Author: Kirk Edwards

Director of Sales & Marketing at EXAIR Corporation.

Founder’s Day 2026

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Today, we paused our operations and took a moment to celebrate a legacy that goes beyond the products we build. February 22nd (or the nearest business day) marks Founder’s Day at EXAIR—a day dedicated to the memory of our founder, Roy Sweeney, on what would have been his 92nd birthday.

Roy founded EXAIR in 1983, leading us with a steady hand and an innovative spirit for 33 years. While he has been gone for nearly ten years, his presence is still felt in our hallways. For those of us who had the privilege of working side-by-side with him, he wasn’t just a leader; he was a mentor who redefined success. To Roy, achievement wasn’t measured by growth charts, but by the depth of one’s service to others.

In honor of Roy and his wife, Jackie, we treat this day as a renewal of our commitment to the world beyond our walls. The Sweeneys were pillars of the Cincinnati community, tirelessly supporting social causes and teaching us that a company’s greatest output should be kindness.

Living the Legacy of Service

We believe that to truly honor the past, we must be active participants in a better future. To turn Roy’s altruistic values into action, we are proud to highlight our Employee Volunteer Program. This initiative empowers every full-time employee to volunteer with an organization of their choice during the work week—with full pay from EXAIR.

Whether it is feeding the hungry, mentoring youth, or supporting local shelters, we want our team to follow their hearts. By providing the time and resources to research these opportunities, we aim to be a catalyst for change in the lives of those who need it most.

A Celebration of Community

Our Founder’s Day tradition includes:

  • Reflecting on our Roots: A company-wide meeting to recognize Roy’s generosity and the spark that started it all.
  • Honoring a Veteran: As a veteran himself, Roy held a deep respect for those who serve. We continue to honor that bond by providing lunch from Mission BBQ, who supports our military and first responders.
  • Investing in Others: We are proud to direct donations to local organizations that provide vital lifelines to our neighbors.

This year we have selected these organizations, who help our local communities, to receive donations as part of our Founder’s Day celebration:

DAV
Supporting disabled American veterans and their families.

Freestore Foodbank
Supplies 33 million meals per year to those in need and living in greater Cincinnati.

Lighthouse Youth and Family Services
Supporting their Safe and Supported program for LGBTQ youth.

Cincinnati Works
Partners with all willing and capable people living in poverty to assist them in advancing to economic self-sufficiency through employment.

Wave Pool
Wave Pool is a contemporary art fulfillment center where experimental art connects the community and creates change.

Bethany House
Helps homeless and at-risk families with solutions to achieve housing stability and long-term self-sufficiency.

Roy, happy birthday and thanks for the influence you continue to have in our lives. We remember everything you and Jackie have done for this company and for countless others. Today, we pledge to keep looking outside ourselves, reaching out our hands, and working collectively to improve the world around us.

Happy Founder’s Day 2026 from the entire EXAIR family.

Kirk Edwards, President
EXAIR LLC

Looking Back with Gratitude, Looking Ahead with Confidence

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As we close out the year, it’s a good moment to pause and reflect on what this past year has meant for our company and the people who make it possible.

This was not an easy year. We asked a lot of our teams as EXAIR and BETE continued to integrate. We looked for new and better ways to bring our brands to market and worked hard to remain focused on what we do best—serving customers, building high-quality products, and being a great place to work. That balance is never simple, especially in a challenging manufacturing environment, but meaningful progress was made.

Across both EXAIR and BETE in every department, the dedication, collaboration, and professionalism of our employees made that progress possible. Much of that work happened behind the scenes, often under pressure, and it deserves to be recognized. Thank you for showing up, supporting one another, and staying focused on doing the job right.

These companies have exceptional values, and it begins with a focus on people – employees, customers, and vendors. That people-focused initiative also impacts our respective communities. One of the most substantial synergies between EXAIR and BETE is our focus on community. Both organizations contribute significantly by organizing food drives, donating to homeless shelters and transitional housing organizations, purchasing holiday gifts for those in need, and holding clothing drives. BETE provides the time and place for one of the largest, if not the largest, Trunk or Treats in Greenfield, MA. The list goes on, and I am very grateful to work with such community-minded folks.

We’re also deeply grateful to our customers and vendors. To our customers—thank you for trusting us, partnering with us, and challenging us to be better. Your feedback, loyalty, and collaboration continue to shape how we innovate and grow. To our vendors and partners—your reliability, expertise, and commitment have been critical in helping us deliver for our customers, especially in a year that tested supply chains and resources across the industry.

