Ryan Kelly (Kelly Enterprise)

Ryan Kelly, alongside his dad Mike and brother Shaun, owns Kelly Enterprise, a window & door distributor in Roseville, Minnesota.

Born in the Twin Cities suburb of Andover, Ryan attended St. Francis High School, where over time he exhibited a playful personality that appealed to his peers.

“I wanted to make people laugh, but I also wanted to build relationships and have fun,” says Ryan, who after high school studied B2B sales at a tech school.

From there, he then went into account management, landing a job that constantly forced him to be away from home.

“I was 21 years old and managing accounts on the East Coast,” says Ryan, who sat on enough planes and slept in enough hotel rooms to realize that this specific role wasn’t ideal for him.

So, after two years of frenetic travel, he got into selling exterior products on homes, which later led to a stint in distribution sales.

By 2019, Ryan was ready for something else, but instead of continuing to refine his sales skills for an already established business, Ryan, along with his dad Mike and brother Shaun, opened Kelly Enterprise, a company whose focus was to streamline the sales and production process for contractors who install window units in Twin Cities homes and businesses.

Right away, as Kelly Enterprise waited for their commercial office space to be finished, the Kellys worked out of their local Dunn Brothers coffee shop, cramming their computer gear and window literature into the sparse space afforded by the coffee house.

Not that the trio was complaining though.

“Today in our office hangs a photo of us all working at the Dunn Brothers, taking orders for contractors,” Ryan says, directing my attention toward a black and white photo behind me that is representative of not only the company’s modest inception, but the photo is also an ode to the American Dream, and a stark reminder that ambitions can be realized if one elects to put in the work.

“Back then, it was humble beginnings, but we were, and still are living the dream.”

At present, Kelly Enterprise no longer is surrounded by the savory aroma of coffee every day, but they are quickly cementing themselves as a top-tier window distributor in the Twin Cities.

For his part, Ryan is now the sales manager of the operation, overseeing outside reps Bryce, Alex, and Craig, all of whom elicit significant praise from the contractors they work with, including one of this website’s sponsors, Grussing Roofing, which has worked directly with Bryce and Kelly Enterprise for the last three years.

“Bryce is particularly impressive, but all our reps have been in the industry for a long time and have a lot of experience,” Ryan emphasizes.

“We couldn’t be more grateful to have those three guys on the team because their knowledge of windows and their commitment to customer service is outstanding.”

For context, Kelly Enterprise serves as an intermediary between contractors and window manufacturers like Marvin and Hayfield.

But Kelly Enterprise does more than just order windows for contractors.

In fact, the Roseville-based company prides themselves on assisting contractors and homeowners all the way from an initial consult to long after the windows have been installed.

This includes having one of their installers and reps out for a final measurement before a window order is ever placed.

This helps ensure that there is no miscommunication on window dimensions or specifications, and that when the windows arrive weeks later and are ready for install, both the contractor and the homeowner can feel confident that the installation process will be seamless because Kelly Enterprise has already had their installers familiarized with the home and products.

This, among many other things, is what makes Kelly Enterprise stand out in the competitive industry of window distribution, and it’s also why the company deals exclusively in windows and doors, because they know their service is valuable, and they don’t want to potentially compromise that by dealing with other products and services.

“Peter [one of their employees] told me that you can put a windshield over a pile of leaves, and nothing is going to happen, but you can take a magnifying glass and start a fire,” Ryan starts.

“In that sense, focusing exclusively on windows and doors has made us successful because we aren’t sacrificing efficiency or expertise by trying to tackle an array of other products.”

Still, for as refined as the day-to-day operation is at Kelly Enterprise, Ryan says the key to scaling the company in the last five years has been their unwavering devotion to taking care of contractors and homeowners.

“In business, it’s all about who you know. That being said, you can have all the relationships in the world, but if you don’t do what you say you’re going to do, that won’t do any good,” Ryan explains, keying in on the company’s approach to conducting themselves with the utmost integrity, before then acknowledging how crucial it has been to find outside talent who embodies this core pillar.

“To ultimately build something that works, you need to have good people that care. That’s why every day when I wake up and come to work, I’m so grateful for our employees who show up every day and do an excellent job.”

By now, it’s evident why contractors would benefit tremendously from partnering with Kelly Enterprise, but there still is, and likely always be, a faction of contractors who believe that they don’t need a window distributor who prioritizes nuance and not glossing over any aspect of the window process.

For those contractors who are convinced that they can handle the window production process on their own, not only are they leaving themselves exposed to potential mismeasurements and future delays, but they’re also depriving themselves of a full-service concierge partner who can save them substantial amounts of time and stress.  

“As a contractor, it’s important to have a good distribution center on your side because it will free up your time. That contractor will then be able to go out and be more productive in the field. They can meet with more homeowners and get more jobs across the finish line, all because we are taking care of things on the backend,” Ryan notes.

“But the best part of all that is not only can we optimize the entire production process for the windows, but partnering with us is also more profitable for the contractor, because there will be no mistakes with the product that you are ordering and later installing.”

For contractors whose specialty may not be windows, the aforementioned is simply more incentive to ditch trying to do everything and instead partner with a proven entity who can satisfy both that contractor and their customer, which can only lead to better referrals and more opportunities in the future.

“What often gets overlooked is that with window products, there can be a lot of unforeseen challenges, so you want a distributor who can adeptly maneuver around those challenges so that, as a contractor, you’re not dealing with those issues directly,” Ryan outlines.

“Our approach is relatively simple: we look at each individual contractor that we work with as a partnership. We can shore up some of their weak spots, whether that is in product knowledge or timeline. We also believe that our contractors should be able to call us and get immediate answers for their homeowners.”

Another upside to working with Kelly Enterprise is they offer contractors and homeowners a variety of window manufacturers to choose from, a list that includes: industry stalwart Marvin, but also Thermotech, Vector, ProVia, Windsor, and Hayfield.

“We selected those window manufacturers because we like their products, but we also like the customer service that they offer to us,” Ryan says.

“Of course, Marvin is very popular because it is an exceptional product and brand, but beyond that we wanted to offer products that are more budget-friendly and can appeal to all types of homeowners.”

Adds Ryan:

“For example, not every home needs a beautiful Marvin wooden interior on the windows, but every home does need an energy efficient window that is safe and efficient for the end-user, which is why we make those other brands available.”

Since 2019, it’s been a hectic journey for the team at Kelly Enterprise.

As mentioned, they no longer are engulfed by the tantalizing scents of cappuccinos and espressos, but their long-term outlook is extremely promising, as evidenced by the company’s recent opening of a distribution center in Naples, Florida.

“We are having so much fun doing what we are doing. We know that people need our help, so if we can continue to assist the construction industry and guide contractors through the entire window process, then I imagine we will continue to grow and potentially expand into even more markets,” Ryan says.  

“But it all comes back to putting contractors and homeowners first, and that’s where our priority is every single day.” QS

**

As a family-owned business with 53 years of experience in the Twin Cities market, Grussing Roofing specializes in residential roofing, insurance restoration, siding, windows, and gutters.

For homeowners and commercial building owners who are looking to connect with a company that prides themselves on putting customers first, look no further than Eden Prairie-based Grussing Roofing.