Overhead Door Company

Where the company started, and who they are today.

In 1921, the founder of the Overhead Door Company, C. G. Johnson, invented the upward lifting door. A few years later, in 1926, he invented the garage door opener. This was the birth of an industry. Since then, Overhead Door Company has grown a network of over 450 local branches. At these branches, the company installs and repairs residential garage doors. In addition to the residential market, many local branches have commercial departments that sell and service commercial doors and dock equipment. In 1996, Overhead Door Company was sold to Tokyo-based Sanwa Holdings.

The Doors

Overhead Door Company produces a line of quality garage doors with a lot of variety. I also see many Overhead Door Dealers, like us, that supply several different product lines. There is a real up side to this because I have never seen one door manufacturer that has the best door for every application. For instance, when it comes to a steel carriage door I think that the Amarr Classica is the king of the hill. It has so many styles and color options that it’s hard to compete against….. that’s why we sell them. Another instance is energy efficient garage doors. Haas Door Company sells a high R-Value garage door that, in my opinion, tops the market for price value and quality.

The Openers

Sanwa Holdings has also ventured into the garage door opener market and acquired Genie Garage Door Openers. That’s why most of the garage door openers installed by Overhead Door dealers are rebrands of Genie Professional Models. Frankly, I’m not a huge fan of the Genie brand and many of their products. However, the Genie product line that is sold at Overhead Door Company locations are professional models that are of much higher quality than the low grade Genie openers sold at Home Stores. The gap missing from the Genie rebrand is no availability of residential jackshaft motors. That’s why our company offers the Liftmaster line of openers. Liftmaster has much more variety and innovation in it’s product offering that Genie just doesn’t measure up to.

Repairs & Maintenance

The best thing about the Overhead Door Company is that they have kept their parts offerings mostly traditional. What makes this advantageous is that standard parts are easy to obtain from many sources. Unlike companies such as Wayne Dalton, Overhead Door Company employs the use of standard torsion spring systems and hinges. These systems can be repaired by a skilled Do It Yourselfer or the most available garage door dealer. This allows customers to shop for the best repair deals available.