About

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, RoofTop Anchor - permanent fall protection anchors, combined with SafePro – automated roof hatches with built in fall protection provide a full array of roof top safety products. 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 39 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

Ken Kline received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Firestone Building Products at our 2017 National Sales Meeting. Always a leader within the Firestone Family - Ken was one of the original Independent Representatives that connected Firestone with the commercial roofing industry and is extremely proud to be the longest tenured representative in the country.

Industry Recognition

In 1998, the Construction Specifications Industry Minneapolis Chapter, recognized KR Kline & Associates with their prestigious Industry Investors Award.

Kline Johnson Sales Achievement Award

Kemper Systems - Project of the Year Award

Firestone Master Contractors

Firestone-licensed contractors annually earn Master Contractor status by accumulating Quality Points for achieving exceptional inspection ratings on Firestone Red Shield™ warranted roofing system installations. High-quality workmanship and a commitment to long-term roofing system performance are the attributes of a Firestone Master Contractor. This award recognizes the owners of our top achieving contractor firms in North America and Latin America who meet our criteria for determining the best of the best.

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.

Firestone Inner Circle of Quality Award Winners

The best of the best. Ranked by the number of leak calls received per 1 million sq. ft. of warranted roofing projects, this is a very short list of trusted contractors. Please let us refer you to our list of high quality commercial roofing contractors.

The Firestone 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 Firestone’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 Firestone’s Community Service Program and Inner Circle Insurance Program.

Firestone Partners in Quality Award Winners

The best are not always the biggest. This list of high quality contractors consistently perform with the highest quality ratings in the industry.

The Firestone Partner in Quality Award is awarded to contractors who install:

a minimum of eight warranted roofs in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, and 4 warranted roofs in 2013,
maintain at least 1 million square feet of Firestone roofs under warranty, and;
achieve an annual Firestone Building Products Quality Incidence Rating (QIR) of 1.0 or less.

Ken Kline

Chairman of the Board

Ken has committed his entire career to the roofing industry and this firm.

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.

Cory Meyer

Systems Estimator Low Slope

Primary Duties- Low slope estimating and quoting, request for approvals and low slope roofing technical support.

Brenda Kaldor

Inside Sales/Customer Service

Primary Duties- Responsible for building products order entry (Firestone and GenFlex), and customer databases.

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.

John Kapas

Systems Estimator Metal

Primary Duties- Metal product estimating and quoting, request for approvals and steep slope metal technical support.

Brien DuRoche

Outside Sales

Primary Duties- Responsible for all product lines and all customers in South/West MN and SD. Metal Panel Specialist

Nick Greenlee

Waterproofing Sales

Primary Duties – Responsible for waterproofing and traffic coating sales throughout MN, ND and SD.

Alice Heithecker

Office Manager/Inside Sales/Customer Service

Alice started with Kline-Johnson in 2004 – if she can’t find the answer, she will find who can. Primary Duties- Responsible for front office, order entry of metal flat sheet, coil and standing seam orders, trouble shooting and claim resolution on all orders.

James Hunter

Inside Sales/Customer Service/WebAdmin

Primary Duties - Responsible for order entry of metal flat sheet, coil, and standing seam orders. He also serves as the website administrator.