Company
Overview
In
the midst of the Great Depression, two aggressive young men emerged
with two new products that would make major contributions to the
housing industry. In 1932, Henry Broan developed and manufactured
a kitchen fan called the Motordor® Fan that provided quiet
and efficient kitchen ventilation. His creation launched what
is today known as Broan-NuTone LLC. Four years later, in 1936,
J. Ralph Corbett developed a melodious door chime replacing the
obnoxious door buzzer of the time. His development launched what
is today known as NuTone, Inc.
Both
men, headquartered in the Midwest, started their companies with
a simple product and a few employees. Each expanded their companies,
creating revolutionary new products that provided unmatched conveniences
for homeowners nationwide. Both quickly became global companies
and continued to provide innovative, superior products to meet
the needs of consumers.
In
1981, Broan Mfg. Co., Inc. was acquired by Nortek, Inc. and became
the lead company of Nortek's Residential Building Products Group,
which was named the Broan Group.
During
this same time period, NuTone was sold to Scovill Manufacturing
in 1967 and was then acquired by Williams plc in 1991. In 1998,
Nortek acquired NuTone, adding it to the Broan Group and renaming
the group the Broan-NuTone Group. Then, in January 2000, Broan
Mfg. Co., Inc. became Broan-NuTone LLC, with NuTone Inc., Aubrey
Manufacturing, Inc. and Rangaire LP as subsidiaries.
Today,
the Broan-NuTone Group is headquartered in Hartford, Wis. and
employs more than 3,200 people in six countries on three continents.
It is North America's largest producer of residential ventilation
products such as range hoods, ventilation fans and indoor air
quality products and also holds major market positions in chimes,
central vacuums, intercom systems, medicine cabinets, built-in
electric heaters, whole-house fans, attic ventilators, paddle
fans, ironing centers, trash compactors and speakers.
Broan-NuTone
also manufactures private-label products for Sears, Whirlpool,
GE and other appliance leaders.
Broan®
and NuTone® products are distributed through major retailers
including Home Depot, Lowes and Menards, as well as lumberyards,
independent co-ops, mass merchants, leading electrical and HVAC
distributors and hardware stores throughout the United States
and Canada. Most recently, the Broan brand has been introduced
to the European marketplace.
