About
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.
Today JELD-WEN employs approximately 21,000 people worldwide and has manufacturing, distribution and showroom locations across the United States and in 24 countries, located primarily in North America and Europe.
Environmental mission and strategy (ESG)
JELD-WEN offers a variety of products that can meet many local green building provisions and which may contribute to a project’s certification under nationally recognized programs. JELD-WEN products can be integrated into commercial projects pursuing certification by the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED rating system, or the Green Building Initiative’s Green Globes standard, as well as residential single or multi-family projects certified to the National Green Building Standard.
Trust JELD-WEN to Assist you in Meeting your Sustainable Construction Objectives
- CARB-Compliant products
- No Added Formaldehyde (NAF) Interior Doors
- Products recognized by the NAHB Research Center for acceptance by the National Green Building Standard
- FSC or SFI Certified Wood Windows and Doors
- Reclaimed and recycled content
- Regionally produced products
- Durable, long-lasting products
- Wide array of energy efficient options
