Meet The Team

Advantage Coating was founded in 1993 by Jim Ernst who has more than 47 years experience in the floor coating and polishing business. Jim's most important goal is customer satisfaction and building long term relationships with clients while providing a positive and stable standard of life for his employees.

Jim and his wife, Cindy, have two adult children and two grandchildren.

Cindy oversees daily business operations and helps plan and implement business strategies. She also assists sales representatives on bid solicitations.

Cindy and her husband, Jim, have two children and two grandchildren.

Ryan is the Operations Manager with Advantage Coating where he oversees the entire operations department. He has been with Advantage Coating since 2002 and has held many positions including Sales and Job Superintendent.

Ryan graduated from Bemidji State University with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology (emphasis in Construction Management and minor in Business Administration). Ryan and his wife, Lindsey, live in Delano, MN, with their daughter (Madeline), son (Mason), and dog (Jase). They enjoy spending time at the lake, camping, hunting, fishing and snowmobiling.

Dan has been with Advantage Coating since 2003 when he started as an installer. He became a Crew Supervisor in 2007 and joined the sales team in 2013. With nearly 20 years in the business, Dan knows just about everything there is to know about concrete floor coatings. He has extensive product/application knowledge and has been a top-performing sales professional across the industry for many years. Dan's sales territory includes the greater Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area, central and northern Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Dan grew up in Bloomington, MN, received his diploma from Bloomington Kennedy High School, and graduated from Itasca Community College with an AA degree. Dan wrestled in high school and college, played lacrosse in high school, and hockey from age 5 to 15. In his spare time, Dan enjoys snowmobiling, fishing, hunting, going to the lake and most outdoor activities. Dan and his wife, Stephanie, live in Chaska.

Zach joined Advantage Coating as an installer in 2017 and was promoted to Crew Supervisor in 2019. He joined the sales team in 2022 bringing a wealth of knowledge from operations to the sales side of the business including strong knowledge of product lines, extensive experience in applications, and a history of skillfully managing on-site projects. Zach's sales territory includes the greater Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area, southern Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin.

Zach grew up in Lester Prairie, MN, where he played baseball and football at Lester Prairie High School. Following graduation, Zach joined the Minnesota Army National Guard while attending Ridgewater College. Zach lives in Carver and enjoys mountain biking, trail riding, fishing and most outdoor activities.

As our Manager of Safety and Training, Chris is responsible for improving the quality of safety, training and morale of current and future Advantage Coating employees. Chris has been with Advantage Coating since 2009 when he started as a part-time installer during high school and became a full-time employee in 2010. Chris joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 2012 and served four years in the infantry as a machine gunner before returning to Advantage Coating as a full-time installer in 2015. Chris was promoted to Crew Supervisor in 2018 and was hired as Manager of Safety and Training in 2022 where he brings extensive installer, crew and project management experience to this position. His new role has been designed to build, continually improve and direct Advantage Coating's safety culture by identifying and managing training and safety issues specific to the concrete floor coatings industry.

Chris grew up in Bloomington, MN, and went to Bloomington Kennedy High School. Chris and his wife, Melissa, have four children (Summer, Brooke, Brynlee and Levi) and live in Elko New Market, MN. In his free time, Chris enjoys watching hockey, going fishing and spending time together as a family.

Hallie has been with Advantage Coating since 2002 as the Office Manager. She is the first face you see if you stop in and voice you hear if you call. Hallie is the proud mom of a crazy 16 year old son.

Justy joined Advantage Coating in June 2016 and does social media, marketing, website enhancement and recruiting. Justy also assists the sales team with business leads on the Minnesota Builders Exchange.

Justy's previous work experience includes co-founding AviaNation.com and Placement Director for the University of North Dakota's John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences. Justy holds a Master of Arts in Counseling, Bachelor of Science in Social Work, and is a National Certified Counselor (NCC). Justy and her husband, Mark, and dog, Isis, live in Victoria, MN.