About Vent-A-Hood^®

1933

The Vent-A-Hood story begins in Dallas, TX with the dream of effective and efficient residential range hoods. Back in the 20’s and 30’s, any attempt at kitchen ventilation was either very inefficient at capturing all of the smoke and grease or designed to work with a specific stove or hot plate. The Vent-A-Hood solution was a solution for any homeowner with the sole purpose capturing and removing kitchen cooking pollution.

1937

Carr Collins and his team receive their first patent for Kitchen Ventilation. The secret ingredient? Centrifugal force! They also graduate from a 250 square foot building with a dirt floor to their first factory in the heart of modern day Depp Ellum

1938

Carr Collins recruits his nephew, William Miles Woodall, Jr. to manage Vent-A-Hood. Miles Woodall, Jr. would build a manufacturing culture based on innovation and hard work, an ethic that has stood the test of time

1940

1940 would see the first patent on the centrifugal blower as well as the trademarking of the Vent-A-Hood name

1942

– Right as Vent-A-Hood starts to really grow, war breaks out. All manufacturers using “critical war materials”  (i.e. sheet metal) were under the control of the United States War Production Board. Vent-A-Hood switches to government contracts for electric fans for barrack and butter churns for use in producing gun powder.

1945

Vent-A-Hood patents the ductless hood. A popular concept at the time, Vent-A-Hood chooses to stay out of the ductless hood market. Mr Woodall is committed to producing products that meet the standards Vent-A-Hood has created and are capable of standing the test of time. This integrity to the product becomes a backbone for Vent-A-Hood when introducing new product.

1949

Vent-A-Hood has come out of the war and begins to benefit from all the GI’s coming home. They move into their 3^rd factory, now with over 30,000 square feet of manufacturing space.

1951

The Magic Lung breathes for the first time. The proprietary centrifugal blower patented back in 1940 is now trademarked as the Magic Lung. The Magic Lung becomes the heart of all Vent-A-Hood range hoods moving forward.

1952

The 50’s saw another huge challenge for Vent-A-Hood. On August 5^th, 1952, a fire breaks out in the shipping department shortly after closing for the day. Mr Woodall and a couple employees still in the office attempt to fight the fire with extinguishers but it quickly grows to a 3 alarm fire. The fire not only made headlines around Dallas, but it was the first major fire documented by local television stations. There were two major decisions that resulted from the fire. One was to close sales offices around the country to allow Vent-A-Hood to focus on the rest of its distribution network. Second was the decision to focus on the higher end product by eliminating lower end fan models.

These decisions profiled the business into a high end “niche” market company that remains as its core today.  Thus, the reputation as America’s “most respected name in home ventilation.”

1953

The 50’s begin the golden age of marketing. In order to take advantage of the increase in print media and make an impact, Vent-A-Hood introduces Greasy Gus. Named after then National Sales Manager, Gus Schaefer, Greasy Gus illustrates that a kitchen left alone with no ventilation will soon be coated in more than a gallon of grease per year.

The company also showed its products in small town parades, state fairs, and other local events.

1950's/1960's

Vent-A-Hood develops relationships with Hollywood and becomes a “go-to” product for both set designers and Hollywood elites.

1961

Although the factory was rebuilt after the 1952 fire, the growth Vent-A-Hood experienced in the late 50’s required larger production capacity. A brand new 100,000 square foot factory was built down the road in Richardson, TX. This new factory would become the home that Vent-A-Hood enjoys today.

1992

Miles Woodall, Jr’s oldest son, William “Skip” Woodall, III, assumes the role of President. Skip spent most of his life working in and around the factory for Vent-A-Hood earning a keen understanding of the inner workings of cooking ventilation.

1994

Miles Woodall, Jr gets inducted into the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) Hall of Fame.

2005

Vent-A-Hood adds 50,000 square feet to the Richardson, TX factory. The new addition would become home to a new press shop, showroom, and training center. The training center would become the new home for Vent-A-Hood University, an industry leading training program for distributor partners and dealers all across North America.

2019

Skip Woodall joins his father by being inducted into the National Kitchen & Bath Association Hall of Fame for his contributions to the kitchen and bath industry

Beyond

Vent-A-Hood continues its commitment to quality and innovation by remaining a family owned, Made in the US company.