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Our 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.

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, Europe and Australia.

JELD-WEN entered the European market in 1993. Since then JELD-WEN has grown to encompass brands across the continent. In the UK, the JELD-WEN brand has been in existence since 1999 when it replaced Rugby Joinery, formerly the John Carr and Boulton and Paul businesses.

Our factories in Sheffield and Penrith have extensive experience spanning many decades, in manufacturing doors, doorkits and doorsets to customers across the UK. 

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