A Brief History of Our Company
In 1959, C.L. Woodruff bought a parcel of land on Illinois Route 59 just north of Route 56. He and his wife had been living in Chicago, and both worked at Western Electric on Cicero Avenue. Mr. Woodruff wanted to "buy some space", hoping to own his own business and work out of that property. In 1961 he began taking orders for storm windows and doors, buying most of his material from Warrenville Window in Warrenville and Wincheck Window in Winfield, Illinois. Surprisingly, on his first venture, he found a niche that he could fill. He began doing work not only for retail customers, but also for several builders, contractors, and apartment complexes in and around the western suburbs. As C. L. Woodruff Aluminum Products, the company grew, and eventually, "Woody" was able to leave his job as an inspector at Western Electric, and began working full time for himself.
In 1972, Rick Osborn, Mr. Woodruff's great nephew, began working for the company, and within three years time was managing the business for Mr. & Mrs. Woodruff. Also working for the company part-time was Joe Kozmic, the son of Mr. Woodruff's closest friend. Joe came to work full time for the company in 1979. Also joining the company in 1979 was Don Hoehn. Rick, Joe, and Don continue to operate the company today.
In 1976, Mr. Woodruff began construction of the building that the business operates out of today. There was at first a small office and shop with storage for stock. In 1993 the site was expanded to put in a showroom/office. Under the management of Mr. Osborn, the company has grown to serve the entire Chicagoland area, and even ships products to other states. The business was incorporated in 1978 as Woodruff Aluminum Products, Inc. We have survived 48 years in a business where dealers and distributors come and go at a frantic pace. Currently, our suppliers are among the most recognized names in the window and door industry, and the most reputable.
Our business has grown dramatically since those early days. Today, most of the product is vinyl, a fast-growing part of the window and door industry. In a recent Fenestration magazine article, the AAMA/MWWDA "sees vinyl surpassing the sales of wood windows by 1998, and leading the industry significantly by the year 2000". Woodruff Window and Door hopes to be there to serve the needs of the purchasers who want good quality products installed in their homes at a reasonable cost. Having just celebrated our 48th year operating out of the same property Mr. Woodruff bought in 1959 gives us a feeling of both pride and responsibility. We hope to honor Mr. And Mrs. Woodruff for many years to come.