In fact, one man was brought into Fanimation for that sole purpose.

“This is a dream job to a fan geek,” says Kim Frank, Fanimation’s restoration guy.

With an affinity for relics of all kinds, Kim has been involved in the restoration of antiques for nearly 50 years. He began as an apprentice at a furniture store, refinishing everything from cabinets and dining room sets, to barber chairs and other rare pieces. He has restored motorcycles over the years, too.

“Woods and metals have always appealed to me,” he says. “And I felt like whatever I was working on, I could make it better—and make it look the way I wanted.”

That passion eventually found its way to fans.

Antiquing with his wife in a small Indiana town, Kim bought an old fan, restored it and found a new obsession. Before long, he was regularly buying fans, tinkering with them and reselling them online and at local shops and community events.

In the early 2000s, at a local arts festival, a man walked up to his fan booth and began asking about his restoration experience.

That man was Tom Frampton, owner of Fanimation.

A couple years later, Kim saw a “Future Home of Fanimation” sign not far from his home. He reached out to Tom, reintroduced himself and saw some of Tom’s rare fans. Kim has been restoring fans for Fanimation ever since.

Today, Kim, along with his son, Eddie, restores fans. They do everything from simple repairs, such as replacing cords or changing wicks, to completely rebuilding motors, fabricating parts and custom painting. All are restored to their original beauty—some look brand-new; others are made to look aged.

Many of the fans they work on find their way into the Antique Fan Museum. Located at Fanimation’s headquarters, the museum displays fans on loan from members of the Antique Fan Collectors Association—including 56 from Kim’s personal collection and 1,500+ from Tom’s.

A walk through the museum gives a peek into how the fans of yesteryear inspired more modern designs.

• The Savory Airator inspired one of Fanimation’s earlier fans called the Fargo.

• The 1920’s Victor Luminaire Parlor Fan was the design motivation for Fanimation’s Old Havana pedestal fan.

Whatever time period they were developed in, Kim says they share the same quality.

“For us, this is a form of art,” he says. “And we want to preserve it, learn from it and appreciate it.”

We excitedly launched Duplex and Palma earlier this year at Lightovation—the premier lighting and ceiling fan industry trade event. Duplex was modeled after duomos, which are Italian cathedrals often distinguished by their many pillars. Needless to say, it was a design we immediately took to!

For Palma—a more modern take on our still very popular Islander—the MGA&D team used Japanese hand fans as the inspiration for updated blades. We fell in love with the results and hope you will too.

From Design to Development
Once a new fan concept is approved, our engineering team, lead by Vice President of Sales & Marketing Kristina Christopher, digs in to make sure the design is scalable and functional, operating as intended for a long period of time. If you’re familiar with Fanimation, you know how important quality is to us. We look at everything from the scale of the motor housing and light kit, to the thickness of the blade holder, to finish-matching exposed screws to noise level and more. The quality of each Fanimation fan is achieved by paying attention to those details. Design and functionality go hand-in-hand when it comes to our reputation.

You may think turning on your fan in the winter is ridiculous. And you might be right. Turning your fan on the same as you would in the summer would be ridiculous. However, many fans have reverse functions, meaning they can turn both clockwise and counterclockwise. When you’re looking for a cooling effect, your fan should be set to turn in the counterclockwise direction. In the winter, setting your fan to turn clockwise will allow for more air circulation and will keep heat from rising completely, making your rooms feel warmer and allowing you to turn down that thermostat.

2. Ceiling fans are used to cool rooms
This is a very common myth when it comes to ceiling fans. Unlike air conditioners, fans are not used to cool rooms, but rather to cool people. Ceiling fans produce an effect similar to that of wind chill. For those who are unfamiliar with the concept, wind chill is the perceived decrease in air temperature due to wind or air flow. We all know that if it’s 65 degrees and breezy outside, it’s going to feel a little cooler. Similarly, feeling a breeze makes a room seem cooler, when actually the temperature sees no change.

3. Ceiling fans can cut off an appendage
Tall people everywhere can breathe a sigh of relief after reading this one. The blades of a ceiling fan, in fact, will not sever any of your precious appendages. Whether it’s your son’s arm because he just won’t quit jumping on the bed or your own arm when you stretch just a little too high after getting off the recliner, don’t worry. But don’t take my word for it, watch this video from the MythBusters themselves.

4. Ceiling fans are a modern invention
It’s true, some of the fans made today have a very modern design and some look like they’re straight out of the future, the Zonix and the Embrace are perfect examples of that. However, the ceiling fan itself is not a modern invention by any means. The electric ceiling fan came into existence in the late 1800s in the United States and quickly gained popularity worldwide. Since then, we haven’t been able to get rid of them, and it seems they’re here to stay.

5. Ceiling fans have to be ugly
Maybe I’m biased, but it’s clear that nowadays ceiling fans are more than just functional, they’re also stylish. Don’t you just cringe when you go to your mother-in-law’s and you see that old ceiling fan with the brass accents? Very ‘90s. Well good news, your fan doesn’t have to be ugly anymore. Fanimation has a fan for every aesthetic. Maybe you want a tropical vibe in your house, or maybe you just want something simple. Whatever you choose, it’s sure to look great for years to come.

