After 30 years, house fan company is staying cool

Jun 19, 2023

Tucked away in the warehouses on Patterson Brook Road in West Wareham, Tamarack Technologies has been making and selling products for 30 years. 

The company, started by venture capitalist Mark Bernfeld, sells whole house fans, an energy-saving technology that provides an alternative to air conditioning.

“That product really got Tamarack on the map,” said CEO John O’Connell. 

Whole house fans remove hot air from within the house and bring in fresh air from outside. 

“We were green before green was really a term,” said Vice President of Research and Development Nelson Warner. 

For almost as long as Tamarack has existed, Warner has worked for the company. 

Warner designed and patented Tamarack’s only fully unique product, the Perfect Balance. The Perfect Balance is a device installed into bedroom and bathroom doors to relieve air pressure and increase the performance of air systems, while still maintaining the door’s soundproofing quality. 

Warner said he designed the product on a plane trip, on the way back from a meeting with Lennar Corporation, who then immediately ordered the product. 

“It’s a simple basic piece of plastic that really does what it’s supposed to do,” Warner said, “and it’s a cost-effective, simple solution.”

Warner said the product also relieves mold issues in bathrooms, as most bathroom fans don’t perform well when the door is closed and air can’t flow. 

Tamarack Technologies has operated in four different locations, but always in Wareham. The company has been in its current location on Patterson Brook Road since 2014. 

In 2020, Tamarack acquired Battic Door, a product that helps seal attics. 

O’Connell said almost all of Tamarack’s 11 employees live in Wareham except for him and Warner, who live in Roslindale and Northbridge, respectively. 

Despite having to commute 120 miles a day, four days a week, Warner said he has stuck with the company because “it’s just a great environment” and “a great company all around.”

“I like everybody I work with,” Warner said. “Management’s always been five stars. They come to me with a need from a design standpoint and I try to meet that.”

“For 30 years, Tamarack has employed local residents and treated them fairly,” O’Connell said. “It’s good, dignified work.”