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Masonite International Corporation

A global maker of interior and exterior doors and door systems, Masonite supplies builders, home-improvement chains, and distributors for both new construction and remodeling. The company traces back to 1925, when engineer William H. Mason—a former apprentice of Thomas Edison—invented a process that blasts waste wood chips with steam to press them into dense boards, and the company took his name. Legend has it the breakthrough happened partly by accident when Mason left a press running during lunch and returned to find a tough, durable board.