This centrifugal belt-drive upblast ventilator is designed for use in restaurants, schools, and commercial and industrial applications to exhaust contaminated air from kitchen range hoods up and away from the roof. Its 1-pc. rolled aluminum windband is fully welded to the base to create a virtually leakproof seal between the ventilator and the mounting surface. Internal steel support braces and a fully rolled windband dramatically increase the rigidity of the ventilator for greater stability during transport and installation. Motor, drive frame, and wheel are isolated from the mounting base by independent neoprene studs no metal-to-metal contact, greatly reducing overall noise. The motor compartment is isolated from the contaminated air stream and is cooled by outside air that is pulled in through an oversized breather tube by the spinning action of the wheel.