Company Profile - Dittmer Architectural Aluminum


	Our History

Being the most specified extruded aluminum walkway cover manufacturer in the nation today didn’t come easy. It started in 1950 when the company was founded by Walt Dittmer, Sr. Walt, of German ancestry, arrived in the United States in 1925. After a few years in New York, he moved his family and German qualities to Central Florida. In 1957 he was joined in business by his two sons, Walt, Jr. and Ted. The company at that time manufactured and installed a variety of canvas awnings and associated products. After the death of Walt, Sr. In 1966, his oldest son Walt, Jr. stepped forward to continue and improve the current business.

In 1961, Walt Dittmer, Jr., developed an internal draining, interlocking extruded aluminum deck system. This deck system would be unlike it’s roll-formed counterpart. It would be extruded with a minimum .060 wall thickness and withstand hurricane winds, hail and being walked upon. It would fasten onto heli-arc welded tubular frames and drain internally through common weepholes at the column’s base. This system became the product of choice for a local architect who wanted to specify the Dittmer system, but insisted that he needed a model name. With time becoming short, the architect finally said " I don’t care if you call it Ditt-Deck!" and thus the name was born.

As the extruded walkway cover industry began to prosper, so did the need for fabrication room. In 1971 the company purchased an 8,000 square foot building 20 miles north of Orlando in Winter Springs. The original building has been expanded three times to the now 30,000 square foot facility. The outside showcases many of our specialty products from louver systems , overhead canopies , carports , aluminum and acrylic walkway covers to artistic sculpture. The inside is a highly efficient facility and houses extrusions from over 200 custom designed dies.

Through the years we have evolved from pencil drawings to CAD generated drawings utilizing the latest AutoCad drafting technology. The Dittmer team remains the leader in providing innovative and quality aluminum structures throughout the world. In your travels you can see over 2800 Ditt-Deck and Ditt-Dome projects from Alaska to Hawaii to Russia.

With our specially designed trucks and trailers, delivery and installation of your project is no problem. Along with our factory trained crews, D.A.A holds a Florida Specialty Structure contractor license and guarantees quality workmanship that it challenges others to equal.

It continues today, to be a family owned company, dedicated to preserving the quality and pride of the industry. Walt, Jr. is joined by his wife, children and 30 additional team members, many of which have 20 plus years with the company. Walt's son, Dana Callan, has been with the company since 1971 and over the ensuing years has learned through experience. He rose through the ranks from years of fabrication and installation to drafting, shop management and now sales and design. Today we look forward to the next generation with Dana taking over the reins as president. We continue to celebrate our longevity and strive to remain the leader in the extruded aluminum walkway cover industry. We look forward to meeting your needs now and in the future.

1-800-822-1755