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 companies quickly became global competitors 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.

Today, Broan-NuTone LLC leads the industry with forward-thinking residential ventilation products, customized climate, communications and storage solutions and superior customer service. Broan-NuTone is proud to acknowledge that over 80% of homeowners in the United States rely on one or more BROAN®, NuTone®, or BEST® products every day to provide them with superior indoor air quality and lifestyle conveniences. Headquartered in Hartford, Wisconsin, Broan-NuTone employs over 2,500 people in eight countries on five continents. Other manufacturing, marketing and sales locations include Ohio, California, Canada, Italy, Chile, Australia, Poland, China and Mexico.

Broan-NuTone’s inspiring heritage provides the foundation for its three global brands – BROAN®, NuTone® and BEST®. BROAN® is America’s leading brand of residential ventilation products including range hoods, ventilation fans, heater/fan/light combination units, balanced ventilation systems, whole-house fans and electric and solar-powered attic ventilators. NuTone® holds major market positions in door chimes, central vacuum systems, ironing centers, ceiling fans and ventilation fans. BEST® range hoods are the “Ultimate in Kitchen Ventilation” featuring state-of-the-art performance and Italian design.

Broan-NuTone is committed to developing revolutionary products that improve the indoor environment as well as implementing procedures to preserve the outdoor environment. Broan-NuTone offers a wide selection of products that help meet the requirements of all three major green building programs: ENERGY STAR®; U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Homes; and the National Association of Home Builder’s (NAHB) Model Green Home Building Guidelines.