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About JELD-WEN

Since 1960, when JELD-WEN began with one Oregon millwork plant, they've been dedicated to crafting reliable windows and doors. Today you can see, touch and feel reliability in their beautiful windows and doors because of their durability, energy efficiency and worry-free performance. JELD-WEN has built its reputation as the world’s most reliable manufacturer of windows and doors. Today the company offers a full breadth of stylish windows and doors, and has earned numerous awards and endorsements for dependability, innovation and excellence. With a strong commitment to sustainability, JELD-WEN also is a recognized leader in manufacturing energy efficient products - providing solutions that deliver exceptional value for builders, architects and homeowners all over the globe.

They measure their success by the relationships they build with their customers, suppliers and communities where their people live and work. They've partnered with organizations such as the Green Building Initiative, which accelerates green building practices by promoting environmentally progressive approaches that are practical, affordable and accessible.

Another way they fulfill their commitment to the communities where they operate, is through the JELD-WEN Foundation. They are proud to be the official window, door and millwork provider of the PGA TOUR, and Proud Partner of THE PLAYERS.

JELD-WEN was named a 2010 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year — the highest award designation presented to participating companies and organizations by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The award signifies outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through energy efficiency and is presented to only a handful of 17,000 organizations that participate in the program each year.

Winning the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year takes a company-wide commitment to energy conservation excellence. This year’s entrants were judged on a detailed list of criteria, including volume of qualified products, promotion of the ENERGY STAR program, education of employees and customers, and overall commitment to energy savings.

Quality You Can Count On

JELD-WEN creates windows and doors to meet nearly every performance requirement and design preference. Rain or shine, JELD-WEN windows and doors protect and beautify your home to bring you lasting value and peace of mind. JELD-WEN windows and doors meet nearly every performance requirement, residential or commercial, and come in a wide variety of design options, from Art Deco to Victorian.

ENERGY STAR

Many JELD-WEN windows and doors are ENERGY STAR® qualified, which means they exceed the minimum energy efficiency criteria for the climate region you live in. Replacing old, single pane windows with ENERGY STAR qualified windows from JELD-WEN can save an average of $295 in heating and cooling costs each year*. This reduces greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to leaving your car at home for 70 days or planting 29 trees. JELD-WEN has been an ENERGY STAR partner since 1998 and is a 2010 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year in the U.S. and received a 2010 ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award in Canada.

Partnerships in Building Certification

JELD-WEN is proud to be a board-level member of the Green Building Initiative (GBI) and voting member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). GBI administers the Green Globes commercial green rating system in the United States, which was approved as a standard by the American National Standards Institute in March 2010. GBI also worked on development of the National Green Building Standard for residential construction, which was approved in 2009.

JELD-WEN products have been used in a multitude of LEED certified projects in the U.S.. Ask for the no-added formaldehyde option on JELD-WEN wood composite interior doors and look for the SCS certification for recycled wood fiber content in JELD-WEN wood composite interior doors and fiberglass doors. Select Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®)-certified wood option on wood windows and patio doors to help earn certified wood credits. There are many ways JELD-WEN products can help you reduce your home or project's impact on the environment.

Product Performance

The American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) and the Window and Door Manufacturers Association (WDMA) have certified many JELD-WEN windows and patio doors. In addition, their exterior doors are certified through the National Accreditation and Management Institute (NAMI). These certifications are proof that JELD-WEN products meet important standards for performance and energy efficiency.

History

JELD-WEN was founded by Richard “Dick“ Wendt, an entrepreneur at heart, who learned the art of managing a manufacturing company under the tutelage of his father, Caradco executive Lester Wendt. In 1957, Iowa-based Caradco sent Dick to Oregon to help run the company’s millwork plant in Klamath Falls. Caradco decided to sell the plant at auction. Dick and four business partners, Larry Wetter, John Biehn, Gerry Wickersham, and Bill Taylor bought many of the assets on October 25, 1960 and named the new company JELD-WEN. The name JELD-WEN had already been in use for a number of years by the Wendt family; in the 1930s Lester Wendt bought a small farm outside of Dubuque, Iowa, as a family retreat. After holding a family contest to name the farm, Dick’s cousin Jeanette Coughlin thought of the name JELD-WEN, an acronym for the names of Dick’s immediate family, and a shortened version of Wendt.

With just 15 employees, JELD-WEN quickly gained the reputation of producing a reliable product. After just two years, JELD-WEN became successful enough to begin acquiring new manufacturing facilities and expand its product offering.

One secret of the initial success of JELD-WEN was the company’s resourcefulness and deliberate decision to use for a high-value purpose every last bit of raw resource that entered its doors, a philosophy that still stands true today.

While the company looked for new business ventures to advance the company, it also was committed to investing in the local community. In 1969, the JELD-WEN Foundation was established. The JELD-WEN Foundation was and continues to be dedicated to providing financial assistance through grants, scholarships, and matching JELD-WEN employees’ voluntary United Way donations.

The next thirty years would be a time of rapid expansion and growth. JELD-WEN invested in real estate ventures and title insurance services, and added more product categories such as interior doors, exterior steel doors and vinyl windows. JELD-WEN’s first overseas acquisition was Norma Doors in San Leonardo, Spain in 1992. The next eight years were highlighted by numerous acquisitions or start-ups outside the US including those in UK/Europe, Australia, Asia, Canada, and Mexico.

Today JELD-WEN employs more than 20,000 people worldwide and has manufacturing and distribution locations across the United States and in more than 20 countries.

*Statement is from the U.S. Department of Energy - ENERGY STAR Qualified Windows 2010 Partner Resource Guide