Our Story
A simpler ceiling — designed by the guy who couldn't find one he liked, and built to go up over yours.
How CeilingConnex began
Years ago, Ryan Rusher was finishing his own basement and hit the same wall a lot of homeowners do: the ceiling.
A traditional drop ceiling meant giving up six inches or more of headroom, fighting with hanger wires, and ending up with a grid that looked like an office — not a home. Drywall meant sealing off every pipe, shut-off, and junction box he might need to reach later. Nothing fit the room, so Ryan built something that did.
As a mechanical engineer and product designer, he designed a ceiling grid that mounts straight to the joists — losing only about an inch of height — snaps together without wires, and still lets you pop out a tile to get at anything above. It worked in his basement. He figured it would work in everyone else's, and started selling it online.
For eight years, CeilingConnex was a nights-and-weekends business Ryan ran alongside a full-time day job — one room, one customer, one shipped box at a time. That patience is still in the product: it's made in the USA, backed for life, and simple enough that most rooms go up in a day or a weekend. CeilingConnex was Ryan's first company — and the know-how he built here is what later launched its sister brand, Dakota Tin.
What we make
CeilingConnex is a direct-mount PVC grid and 2'x2' Mission tiles that go up over basements, rec rooms, bathrooms, kitchens, and workshops. The grid holds the tile you want — ours or any standard drop-in — in white or black.
Order a complete kit, just the grid, or individual 92-inch components to match your exact room. No wires to twist, no special crew, and full access to everything above whenever you need it.
Built to be easy
The grid screws or staples right to the joists, the supports snap in by hand, and the tiles slide into place. Basic tools, clear guides, and a system designed so one person can finish a room without a second set of hands.
Stuck mid-project? You'll reach a real person in Yankton who has actually installed it.
The people behind it
Ryan is a product designer with a background in mechanical engineering — and the person who designed the CeilingConnex system in the first place. His thing is using smart manufacturing to make genuinely better, more affordable products for the people doing the work: homeowners, remodelers, and builders.
When he's not in the shop, he's in Yankton, South Dakota with his wife and two kids — at a ballgame, on the Missouri River, or (his words) nursing a weakness for competitive racing.
Who you'll talk to
CeilingConnex ships from the same shop as Dakota Tin, run by the same crew. No call center, no script — just people who can see your order on the bench and have answered the install question you're about to ask.
The voice on most calls and emails. With over a decade in customer care, Stephany runs the day-to-day and is who you'll work with on quotes, custom layouts, and bigger contractor orders. From one basement to a full job, she'll get you the right parts.
Ashley answers the phones, helps you figure out exactly what your room needs, and handles returns. If you call us, she's often the first person you'll talk to.
Behind them, Sandra, Carson, Blake, and Kyle build, pack, and ship your order out of Yankton, South Dakota. Same hands on every box — and the reason it shows up ready to install.
Start your ceiling
Browse complete kits, price your exact room with the quote tool, or just ask us — we answer fast.
