Mission Statement
The mission of Knickerbocker Roofing & Paving Co., Inc. is to be an outstanding solutions provider by offering quality products installed by skilled tradesmen and women in an efficient manner. As a company of substance and tradition, we strive to maintain a leadership role in the roofing, sheet metal and waterproofing industries by delivering workmanship and service that consistently meets or exceeds our clients’ expectations.
Reasons to Use Knickerbocker Roofing
- Family owned and managed for over 130 years – Since 1886
- All Roofing, Sheet Metal and Carpentry work performed by our own employees
- Annual manufacturers’ roof system application training
- Winner of the prestigious National Roofing Contractors Association Gold Circle Award for workmanship excellence
- Annual Safety training program for all field and supervisory employees
- Recipient of the American Subcontractors Association Safety Award
- Recipient of the Chicago Roofing Contractors Association Safety Award
- Project safety inspections by independent safety consultants
- Certified by all major roofing system manufacturers to furnish and install their roof systems
- Roof inspections and evaluations at no charge
- License and bonded with the State of Illinois Department of Professional Regulation (License #104-003433)
- In excess of 10 million dollars of liability insurance for your protection
- Outstanding roof leak repair and roof maintenance programs
- Our employees are courteous, experienced and customer service oriented
- The most modern and safe equipment, maintained by our full time mechanics
- We have our own fully equipped sheet metal fabrication shop to custom form your sheet metal for the perfect look and fit
- Value engineering ideas to save you money and get the most from your investment
- Long term manufacturers’ warranties offered
- Our diesel powered roof vacuum system removes stone ballast and dirt clean and efficiently with no dust
- Project performance and payment bonds available
- Project financing available
Our History
In 1886 Bernard Kelly acquired the Knickerbocker Roofing and Paving Company, thus founding
a family-owned business that today – five generations and over 135 years later – has grown to be
one of the largest roofing contractors in the Midwest. Here are some of the steps in the evolution
of our family business:
1898 – 1915 Bernard Kelly’s new company took on some large projects in turn-of-the century
Chicago, including roofing the new Chicago Public Library (we know it now as the Cultural
Center) and paving Michigan Avenue when it bordered Lake Michigan’s shore.
KRP Roofing Professionals In The Past
Our History – KRP Roofing at the Wrigley Building
Over 135 years of family ownership, experience, & reliability
1915 – 1954 Bernard was followed into the roofing business by his son-in-law, Mark A. Cronin Sr., a founder and early president of the National Roofing Contractors Association. Mark expanded Knickerbocker’s services to roofing railroad structures and replacing roofs for some of the largest corporations throughout the Midwest.
1954 – 1982 The three sons of Mark Cronin – Jim, Bob and Mark Jr. – all graduates of the University of Notre Dame, continued to expand the services of Knickerbocker with large contracts from the steel industry, utilities and major corporations. Our services were extended throughout the Midwest.
1982 – 2014 The fourth generation of Knickerbocker owners included four great-grandsons of Bernard Kelly, each with many years of experience. All these men were (and still are) substantial stockholders in the company, and thus had a significant investment in the quality of Knickerbocker work and the reliability of Knickerbocker service.
2014 – Present Today, Knickerbocker Roofing continues as a company of substance. Due to our firm’s outstanding stability, we have an established line of credit and strong bonding capability. We are one of the largest roofing contractors in the Midwest. We are also a company of tradition – a tradition of workmanship and service. We would like to extend that tradition to you, and welcome this opportunity to share our Knickerbocker history with you.