
March 4, 2024
RHINELANDER – For more than two decades, AirPro Fan & Blower Company has thrived by surviving on air.
Founding members Keith White Sr., Marty Mathews and Jim Pierce started AirPro in Rhinelander in 2002 to create good jobs and a sustainable business in their hometown.
Since, under the leadership of Keith Sr., the machinery manufacturer has regularly posted double-digit growth while striving to be true to its vision of quality and reliability for customers, vendors, colleagues and community.
“When people ask me what we do, I tell them we make big metal machines that move air,” Keith White Jr., who succeeded his father as president in July 2023, said. “But it’s a much higher vision in my head than just making the best fans. Our culture is built on the foundation of putting the needs of the customer above those of our own. The industrial air products we manufacture and services we provide have a direct impact on their business operations and ability to be profitable. We sell trust, and that’s become a hallmark of who we are.”
After several years of 10% annual growth, White said AirPro caught a massive tailwind in 2021, with a 40% increase in revenues.
That, he said, was followed by an additional 35% in 2022 and 25% in 2023.
White said this evolution has propelled AirPro into a position where it has become one of the largest employers in the area.
Over the past two years, he said the number of employees has doubled to 130 as it has expanded to three plants in and around Rhinelander.
“My goal is to continue to grow,” White said. “I want to keep what got us to where we are today and continue to trust the process. It’s either the people driving it forward, or you’re going the wrong way.”
Jeff Verdoorn, executive director of the Oneida County Economic Development Corporation, called AirPro an “exceptional manufacturing company” with a deep commitment to its employees and community.
“Their products and services are customized for each application by some of the world’s best air movement engineers and technicians,” he said. “They also operate in an environment that values their employees by keeping them safe while delivering their custom solutions.”
What does AirPro do/offer?
White said AirPro’s growth is happening in a niche industry – focused on large manufacturing clients worldwide.
It designs, builds, delivers and helps install heavy-duty centrifugal fans and blowers along with providing service, retrofits and repairs in the field, regardless of manufacturer.
Products include a mix of industrial fans and blowers for industries specializing in everything from steel and paper manufacturing to energy and petrochemical, to consumer and industrial products and food processing.
“Our customers depend on us to keep their operations going,” White said. That means a lot to us, and it’s a big responsibility.”
He said products are developed and designed using the latest computer modeling software – built by qualified fabricators and tested to the industry standards in a new onsite facility.
“We don’t simply design and build fans and blowers,” he said. “We customize our products for and with customers across industries nationally and around the world.”
Verdoorn, who previously served as vice president of operations for Expera Specialty Solutions, said “I have firsthand knowledge of (AirPro’s) craftsmanship.”
“It manufactured a large custom blower that was the heart of a $15-million silicone coater expansion at the Rhinelander paper mill while I was there,” he said.
Northwoods pride
AirPro and Rhinelander, White said, are bound together as tightly as oxygen and nitrogen.
Keith Sr., who was originally from North Carolina, vacationed in the Northwoods as a young child.
Keith Sr. moved to Rhinelander with his family at age 12 when his father, Ken, became pastor of a church which, coincidentally or not, is located next door to the AirPro’s modern-day headquarters on West Davenport Street.
After graduating with a degree in engineering from the University of Minnesota, White said his father worked for various industrial manufacturers but always had an eye on starting his own company in Rhinelander.
“It came down to him wanting to live and raise his family here,” he said. “He knew the equipment and the industry and the decision to locate here was simple. He loves Rhinelander.”
In a company blog post, Keith Sr. elaborated on that decision.
White said the company started modestly, but soon became known for the quality of its products and customer service.
Soon, he said his father was looking for expansion possibilities and, without really having a defined business plan, found himself the winning bidder at a sheriff sale for a piece of industrial property on Rhinelander’s north side – a few miles from his original location.
“He didn’t even know the whole procedure, or how he was going to pay for the plant, but he needed the building’s overhead crane space to fill a large order,” White said.
Within minutes of being named the successful bidder, White said his father was approached by a private individual who wanted to purchase 40 acres of industrial land that, unbeknownst to him, was included in the sale – that financed about 20% of the deal.
Steady expansion at that plant, he said, was followed by the purchase of the former Wisconsin Public Service headquarters on West Davenport Street in 2014 – it is now home to administrative offices, the new testing facility and some manufacturing.
In 2022, White said AirPro purchased a third facility, adding 25,000 square feet of space to receive materials, prepare steel and stage parts for fabrication.
The growth and expansions drew the interest of investors, White said, and he said his father found himself regularly fending off offers to purchase the business – which likely would have resulted in a move out of Rhinelander.
“He was never tempted, he was annoyed,” he said. “Money is not a significant motivator to him. Each time he dug his roots down more, creating a culture of commitment to our community, customer satisfaction and employees.”
Instead, in 2016 AirPro became 100% employee-owned, a step White said he partially credits for the exponential growth that followed.
“Dad always maintained he didn’t start AirPro as a way to get rich,” he said. “Instead, he started it so he could apply his expertise in the interest of creating good jobs for the community and good products for customers. From that perspective, an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) was a natural step.”
The move to an ESOP, White said, was both strategic and cultural.
“Our retention rate is high, yet we stay busy recruiting constantly,” he said. “We draw the best and brightest engineers, welders, machinists and more from within the Northwoods region and beyond.”
White said those expansions and employee programs were key to AirPro’s initiative, launched in 2020 – achieve near-perfect on-time delivery and significantly reduce manufacturing lead times.
“We knew this was something that could set us apart,” he said. “Supply chain dysfunctions and delays seem to have become the new normal for most manufacturers. What if we just did it better?”
White said he assumed the role of president in July 2023, following a succession plan put in place years earlier.
Pierce retired in 2013, leaving Mathews as the lone remaining full-time employee who was with the business at its inception.
White said Mathews retains a significant role as the company’s executive vice president.
White said his father has moved closer to retirement in the role of chief executive officer focused on board oversight.
“After the last few years, which have been both the most challenging and the most successful, I knew it was time to hand over the keys,” Keith Sr. said. “I did what I set out to do in starting a company that would create good jobs in Rhinelander, lasting support for our community and reliable, innovative solutions for customers. Twenty-plus years later, we’re strong, stable and ready for what’s next.”
Verdoorn said he looks forward to AirPro continuing to grow and expand.
“I’m proud to have them as part of the Rhinelander community,” he said.
To learn more about AirPro Fan & Blower Company, visit the company’s website at airprofan.com.