East Muskegon Roofing and Sheet Metal is now Certified Building Solutions and Certified Sheet Metal.
We have been active in the commercial and industrial roofing and sheet metal business for over 70 years.
1950
1962
1975
1980
1990
2000
2011
2018
Today
East Muskegon Roofing, Siding and Insulating Company was purchased by Joseph H. and Donna Smith in 1950. Mr. Smith operated the company as a sole owner on a part time basis while still employed at Continental Motors Corporation. When volume was sufficient to merit a full-time job, Mr. Smith left his employment at Continental Motors to operate the business on a full-time basis. The company was incorporated in the fall of 1954. At this time, residential siding and insulation were phased out of the business and efforts were increased toward industrial and commercial roofing sales. In 1956, a sheet metal division was added to complement the industrial and commercial work and later the company was renamed East Muskegon Roofing and Sheet Metal Co., Inc.
In 1962, Ronald A. Kanaar left his career with the Norge Corporation, which had recently moved from Muskegon Heights, MI to Fort Smith, AK, to move back to the Muskegon area. He joined East Muskegon Roofing and Sheet Metal Co., was put in charge of sheet metal operations, and became the Vice President. The sheet metal shop grew and expanded and in 1967, the first 60" wide automatic coil line in Michigan was added.
The spring of 1975 brought the untimely death of Joseph Smith. For the next two years, Joe's widow, Donna, and her brother Ron ran the operations until the summer of 1977 when the company was purchased by Ron and his sons, Gregory R. Kanaar and Gary A. Kanaar.
After new warehouses, a paint booth and crib area were added, market expansion was targeted and investments in machinery were made. The most notable being a Cybermation computer-aided plasma cutting machine.
In 1980, a mechanical division was started to provide expert service in areas of commercial and industrial heating, ventilation, and air conditioning and in 1985, the sheet metal division branched off into the Grand Rapids area opening Certified Sheet Metal in Comstock Park, later moving to Walker. Over the years, Certified Sheet Metal has developed exceptional experience and expertise in the sheet metal needs of the food and drug industry.
In the 1990's, office space was added to provide for increased sales personnel in all departments and there were many investments in technology.
In the fall of 2000, Gregory Kanaar purchased the stock of Ron and Gary Kanaar and led the company as sole owner for the next eleven years.
More improvements to the sheet metal fabrication area followed with the installation of an overhead crane system. Then a Mazak laser machine was purchased for precision cutting in an increasingly competitive global market.
East Muskegon became woman-owned with majority stock ownership transferred to Eileen Kanaar in October of 2011.
In 2018, Greg and Eileen Kanaar transferred ownership to their two sons, Andy and Ben.
Certified Building Solutions continues to be the place for your commercial and industrial roofing needs.