JELD-WEN Windows and Doors Seeks Lighthouse in Need of Restoration
JELD-WEN celebrates National Preservation Month by expanding its historic restoration initiative nationwide

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. May 18, 2006 — A leading window and door company known for its promise of reliability is searching coast-to-coast for lighthouses in need. JELD-WEN is involved in the growing movement toward historic preservation by helping ensure that America’s treasured lighthouses receive the structural support they need to stand proudly for many years to come.

The JELD-WEN Reliable Lighthouse Restoration Initiative is designed to help preserve lighthouses with the latest in window and door technology to restore the original architecture of these striking buildings. The high-performance windows and doors are guaranteed to protect the lighthouse’s building envelope for many years under adverse weather conditions. JELD-WEN’s donation of building products and installation services also helps keep these historic buildings looking magnificent to the delight of visitors and communities alike. With approximately 153 million people living in or near a U.S. coastline, lighthouses are the perfect way for JELD-WEN to prove the reliability of its windows and doors, even in harsh coastal environments.  

To help save beloved lighthouses and re-energize their communities, JELD-WEN is seeking nominations for America’s next reliable lighthouse to receive new windows and doors, by launching a nationwide search now through Sept. 15. Details can be found at www.jeld-wen.com/lighthouse.   

“This JELD-WEN initiative directly supports historically important buildings, and showcases how our doors and windows are designed to perform exceptionally well in all climates, including harsh coastal conditions,” said Rod Clark, Architectural and Commercial Sales Manager at JELD-WEN.

Lighthouses are under a major threat of disrepair due to the lack of funding to maintain them. Many treasured community and maritime resources have fallen to the ravages of harsh weather, neglect and time. In 1915, more than 1,400 lighthouses marked the nation’s shores. Today about half that number remain, and only half of those are working lighthouses. Those that have been renovated and repaired often used inexpensive, flimsy materials that don’t hold up in severe conditions and detract from the unique architecture of these buildings.
 
Lighthouses Were Built to Save People – Now People Are Saving Lighthouses

JELD-WEN is inviting all lighthouse enthusiasts, owners and operators throughout the country to nominate their favorite lighthouse through Sept. 15, 2006. Respondents will be required to answer initial pre-screening questions via the JELD-WEN Web site, stating why their nominated lighthouses deserve new windows and doors. Finalists will be required to submit a more detailed proposal and may be asked to participate in an initial screening process. Later this summer the finalists will be posted on www.jeld-wen.com and lighthouse enthusiasts will be asked to vote for their favorite lighthouse. The winning entry will benefit from new windows and doors. 

About the Umpqua River Lighthouse Restoration

As a first test project in fall 2005, JELD-WEN replaced the windows and the entry door at the historic Umpqua River Lighthouse, located on Oregon’s southern coastline.  The 115-year-old lighthouse site, which attracts 400,000 tourists each year, was experiencing the damaging effects of exposure to severe coastal weather conditions.

Restoration efforts at the Umpqua River Lighthouse included replacing the front door and the windows — many of which were broken, leaking and threatening to cause greater damage to the building — using the latest wood window and fiberglass door technology.

 JELD-WEN products selected for the Umpqua River Lighthouse include custom pine wood windows built with AuraLast™ wood, guaranteed to prevent wood decay and insect damage for 20 years, and a JELD-WEN® Custom Fiberglass exterior door that looks like wood, yet is incredibly durable and strong. The shape of the transom over the door was designed by JELD-WEN after its experts studied historic drawings of the lighthouse.   

“Without companies like JELD-WEN Windows and Doors stepping forward and helping preserve the Umpqua River Lighthouse, more of Oregon’s history would have eventually been lost forever,” said Gaylyn Bradley, Umpqua River Lighthouse keeper.  

JELD-WEN, inc. is the world’s leading manufacturer of reliable windows and doors. Based in Klamath Falls, Ore., JELD-WEN began as a small Oregon millwork plant in 1960 and has grown into a company with nearly 150 divisions and more than 20,000 employees worldwide. JELD-WEN is the official window, door and millwork provider of the PGA TOUR and Champions Tour. JELD-WEN was the only window or door manufacturer to be named 2003 ENERGY STAR® “Partner of the Year” by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency. Eleven JELD-WEN product lines and all windows and doors constructed with AuraLast™ wood have earned the Good Housekeeping Seal. JELD-WEN® windows and doors have been honored by numerous consumer and industry publications. In 2005, JELD-WEN® Custom Fiberglass exterior doors received a Consumers Digest Best Buy rating.

For more information about the exceptional value and reliability of JELD-WEN products, or to find a dealer near you, please visit www.jeld-wen.com or call 800-877-9482 Ext. PR-036.