ENERCO HISTORY

Van Dorn Iron Works

1872 Van Dorn Ironworks founded. Van Dorn is a Cleveland based company that later creates an Infrared Division in 1957

Gunther Schwank

1939 Infra-Red Heating (Radiant Technology) was invented in Germany by Gunther Schwank. First Patents Granted

Infrared heating elements

1950 First household Infrared heating appliance is develop by Schwank as a product to heat churches in Germany

Van Dorn Gas-Fire Infra-Red Heater catalog

1957 Infrared Technology License granted by Schwank GMBH to 2 Cleveland, Ohio companies: Perfection Stove and Van Dorn Ironworks Infrared Division

Perfection Stove oil burning products

1957 Perfection Stove licenses infrared technology from Gunther Schwank. Perfection founded in 1888 and key to US Industrial Growth based on its heating systems

Van Dorn Gas-Fire Infra-Red Heater Logo

1957 Van Dorn Ironworks licenses infrared technology from Gunther Schwank. Van Dorn, founded in 1872, continues to be a large, Cleveland based injection molding equipment manufacturer

1957 Van Dorn Infrared Division founded as a subsidiary of the Van Dorn Company of Cleveland as the first Infrared Heating provider in the United States

Robert N. Jones and Lory Jones

1973 Robert N. Jones (Bob), son of Van Dorn President/CEO Lory Jones, purchases Infrared Division from Van Dorn and renames it Energy Conservation Inc (Enerco)

1973 Newly named Enerco consists of 2 Divisions: Industrial & Process (sold using the Enerco name) and Retail (sold using the Mr. Heat-IR brand)

The Davies Can Company

1978 Bob Jones named President of Davies Can in Cleveland while also owning Energy Conservation Inc. (Enerco)

Mr. Heater original logo

1984 Al Haire (CEO/Majority Owner), John DuRoss (President), Frank Verchick (VP Mfg), and Stan Kuczek (VP Eng) purchase Enerco from Bob Jones and continue to run business out of the old Van Dorn Building on East 79th Street in Cleveland

1986 Enerco's Retail Division selling products under the name Mr. Heat-IR changed to the market leading brand name used today: Mr. Heater (based on Cleveland iconic brands Mr. Coffee and Mr. Gasket)

Buddy Heater

2000 Launch of Mr. Heater's first patented Buddy Heater which revolutionized the indoor/outdoor heating market

Western Outdoor Wholesale

2002 Enerco opens a west coast distribution facility in Portland, Oregon

2002 Enerco moves into current headquarters which include 110,000 square feet of warehouse

Heatstar by Enerco

2003 Enerco launches forced air propane and forced air kerosene construction heaters

Al Haire

2006 Enerco CEO, Al Haire, awarded prestigious Ernst & Young "Entrepreneur of the Year" Award in Cleveland

CFM Corporation

2008 Enerco acquires specific assets of CFM Corporation in Ontario, Canada including the brand name Dyna-Glow, Tag-a-Long, and Legacy


Hero Heater

2011 Enerco adds new 150,000 sqr foot distribution center in Bedford, Ohio

2011 Enerco launches BaseCamp Brand of camping products at the Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City

2011 Enerco launches the Worlds First Cordless Forced Air Heater "HERO"

DeWalt Heater

2013 Enerco licenses the DeWalt name to manufacture and market portable heating products to the Rental and Construction Market