Whirlwind Manufacturing Inc was founded in Houston, Texas, in 1955 by the Sturdivant family. Originally a manufacturer of whole-house attic fans, by 1961 Whirlwind had expanded into the manufacture and sale of metal building components, including panels, secondary structural framing, and trim. In 1966, seeing the growing demand for metal buildings, The Sturdivant family hired their first structural engineer to begin the design, manufacture, and selling of pre-engineered building systems in addition to the component parts. The addition of professional draftsmen and experienced customer service representatives added to the consistently increasing quality of the products produced by Whirlwind Steel.