Our History

PennBarry was formed in 2005 from some of the oldest fan companies in the United States to become a single source commercial and industrial ventilation product solutions provider. Bayley Fan, Penn Ventilation, Barry Blower, Industrial Air and Supreme Fan make PennBarry who we are today.

Bayley’s cumulative experience goes back over 125 years to the pioneering development of the centrifugal fans. Propelair, a leader in axial fans since the mid 1930s, purchased Bayley in the 1970s. Since then, Bayley included the combination of Bayley Blower and Propelair. Both were purchased by Lau Industries.

Penn Ventilation was founded in 1928. Its growth as a major supplier in its field coincided with the building boom that followed the end of World War II. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, as schools, hospitals, churches, shopping centers and industrial buildings sprouted up across the United States, ventilation equipment became more and more sophisticated, and Penn Ventilation came into demand in a majority of projects. As the leader of this then-tiny industry, Penn expanded into centrifugal roof and wall fans, propeller fans, inlet hoods and gravity ventilators.

The Barry Blower product line began in 1947 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. By the 1960s, the corporation had grown into a national OEM supplier for the HVAC industry. In 1994, Barry became a part of Lau Industries. Then, in 2003, Barry Blower was moved from Fridley, Minnesota to the Lebanon, Indiana plant.

Industrial Air, then called The Harvey P. Bertram Company, was founded in 1947 by Mr. Harvey P. Bertram. The company’s primary products were industrial grade propeller fans of all types in sizes up to 144” in diameter. In December of 1986, Industrial Air was purchased by Philips Industries Inc. to supply industrial fans as part of its Lau division. In 1990. Industrial Air was then moved to the Lebanon, Indiana plant in 1992.

Supreme Fan, a manufacturer of grease-removal and high-static industrial products, was developed in 1977. In 1988, the company was sold to National Air and then was acquired by Penn Ventilation. In 2001, Supreme Fan was relocated from Banning, California to the Lebanon plant.

We’re proud of our legacy and excited about our future!