The power of the internet is amazing; check out the thread here:  http://www.reddit.com/r/oddlysatisfying/comments/34q59b/this_designer_ceiling_fan/.

Folks from all over the world confirmed what we’ve known for a long time—this fans design is one of a kind.  It’s almost hypnotizing—don’t look at it for too long!

This couldn’t have come at a better time, since our new Torto LED with fanSync was released just last month.

The new Torto LED features:

• Beautiful brushed nickel finish,
• 18-watt LED light, and
• fanSync BTT9R hand-held reversing remote control to accompany the fanSync Bluetooth® enabled receiver.  This is the first fan release to include fanSync!

Modern decor combines simplicity, style and contemporary design to create a sleek look for your home. Modern style is inspired by simple, clean lines, minmal decoration and in many cases it is thought of as futuristic.

If you are interested in learning more about modern decor and modern living, we found a few blogs worth reading:

• http://modern-lifestyle.tumblr.com/
• http://pod.puremodern.com/
• http://homeinteriorstyle.blogspot.com/
• http://www.moderndesignblog.com/
• http://padstyle.com/

The modern ceiling fan collection by Fanimation adds the perfect finishing touch to your contemporary home. Many of these fans transcend conventional style and break the boundaries of ordinary ceiling fan design. To check out the entire modern ceiling fan collection, please visit the Fanimation website or view Fanimation’s modern ceiling fan board on Pinterest.

Some of the most popular fans in the collection include:

The Zonix
One of Fanimation’s best sellers, The Zonix is a three-bladed ceiling fan that exemplifies the sleek sophistication of modern design. Fanimation recently added two new finish options to this popular fan which will soon be available in brushed nickel and black finishes in addition to oil-rubbed bronze, polished nickel and satin nickel.

The Marea
The Marea provides functional art on your ceiling! What better way to complete your contemporary style home than with this unique ceiling fan? The single, white, frosted blad on The Marea is sure to complement your ultra-modern decor.

The Torto
The twisted blades of the Torto combined with the opal frosted glass are the perfect focal point in your room. Not only is The Torto’s deisgn unique, but this exceptional fan also moves air in a non-traditional way. The Torto’s curved blades move air at an angle instead of straight down, like a traditional fan. In addition to metro gray and oil-rubbed bronze finishes, The Torto will soon be available in black and matte white.

The Enigma
The Enigma is the star of the ceiling fan world that made its Hollywood debut in the movie I, Robot. This ceiling fan won the coveted roled of featured ceiling fan because of its futuristic look and mass appeal. The Enigma is also an environmentally conscious fan with an Energy Star rating.

Here are some interesting facts for this year’s race:

• Ryan Briscoe will start from the pole for the first time, edging out James Hinchcliffe by the slim margin of .003 seconds.
• Andretti Autosport drivers James Hinchcliffe, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Marco Andretti will start 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th respectively after the team struggled to get their racecars into last year’s field.
• Five of this year’s starters, Rubens Barrichello, Takuma Sato, Justin Wilson, Sebastien Bourdais and Jean Alesi, have Formula 1 experience.
• Three women, Ana Beatriz, Katherine Legge and Simona De Silvestro will start this year’s race.
• Last year Charlie Kimball became the first driver in history with diabetes to qualify, start and finish the Indianapolis 500. Charlie will be starting 14^th for this year’s race.
• For the past six years Honda was the sole engine supplier for the Indy 500. This year, Chevrolet and Lotus join Honda to once again provide engine competition for the race.
• There are 3 past winners and 8 rookies in this year’s field.
• There are 3 Fanimation customers in this year’s field: Alex Tagliani–#98 Team Barracuda-BHA Honda, Ryan Hunter-Reay–#28 Team DHL/Sun Drop Citrus Soda Chevrolet & Graham Rahal–#38 Service Central Honda.

Graham Rahal is a second generation IndyCar driver. His dad, Bobby Rahal, won the 1986 Indy 500 and the 1992 IndyCar Championship. That ’86 race was Bobby’s 5^th Indy 500 start and this year will be Graham’s 5^th. Perhaps #5 is a lucky one for the Rahal family.

Graham Rahal outside his Indianapolis Motor Speedway garage.

In 2010 when Graham, an Ohio native, signed to race for Indianapolis-based Chip Ganassi Racing, he decided to move to the Indy area to be close to the team and set out to build a house.  He tweeted (a post on Twitter) about going to a local lighting store to pick out a ceiling fan and, within minutes, several of his followers tweeted back that he should check out Fanimation fans. Graham wound up purchasing Fanimation’s The Andover and a few days later added The Huxley and The Benito, The Fitzgerald and a Fargo to his list of Fanimation fans. Almost a year later Graham added The Keistone, a DC motor powered fan, to his collection of Fanimation fans.

