Lennox International Inc. is an American provider of climate control products for the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) and refrigeration markets.[1] Based in Richardson, Texas, the company is 9.8% owned by John W. Norris, III, a descendant of DW Norris, who acquired the company in 1904. The company's largest production facilities are in Saltillo, Mexico, Marshalltown, Iowa, and Orangeburg, South Carolina.[1]
History
The company was founded in 1895, in Marshalltown, Iowa, by Dave Lennox, the owner of a machine repair business for railroads.[1] Inventors Ezra William Smith and Ernest Bryant brought their idea for a riveted steel coal-fired furnace to his machine shop to build parts for a prototype. In lieu of payment, Lennox accepted their patent, obtaining rights to the idea and founded the Lennox Furnace Co.[2]