Our history

At JELD-WEN, we are proud of our heritage. What started as a small Oregon millwork factory, has grown into a leading global designer, manufacturer and distributor of high-performance interior and exterior doors, windows, and related building products serving the new construction and repair and remodeling sectors. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., JELD-WEN now operates facilities in 16 countries in North America and Europe.

Milestone moments

From our founding in 1960, JELD-WEN’s leadership focused on growth. What started with 15 employees, JELD-WEN has grown to be a $4.5 billion company selling more than 25 million windows and doors annually.

ourcompany
1960

JELD-WEN is founded by Dick Wendt in Klamath Falls, Ore.

1962-wenco-charlotte-nc
1962

Opens first window assembly plant in Charlotte, N.C.

1969-cascade-forest-products
1969

Acquires its first company: Cascade Forest Products

1975-fiber-oregon
1975

Opens first fiber plant for molded doorskins manufactured from wood waste

1987-doorcraft-hammer-man
1986

Opens first interior flush door plant, DoorCraft

ponderosa-moulding-logo-chom
1988

Ventures into trim mouldings by acquiring Ponderosa Mouldings

1990-jeld-wen-canada
1990

Expands outside of U.S. with two locations in Canada

1993-jeld-wen-europe
1993

JELD-WEN expands into Europe                                

2000

Select JELD-WEN products are now available at U.S. big-box home improvement centers

2006-vest-wood
2006

Acquires Vest-Wood, including market-leading brands DANA and Swedoor

2015

JELD-WEN moves global headquarters to Charlotte, N.C.

2015-lacantina
2015

Acquires LaCantina Doors adding premium folding doors to U.S. product portfolio

2017-nyse
2017

JELD-WEN goes public through an Initial Public Offering on the New York Stock Exchange

2018-domoferm
2018

Acquires Domoferm in Austria adding steel frames and doors for commercial use to the product portfolio

2022-esg-targets
2022

JELD-WEN announces 2050 targets for sustainability and environmental impact

JELD-WEN was founded by Richard “Dick” Wendt, an entrepreneur who learned the art of managing a manufacturing company from his father, Lester Wendt. Lester was an executive at Caradco, an Iowa-based company with a long track record in manufacturing wooden windows and patio doors.

In 1957, 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 is an acronym for the names of the Wendt immediate family. “J” is for Jewel, Dick’s sister; “E” is for Evelyn, his mother; “L” is for Lester; and finally “D” for Dick. The “Wen” is a shortened version of Wendt.

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

Today, we employ more than 18,000 people across North America and Europe. Our products are offered under a global family of market-leading brands including JELD-WEN® (global), LaCANTINA® Doors (United States), VPI™ Quality Windows (United States), Swedoor® (Europe), and DANA® Doors (Europe).

The JELD-WEN story

COMPANY ORIGINS
Sustainably innovating since the beginning 

Discover why we are one of the world’s leading and largest manufacturers of high-quality, energy-efficient windows and doors.

We design, produce and distribute an extensive range of interior and exterior doors, windows, and related building products.

Who’s who: meet our dedicated management team and the board of directors who are driving the business forward.