In 1965, William ”Bill” Klammer Sr. and his wife, Irene purchased a very small Associated Engineering company. It was located just two blocks away from our present day facility. Associated Engineering had just 3 employees.

Bill Klammer continued doing some design work, but began to branch into liquid spray painting as a way to maintain a more consistent cash flow for his new company. AE began to grow steadily.

In 1976, Bill’s health took a downward turn and he as a result, turned the company over to his eldest son, William “Chuck” Klammer. Chuck decided to steer the direction of Associated Engineering to something he understood – painting.

Powder coating was just starting out in the 1970’s. Chuck was interested in this technology and convinced his father to let him add a powder coating line to the company’s services. The is gave AE an entirely new market to explore. It didn’t take long and Associated Engineering was long on work and short on capacity.

Since 1980, we have expanded our facilities 4 different times to accommodate new equipment and expanding services. Currently our building is 34,000 square feet under one roof.

Associated Engineering became Associated Finishing, Inc. in May, 1998. This name change came because it better reflected the type of work the company was developing.

1993 was another landmark year. Associated Finishing, Inc. became an ESOP Company (Employee Stock Ownership Plan). This made it possible for each employee to have an important stake in the company’s progress and profitability.