Our Company
Over Four Decades of Experience
In 1963, the Kaake's founded Westwind Sheet Metal to provide installation services to Calgary. There was a demand for Sheet Metal installation and the company was rather successful. In 1964, Westwind was moved to the basement of Norm Kaake's house. At that time, Western Ventilation Products Ltd. was founded out of the need for reliable delivery dates from suppliers for gravity ventilators and louvers.
The Kaake's did not have a lot of extra money to invest in the company, so using their own ingenuity they built most of their own machinery. For example, they used a rear-end portion of an old 54' Ford to make a spinning machine to manufacture gravity ventilators.
As the company continued to expand, it was necessary to move out of the basement and into a larger space. Westwind and Westvent moved to the Rex Theatre in Bowness in 1967 and operated there until 1974. At that point, the recession was starting to hit and Westwind was shut down. The Kaake's believed in Westvent though, and that company continued forward.
In 1975, the Bowness Theatre was sold and Westvent moved to an 11th St S.E location until around 1978. Westvent then moved to a 9th Ave East location near the historic King Edward Hotel. The building had no heat, yet the staff at Westvent worked through the winter.
Soon afterwards, a few bays of an industrial condo building were purchased in the McCall Lake Industrial Park and Westvent moved there in 1980. From 1980 onwards, Westvent expanded its business and worked on a number of prestigious jobs including Bankers Hall in Calgary, the Calgary Courthouse, and many successful Oil Sands jobs including Nexen Long Lake and Petro-Canada McKay River.
In 2008, the business changed hands but the philosophy has remained the same; Westvent manufactures only the highest quality products for the commercial and industrial HVAC industry.
Continuous Improvement
Our fabrication methods have steadily improved. Westvent now fabricates products from a variety of materials including: extruded aluminum, stainless steel and formed metal. Virtually all of our products are all-welded construction, and this sets our products apart from the rest of the industry.
Extensive Product Line
Since 1964, Westvent has developed one of the most comprehensive lines of architectural/mechanical louvers, dampers, backdraft dampers, combination products, ventilation hoods, penthouses, curbs and complimentary accessories available in the industry.
Expanding Market
Westvent's complete product line is available across Canada and the United States through our agents and distributors. We take pride in seeing our products integrated in some of the most prominent structures and complex industrial applications across North America. If you are unsure who the representative is in your area, call Westvent directly.