OUR HISTORY
In 1939, R. Felton Christian opened Christian Hardware in downtown Athens. Nestled in the shadows of the University of Georgia and among sprawling agricultural lands, the store supplied local farmers and tradesmen with the necessary items to maintain their enterprises. High demand and success led Mr. Christian to open stores in the nearby towns of Commerce and Madison.
Christian Hardware maintained a full inventory of roofing supplies – shingles, nails, felt, and tools. Word traveled among the community that this was the place to get everything needed to reroof a barn or a house. As the university grew and the residential population increased, members of the community found themselves with less time to dedicate to maintaining their own properties. Christian Hardware then began sending their own crews out with supplies to repair and replace worn roofs in the Northeast Georgia area. This was the beginning of Christian Roofing – a much-needed offshoot of Christian Hardware.
In 1983, Mr. Christian’s son-in-law, Robert Venable, joined him in the business. A few years later, Morris Communication Corporation purchased the Christian Hardware building and surrounding land from Felton Christian to build what is now the headquarters of the Athens Banner Herald Newspaper. The traditional Christian Hardware stores were liquidated and the roofing and remodeling business that was operating from within the organization blossomed in full.
When Mr. Christian retired, Mr. Venable took over what is now Christian Roofing and Remodeling. The business moved its offices to Lexington Road in Athens and began answering calls for home remodels and room additions, along with the traditional calls for roofing. In 1994, after almost 15 years of continued growth in the Athens and Northeast Georgia area, Mr. Robert Venable decided to retire. It was then that Frank Zehna returned to the home of his alma mater to take over the business. Over the course of the next 24 years, Frank continued to expand the business. He earned many awards and accolades throughout his tenure, including being named to the Bulldog 100 in 2011 and again in 2012, and being recognized by Remodeling Magazine as one of the "Big 50." In 2017, Kevin Cash, a CRR employee of over eleven years, stepped into the role of President and Owner. Kevin continues the eighty-year-old tradition of providing Athens and the surrounding areas with quality craftsmanship and the latest in home building technology.
The offices of Christian Roofing and Remodeling are now located on Collins Industrial Boulevard in Athens. Over the years, the business has evolved from a hardware store to a roofing supplier, to roofing contractor, to full-service home remodeling. Christian Roofing and Remodeling is proud to have been voted Athens’ best roofing and remodeling company, backed by eight decades of experience and dedicated service to the community.
Celebrating 80 years of serving the Athens area!