.
Elevate Partners in Quality Award Winners
The Elevate Partner in Quality Award is awarded to contractors who install:
- a minimum of eight warranted roofs in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023, and 4 warranted roofs in 2020,
- maintain at least 1 million square feet of Elevate roofs under warranty, and;
- achieve an annual Elevate Building Products Quality Incidence Rating (QIR) of 1.0 or less.
Our Team
Ken Kline
Chairman of the Board
Ken has committed his entire career to the roofing industry and this firm.
ken@kline-johnson.com p: (952)-851-3044 c: (612)-508-7293
Eric Johnson
President
Eric started working for KR Kline and Associates in 1996 and is now owner of Kline-Johnson & Associates. Primary Duties- Big Picture Management. Large project focus with Architects, Contractors and Consultants. Oversees client and vendor relationships and manage the Kline-Johnson Staff.
eric@kline-johnson.com p: (952)-851-3043 c: (612)-723-1935
Chris Anderson
Architectural Specialist (CSI, CCPR, BEC, USGBC, Industry IIDA, Allied AIA)
Primary Duties - Technical support for all product lines for design professionals in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.
chris@kline-johnson.com p: (952)-854-8723 c: (612)-859-5533
Brenda Kaldor
Inside Sales/Customer Service
Primary Duties- Office manager, responsible for building products order entry (Elevate and GenFlex), and customer databases.
brenda@kline-johnson.com p: (952)-851-3041
Cory Meyer
Building Envelope Sales
Representing all Kline-Johnson & Associates product lines in Minneapolis and SE Minnesota.
cory@kline-johnson.com p: (952)-851-3045 c: (612)-418-8882
James Hunter
Building Envelope Sales/Customer Service/WebAdmin
Primary Duties - Responsible for order entry of low slope materials, metal flat sheet, coil, and standing seam orders. He also serves as the website administrator.
james@kline-johnson.com p: (952)-851-3046
Peter Grotenhuis
Building Envelope Sales
Primary Duties - Technical support for Elevate and metal contractors in South Dakota and SW Minnesota.
Peter@kline-johnson.com c: (612)-708-2158
Nicholas Bednarek
Building Envelope Sales
Primary Duties - Responsible for all product lines and all customers in North/West MN and ND. Building Envelope Specialist.
Nicholas@kline-johnson.com p: 763-344-2144
John Kapas
Systems Estimator Metal
Primary Duties- Cladding product and support system sales, metal product sales and estimating, RFA' s for all products, steep slope technical support.
john@kline-johnson.com p: (952)-851-3046 c: (763)-807-6139
Michael Richter
Building Envelope Sales/Customer Service
Primary Duties - Responsible for order entry of metal flat sheet, coil, and standing seam orders.
michael@kline-johnson.com p: 952-854-8723