Helipad coating

Who We Are

Family Owned.
Built on Trust.

Zephyr Companies LLC was built on decades of construction expertise and a simple belief: every job deserves to be done right, from first coat to final sign-off.

Our Story

38 Years of Getting
It Right.

Zephyr Companies LLC is a family owned and operated full-service coating company specializing in helipad and heliport finishing, refinishing, and resurfacing. Behind every project is one of the most experienced contractors in the industry — Dave Kuennen, who has spent 38 years as a general contractor and the last 20 years focused exclusively on heliport recoating.

Dave built his career in the healthcare industry, running a general contracting business that specialized in hospital construction and ADA accessibility projects. That background gave him a deep understanding of how hospitals operate, what's at stake when work is being done on active facilities, and why precision and accountability aren't optional — they're the job.

The path to helipad coatings came through exactly that world. While doing work for a hospital, the facility's department needed their rooftop helipad recoated — but no contractor was willing to take it on. The sensitivity of removing existing coatings from a multimillion-dollar aluminum rooftop helipad was more than most were prepared to handle. Dave and his team didn't walk away. Instead, they carefully developed a surface preparation method that would safely strip the existing coating without compromising the integrity of the aluminum substrate beneath it.

That problem-solving moment became the foundation of Zephyr. "My certification is 38-plus years of solving problems just like this one," Dave says. It's not a boast — it's a philosophy. Every unusual job, every difficult surface, every tight constraint is just another version of a problem he's been solving his entire career.

38 Years General Contracting

Dave has operated as a general contractor business owner for 38 years, the majority of which was spent in the healthcare construction and ADA accessibility space.

20 Years in Heliport Recoating

Two decades of specialized focus on helipad and heliport surface coatings — longer than most companies in this niche have even existed.

Diverse Industry Background

Healthcare construction, commercial projects, and government contracts — Dave's 38-year career spans the most demanding sectors in the industry, where precision and accountability are non-negotiable.

"Only as Good as Your Last Job"

That's the Zephyr standard. Every project is treated as if our reputation — and your safety — depends on it. Because it does.

The Founder

Meet Dave Kuennen

Dave Kuennen

Owner & Operator

Experience 38 Years General Contracting

Heliport Specialty 20 Years Helipad Recoating

Background Healthcare Construction
Commercial Construction
Government Contracts
ADA Accessibility
Hospital Facility Work

Dave@zephyrcoatings.com 612-282-3214

"My certification is 38-plus years of problem-solving situations just like helipads."

— Dave Kuennen, Owner

Dave Kuennen has spent 38 years as a general contractor and business owner across some of the most demanding sectors in construction — healthcare, commercial construction, and government contracts. His work in hospitals, clinics, and ADA accessibility projects demanded the kind of precision, protocol awareness, and accountability that most job sites never require. Government contract work added another layer: strict specifications, rigorous documentation, and zero tolerance for shortcuts.

His entry into helipad coatings came the hard way. While working on a hospital project, the facility needed their rooftop helipad recoated — a multimillion-dollar aluminum surface that required careful removal of the existing coating without damaging the substrate below. No other contractor would take the job. Dave did. He and his team developed a meticulous, safe approach to surface preparation that protected the structure while delivering a compliant, lasting finish. That job became the blueprint for Zephyr.

Over the 20 years since, Dave has refined that approach into a full-service helipad coating operation — one that applies the same problem-solving discipline to every job, whether it's a routine refinish or a complex rehabilitation on a challenging surface.

As a family business, Zephyr operates by a simple standard: you are only as good as your last job. Dave has raised his children to be accountable, reliable, and hard-working — the same values that drive every Zephyr project. Customer satisfaction isn't a metric. It's the whole point.

What Drives Us

Our Values

Safety First

Every coating decision is made with safety as the primary driver. FAA standards exist for a reason — and we enforce them on every job site.

Uncompromising Quality

We don't cut corners. From surface preparation to final clear coat, every step is executed with precision and purpose.

Personal Partnership

Being family-owned means you work directly with leadership. We're invested in your project's success the same way we're invested in our own reputation.

Featured Project

Work We're Proud Of

Aerial view of Gundersen Health helipad project

Gundersen helipad resurfacing

Case Study

Gundersen Health System
La Crosse, WI

Zephyr Aviation Coatings was contracted to fully resurface and recoat the heliport at Gundersen Health System. The project involved media blasting to remove deteriorated coatings, full surface preparation, and application of FAA-compliant markings.

Media blasting removes dirt, rust, old paint, and contaminants — ensuring the new coating bonds correctly and lasts. We selected media type, size, and pressure based on the surface condition to achieve optimal adhesion.

Location La Crosse, Wisconsin

Facility Hospital Rooftop Heliport

Scope Media Blast, Resurface, FAA Markings

Compliance FAA AC 150/5390-2D

The Team

A Family Business,
Through and Through

At Zephyr, the family values aren't a tagline — they're operational. Dave has raised his team to treat every client's project with the accountability and reliability he built his 38-year career on. When you call Zephyr, you're talking to the people doing the work.

Dave Kuennen — Owner & Operator, Zephyr Companies LLC

Dave Kuennen

Owner & Operator

38-year general contractor across healthcare, commercial construction, and government contracts. 20 years specializing in heliport recoating. The founder who took on the job no one else would — and built a company around solving exactly those problems.

Dave@zephyrcoatings.com 612-282-3214

Jessie — Sales & Marketing, Zephyr Companies LLC

Jessie

Sales & Marketing

Your first point of contact for questions, quotes, and scheduling. Jessie will connect you with the right information and get your project moving fast.

Jessie@zephyrcoatings.com 407-999-6081