IMPERIAL RANGE HOODS

Imperial Cal. Products, Inc. is a prime example of entrepreneurialism at it’s best! The year was 1961 when Frank Flentye started his fledgling company, Frank C. Flentye Associates which later became Imperial Cal. Products, Inc. Frank began making economy range hoods from his San Fernando Valley, CA garage. Frank was a one-man show, going door to door to sell his product. He would then return home to make and fill the orders.

In 1962 Frank hired Dick Mancinelli, now VP of Production. The company started out in Van Nuys, CA, in a tiny building of about 1000 square feet. With Frank, Dick and a few part-time college students, the company was able to crank out about 500 economy hoods a month. Soon the demand for quality high-end models was exceeding our manufacturing abilities of the smaller, economic range hoods. Frank and his employees began hand-crafting a number of high-end models and styles. Frank was a prolific designer and Dick was hard pressed to keep up with him. More product demand meant more space and a larger work force. In 1973, after 10 years in the San Fernando Valley/Burbank area, the company moved to Orange County. The company moved everything and everyone into an impressive new 35,000 square foot plant in Brea, California. It is here that approximately 900 variations of the nine different groups/styles of range hoods are produced by 35 employees. The increase in the demand for Imperial products is due to a number of factors, our emphasis on quality, performance, and customer service. Since it’s inception, there has been a steady growth.

In 2006, Frank Flentye turned the company over to his employees. Imperial has an ESOP program where the employees enjoy ownership in the company along with the pride of watching Imperial expand. Although, once exclusively based in Southern California, the company is now represented Nationwide and Canada. From our humble beginnings in a San Fernando Valley garage to our 35,000 square foot modern facility in Brea, Imperial still provides exceptional craftsmanship with top-notch customer service.