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Private company

CaptiveAire Systems

American ventilation system manufacturer

CaptiveAire Systems is a privately held manufacturer of commercial kitchen ventilation systems in the U.S. along with heaters, fans, and HVAC equipment. The company, founded by Robert L. Luddy in 1976, is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina. Since its inception, the company has expanded from fire suppression to a variety of products including exhaust, pollution control, fire suppression and prevention, HVAC, and utility distribution.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1976Founded1
  • HeadquartersRaleigh1

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CaptiveAire Systems is a privately held manufacturer of commercial kitchen ventilation systems in the U.S. along with heaters, fans, and HVAC equipment. The company, founded by Robert L. Luddy in 1976, is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina. Since its inception, the company has expanded from fire suppression to a variety of products including exhaust, pollution control, fire suppression and prevention, HVAC, and utility distribution.2

The story

In November 1976, Robert L. Luddy started Atlantic Fire Systems, which sold automatic dry chemical fire systems to restaurants and industry.

In 1978, Ben Maynard, suggested to Luddy that he open a sheet metal shop to manufacture ventilation hoods and integrate the fire system.

In 1981, a separate company was formed for the ventilation business with the name “CaptiveAire". The company has continued to expand, acquiring several ventilation companies in order to expand its product line. In 2017, CaptiveAire entered the HVAC market with the release of a dedicated outdoor air system.

From Wikipedia’s article on CaptiveAire Systems, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Products and brands

CaptiveAire has over 1,300 employees in its network of over one hundred sales offices in the U.S. and Canada and six manufacturing plants located in North Carolina, Iowa, Oklahoma, California, Pennsylvania, and Florida.

From Wikipedia’s article on CaptiveAire Systems, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Timeline

  1. 1976Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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