Graham Rahal’s Fanimation “The Andover” fan. (Photo by Laken Kurtz)

Graham Rahal’s Fanimation “TheHuxley” fan. (Photo by Laken Kurtz)

Graham Rahal’s Fanimation “TheBenito” fan. (Photo by Laken Kurtz)

Graham Rahal’s Fanimation “The Keistone” fan. (Photo by Laken Kurtz)

Personally, I’d love to see Graham win this year. He’s a likeable young man (I feel weird calling him a young man—makes me feel old—but he is) and gives back through his Graham Rahal Foundation. Go get ‘em Graham! We’ll also be pulling for RHR (Ryan Hunter-Reay) and Tag (Alex Tagliani). Here’s wishing for a safe and exciting Indy 500! If you’d like to watch the race, tune in to your local ABC station at 12:00PM EDT.

While love of the 500 is probably strongest in Indiana, there is a reverence for the event across the country and around the world. I’m a Southern California native, having grown up in Pasadena, and my love of the 500 started at a very young age.  Several months before I was born, my dad took my brother, then 2 1/2 years old, to the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, a Formula 1 race at the time. Mario Andretti won that race in front of his fellow countrymen and my dad, having witnessed it, became a life-long Andretti fan. So, I was born an Andretti fan.  Barring one year, 1979, Mario Andretti raced in every Indy 500 of my childhood. Each Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend, Dad would wake me up and we’d head to our living room to watch pre-race coverage and then the race.

The Indy 500 is steeped in tradition and this year will mark the 101st anniversary of the first race. I grew to appreciate the history and tradition of the 500 and had the chance to attend my first Indy 500 at the age of 23. Nothing I saw on television could prepare me for experiencing the 500-mile race in person. The race-day crowd numbers in the hundreds of thousands; the largest single-day sporting event in the world. Hearing the call, “lady and gentlemen start your engines” sent chills through me and those chills only increased as the field of 33 passed in front of me for the first time. There’s nothing, mark my words, nothing like watching the Indy 500 from the stands at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

I made the Memorial Day Weekend pilgrimage to IMS a yearly tradition and attended my first Indy 500 as a resident of Indiana in 2007. At the end of 2009 I attended an off season IndyCar fan event (coincidentally planned by my future wife), which brought me closer to the sport. In 2011 my wife helped plan a charity event for Racing For Cancer a few days prior to the Indy 500. Racing for Cancer champions cancer screening and cancer awareness through IndyCar racing. Fanimation partnered with Andretti Autosport to create a truly unique Enigma for the event’s silent auction. The fan was painted to match the Andretti Autosport car of Racing for Cancer co-founder and ambassador Ryan Hunter-Reay, who lost his mom to Cancer in 2009.

This year Fanimation will donate two desk fans to the event, now known as The Yellow Party . The fans will be a Fitzgerald painted to match Hunter-Reay’s 2012 Chevrolet IndyCar, which will start from the front row of this year’s race and a Fargo painted to match fellow IndyCar driver Alex Tagliani’s Bryan Herta Autosport Honda. Fanimation has also stepped up to sponsor a table at the event. This event gives Fanimation a chance to be involved in the Month-of-May festivities while helping raise money to fight Pediatric Cancer, this year’s focus for The Yellow Party. For more info on the event and to find out how you can participate or donate, visit www.theyellowparty.org. Hopefully we’ll see you there!

If you’ve never watched the Indy 500, tune in to ABC at 12PM EST on May 27th. You won’t regret it!

So I haven’t written a blog update for a while. I have so many projects going on, here and there. I’m trying to finish up assignments at the firehouse, while trying to finish up two important projects up at Fanimation, all the while trying to stay true to the assignments at the tattoo shop. While, no one asks too much of me, and while I love all my jobs, I think I might need a vacation. By the time 7 pm hits, I feel like death.  I’m tired all the time, and so I planned a little vacation.

I hang out with a group of friends, whom I’ve dubbed, “The Bad Company” and as many of you know, the Indy 500 Race Weekend is coming up. “The Bad Company” will be making an appearance.

We’ll be the ones with some sort of funny shirt, (or no shirt at all) on. We’ll have buttons on that say “How Bad?” and “Bad Co.” on them. We’ll be wearing bandanas and coonskin caps. And we’ll all be sporting Aviator Sun Glasses. You can find us near the Pagoda on Carb Day and near turn three on race day. It’s an Indiana State Holiday, and we’ll be the ones celebrating the most.

Now you might think wow these are just a bunch of drunks, and I’m not sorry to say you’d be mistaken. While we might be partaking in some adult beverages, we will be mostly just having fun, without getting obnoxiously drunk.

After the race weekend, two members of “Bad Co.” will be setting their sights south to Florida. I will be joining them and their quest for pure relaxation. While I’m down there I will be meeting up with my dad, the man himself, Kim Frank. We will also be visiting another member of Bad Co.’s father. Hopefully a few Bad Company members of the 70’s and 80’s can show this new generation of Bad Co. a good time. Either way, it’ll be nice to be out of sight, out of mind from Indiana, but hey we all need a break every once in a while.

I’m sure I’ll have plenty to write about when I get back from my vacation, and I definitely will have two projects from Fanimation to write about.

Ohh and please keep the “How Bad Company” in your thoughts and if you will be down at the track on this quickly approaching holiday, come meet up with us. You can’t miss us.