Windows of opportunity: Doug Canfield’s 40-year legacy at JELD-WEN

“I started at JELD-WEN when I was 20 years old. I’ve tried a lot of different jobs and enjoyed every single one of them, so I’ve continued my path here and made a career of it,” said Doug Canfield, senior learning and training manager. Doug began his career in Wisconsin, not knowing it would lead him to a variety of positions and take him to several different states.

In 2016, Doug moved to Illinois to open the Midwest Learning Center in Rantoul. He then moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, to work in the inspiration gallery in our corporate headquarters, leading training and receiving customers. Now, Doug works remotely, directing product training across North America. 

“When I started out, I was on the plant floor building windows,” Doug said. “Eventually, I came to work in the cycle counting program.” Doug and the cycle counting program team were successful and reduced stock inventory by a few million dollars. Following his time in cycle counting, Doug moved into glass planning and then engineering. 

Doug felt something urging him to change after many years in different positions. He took a leap of faith and applied for a home center representative position. He became a JELD-WEN representative for The Home Depot across two-thirds of Wisconsin, the upper peninsula of Michigan and the state of Minnesota. During his time here, he met an employee who asked if he would be interested in joining the corporate training group.  

After joining the corporate training group, Doug subsequently continued to move upward and is now the senior learning and training manager. 

“It’s very common that people hit a point in their career when they want to do something different, and JELD-WEN allowed me to do that without moving companies. I was able to move into other roles within the company, and each of my experiences made me better prepared for the next,” said Doug. 

Doug also provided insight into the evolution of JELD-WEN and new product innovation over his tenure here. “The progression of glass technology has been transformational – the energy efficiency capabilities of glass didn’t exist when I started,” said Doug. “Production machinery has also improved, leading to better efficiency in the plants.” 

Reflecting on acquisitions that now make up the JELD-WEN house of brands, Doug mentioned a revolutionary product expansion – “when we acquired LaCantina, we became a leader with our large wall system doors. The size and capabilities of LaCantina Doors is incredible.”

Doug has seen the company through a long period of its history, watching it grow and change. His advice to people early in their career is to constantly look for areas of growth within the company – “often, you don’t need to move elsewhere to find your next opportunity, JELD-WEN has a variety of departments and ways to get involved. Always be willing to stick your foot through the door. I have met so many people who have changed my trajectory and mentored me since I stuck my foot through the door all those years ago.” 

Invest in people is a JELD-WEN value to which Doug is wholeheartedly committed. To get to this stage in his career, others invested in Doug, and he invested in them. “Treating people the way you want to be treated creates a culture of respect and encourages people toward excellence,” Doug said.  

Doug looks forward to the future of JELD-WEN -- “there’s a concerted effort around improving culture and it’s important we always continue to make it better,” said Doug. Employees like Doug, who are pushing our culture forward and constantly seeking improvement, advance our business in the right direction every day.