Centennial celebration Overhead Door™ reaches 100th birthday

The first Overhead Door™ opened in Detroit in 1921 — marking 100 years since its inventor, C.G. Johnson, created the modern-day convenience. The company has had a presence in Reading since the late 1930s. At the time, all distributors were corporately owned. Roy Owens, a native of the Pennsylvania Coal Region, purchased Overhead Door Company of Reading™ in 1965, making it independently owned for the first time.

A graduate of Syracuse University with a degree in communications, and a lieutenant commander in the United States Navy Reserve, Roy settled in Lincoln Park with his growing family. He worked for Atlantic Richfield as manager of maintenance for its gas stations. In 1965, Roy called Overhead Door Company of Reading™ to get garage doors repaired and discovered the business was for sale. It’s been owned by the Owens family ever since.

Roy firmly believed that honesty and work ethic were paramount to running a successful business. He strove to be fair and well respected by employees, customers and suppliers. And perhaps most importantly, he valued his relationship with the Berks County community.

Due to the success of Overhead Door Company of Reading™, Roy was able to complete the purchase of Overhead Door Company of Lancaster™ in 1968. Growth in Reading and Lancaster continued through Roy’s retirement and the transfer of the business to his three sons, Bill, Dave and Bob, in 1988. Overhead Door Company of Chester and Delaware Counties™ was Before

launched from scratch in 1993 and Overhead Door Company of Berwick™ was acquired in 2020.

Each branch of Overhead Door™ specializes in the installation and repair of residential, commercial and industrial garage doors. All are experts in retractable awnings, hollow metal doors, automatic entrance doors, loading dock equipment, rolling steel, fire doors, storefront grilles and much more.

The employees of Overhead Door™ are the key to its success. Their skill, expertise and professionalism have created an atmosphere in which the business can grow and expand, while establishing deep connections to communities that they operate in. Glenn Groff, Lancaster’s longest tenured employee, is soon retiring after 55 years on the job. It’s an incredible accomplishment and speaks to the importance of creating a family oriented working environment in which employees are treated with respect and given the opportunity to learn new skills. Overhead Door™ is lucky to employ people like Groff and is constantly on the lookout for others like him.

The future of Overhead Door Company of Reading™ and the construction industry in general is fascinating and complicated. Residentially, cell phone applications will allow homeowners to open and close their garage doors from anywhere at any time. In commercial and industrial fields, high-speed, high-tech doors will allow businesses to improve functionality in their warehouses and factories. Sophisticated fire doors will protect workers and prevent property damage. These types of advancements will improve the local infrastructure and upgrade quality of life.

But as the world changes rapidly, some things in business must stay the same. Namely, businesses must invest in building relationships within the communities they operate in. Businesses must treat customers and employees with kindness and respect and must be honest and sincere. Overhead Door Company of Reading™ believes that these practices have helped the business flourish in Reading for 57 years and believes that they will help the business flourish for 57 more. Berks County is an incredible place to live, work, and grow and Overhead Door™ couldn’t feel prouder and more excited to be a part of the community.