Dick Wendt of Jeld Wen passes away — We lose great humanitarian

Oregon humanitarian Richard “Dick” Wendt died Saturday at the Oregon HealtH Science University in Portland at the age of 79.

The Herald and News Reports:
“Wendt founded Jeld-Wen, Inc., on Nov. 1, 1960. That first company operation was located in the old frame factory and had 15 employees. Window and door frames and cutstock were the first products.Jeld-Wen has since become Oregon’s largest privately held company, reportedly owning more than 150 businesses world-wide, including door and window manufacturers and distributors, golf course and resort development companies, and insurance, advertising and real estate divisions. Before the recent economic recession, the company reportedly had 20,000 employees worldwide, including 3,500 in Oregon and 1,200 in the Klamath Basin. More recently, Wendt created JWTR, which owns hundreds of thousands of acres of private timberlands.”

Dick Wendt of Jeld Wen will be greatly missed.