|EXHIBIT 31.1                                 
|---------------------------------------------
|CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO                    
|SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

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|I, Richard L. Bready, certify that:
|                                   
|1)                                  |  | I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of Nortek, Inc. for the period ended                
|                                    |  | July 5, 2003;                                                                                          
|                                   
|2)                                  |  | Based on my knowledge,  this report does not contain any untrue statement of a                         
|                                    |  | material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in               
|                                    |  | light of the  circumstances  under which such  statements  were made,  not  misleading                 
|                                    |  | with respect to the period  covered by this report;                                                    
|                                   
|3)                                  |  | Based on my  knowledge,  the  financial  statements,  and other  financial  information                
|                                    |  | included  in this
          report,  fairly present in all material respects the financial condition,  
|                                    |  | results of operations
         and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods            
|                                    |  | presented in this report;                                                                              
|                                   
|4)                                  |  | The  registrants  other  certifying  officers and I are  responsible  for  establishing  and          
|                                    |  | maintaining
         disclosure  controls  and  procedures  (as  defined  in  Exchange  Act Rules      
|                                    |  | 13a-15(e) and  15d-15(e)  for the
         registrant and have:                                        
|                                   
|                                    |  | (a)  Designed such  disclosure  controls and  procedures, or caused such disclosure controls           
|                                    |  | and procedures to
              be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material             
|                                    |  | information relating to the
              registrant,  including  its  consolidated  subsidiaries,  is 
|                                    |  | made known to us by others  within those
              entities, particularly during the period        
|                                    |  | in which this report is being prepared;                                                                
|                                   
|                                    |  | (b)  Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrants  disclosure  controls and procedures              
|                                    |  | and presented in this
              report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the              
|                                    |  | disclosure  controls and procedures,  as of the
              end of the period covered by this        
|                                    |  | report based on such evaluation; and                                                                   
|                                   
|                                    |  | (c)  Disclosed in this report any change in the  registrants  internal  control over                  
|                                    |  | financial  reporting that
              occurred  during the  registrants  most recent fiscal  quarter
|                                    |  | that has materially  affected,  or is
              reasonably likely to materially affect, the        
|                                    |  | registrants  internal control over financial  reporting;
              and                            
|                                   
|5)                                  |  | The registrants  other certifying  officers and I have disclosed,  based on our most                  
|                                    |  | recent evaluation of
         internal control over financial  reporting,  to the  registrants        
|                                    |  | auditors and the audit committee of the
         registrants board of directors (or persons           
|                                    |  | performing the equivalent function):                                                                   
|                                   
|                                    |  | (a)  All significant  deficiencies and material  weaknesses in the design or operation of              
|                                    |  | internal control
              over financial  reporting which are reasonably  likely to adversely     
|                                    |  | affect the  registrants  ability
              to record, process, summarize and report financial     
|                                    |  | information; and                                                                                       
|                                   
|                                    |  | (b)  Any  fraud,  whether  or not  material,  that  involves  management  or  other  employees         
|                                    |  | who have a
              significant role in the registrants internal control over financial          
|                                    |  | reporting.                                                                                             
|                                   
|                                   
|                                   
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|Dated:  August 18, 2003            
|                                   
|                                   
|                                    |  | /s/ Richard L. Bready                                                                                  
|                                    |  | Richard L. Bready                                                                                      
|                                    |  | Chairman and Chief Executive Officer                                                                   
|                                    |  | Nortek, Inc.