Growing family traditions, one pine tree at a time
‘This recognition a testament to hard work and dedication’
March 2, 2026
RHINELANDER – Since his father, Keith White Sr., founded the company 24 years ago, current President/CEO Keith White Jr. said AirPro Fan & Blower has worked to be a good steward of the community.
“My heart is very much [in it] for Rhinelander to grow,” he said. “There’s a sense of community to what we do and who we are that I think is impossible to fake.”
After taking over for his father several years ago, White said he began establishing more programs to better promote Air Pro Fan & Blower – a company The Business News first featured in its March 4, 2024 Issue – and its philanthropic contribution to the Rhinelander community.
“Dad did it, somewhat, in a very quiet way – which I think is good and Christian, and I understand – but I decided I was going to just be more public about it… to draw attention to the nonprofit organizations that we’re wanting to support,” he said.
AirPro’s increasingly apparent sense of community dedication, White said, recently caught the attention of the Rhinelander Area Chamber of Commerce and won them its 2025 Business Excellence award.
“It’s pretty humbling,” he said. “We’re just trying to find any way we can to move things forward with the time we’ve got.”
As a profitable, community-based company, White said AirPro’s identity is and has been centered around local philanthropy.
“As a company, if we’re profitable, we should give back to our communities…,” he said. “[We’re] trying to be a little more public-facing about it to hopefully encourage other people to have that mindset – because I think that’s how you really build strong communities.”
Despite feeling honored to have won the Business Excellence award, White said recognition is not what motivates AirPro.
“I think the Rhinelander community has all kinds of potential,” he said. “I think the community can grow, and it’s poised to grow, and I want to be a voice for that and positive change.”
One way White said AirPro invests in the Rhinelander area is through workforce development and talent attraction to ensure it and other local companies can continue to grow in the Northwoods community.
“There are only so many people [in this area],” he said. “You can only get so many employees, [so] I thought, ‘Okay, that’s a pretty good sign that I need to actually put some investment here.”
Part of that, White said, simply involves being a “positive voice” – promoting Rhinelander as a place for businesses to build and families to grow.
“We’ve got a cool mascot, the Hodag,” he said. “I married my high school sweetheart and she’s from here; we moved back to our hometown and we’re raising our kids here – we’re all Hodags. It’s rewarding to be recognized by the community, [but] I think we just want to keep being a positive voice for the community.”