This year also marked an important milestone: BETE celebrated 75 years of history and spray nozzle expertise! EXAIR celebrated 42 years in business. That kind of longevity doesn’t happen by chance. It’s built through adaptability, strong relationships, and people who are willing to evolve while staying true to core values.

As we look ahead, we’re excited about what’s next. With new roles, newly formed teams, and continued alignment across the organization, we’re laying the groundwork for the future. The foundation is strong, the team is strong, and we’re positioned to move forward with confidence.

To our employees, customers, and partners — thank you for being part of our journey. We wish you a safe, restful, and joyful holiday season, and a healthy, prosperous New Year. We look forward to what we’ll accomplish together in the year ahead.

With gratitude,
Kirk Edwards, President

Founder’s Day 2025

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EXAIR celebrates Founder’s Day each year on February 22nd (or the closest working day) in order to commemorate the birthday of our founder, Roy Sweeney.  He founded the company in 1983 and drove EXAIR to become the strong, successful and innovative company that it has over the years.  Roy led EXAIR for 33 years.  Today would have been his 91st birthday. EXAIR has a long average tenure and many of us in the building remember working side by side with Roy. It’s hard to believe that he’s been gone for almost nine years, but his commitment to helping others lives on through all of us.

We make this day a celebration and a day to mark our ongoing commitment to the service of others, in keeping with the values that Roy and his wife Jackie felt (and feel) very strongly about.  They both worked hard to support many social causes and events here in Cincinnati and set a great example of what being engaged in your community looks like. We continue to look outside our company, outside ourselves and outside our immediate surroundings, to do what we can to improve the world around us.  And we urge others to do the same.

Our day includes a company meeting to recognize Roy, his generosity, and the genesis of Founder’s Day. We take the opportunity to highlight and encourage our entire team to find a place to volunteer that is close to their heart. We are diligent to have resources available for all to research volunteer opportunities and learn about the vast needs of others. Roy Sweeney was also a veteran so having lunch catered by Misison BBQ, who themselves donate to our military and local first responders, also honors Roy.

This year we have selected these organizations, who help our local communities, to receive donations as part of our Founder’s Day celebration:

DAV
Supporting disabled American veterans and their families.

Freestore Foodbank
Supplies 33 million meals per year to those in need.

Lighthouse Youth and Family Services
Supporting their Safe and Supported program for LGBTQ youth.

Cincinnati Works
Partners with all willing and capable people living in poverty to assist them in advancing to economic self-sufficiency through employment.

Wave Pool
Wave Pool is a contemporary art fulfillment center where experimental art connects the community and creates change.

Bethany House
Helps homeless and at-risk families with solutions to achieve housing stability and long-term self-sufficiency.

To further encourage ourselves to participate and engage with our communities, EXAIR has also established an Employee Volunteer Program that enables every full-time employee with at least 90 days of service to volunteer with organizations of their choice during the normal work week with full pay by EXAIR.  It is important to be as open as we can to allow any of us to choose a volunteer opportunity that resonates with each of us. We urge everyone to work collectively with organizations in our community to improve the lives of those in need.

As we celebrate Founder’s Day today, we wish Roy a happy birthday.  We miss him.  We remember what he and Jackie did (and do) for all of us and for countless others.  And we pledge to continue his commitment to helping those who need it.

Happy Founder’s Day 2025 from everyone at EXAIR!

Sincerely,
Kirk Edwards, President

EXAIR Founder’s Day 2024

Published on by Kirk EdwardsLeave a comment

EXAIR celebrates Founder’s Day each year on February 22nd (or the closest working day) in order to commemorate the birthday of our founder, Roy Sweeney.  He founded the company in 1983 and drove EXAIR to become the strong, successful and innovative company that it has over the years.  Roy led EXAIR for 33 years.  Today would have been his 90th birthday. It’s hard to believe that he’s been gone for almost eight years, but his commitment to helping others lives on through all of us.

We make this day a celebration and a day to mark our ongoing commitment to the service of others, in keeping with the values that Roy and his wife Jackie felt (and feel) very strongly about.  They both worked hard to support many social causes and events here in Cincinnati and set a great example of what being engaged in your community looks like. We continue to look outside our company, outside ourselves and outside our immediate surroundings, to do what we can to improve the world around us.  And we urge others to do the same.

This year, we have selected these organizations to receive donations as part of our Founder’s Day celebration:

DAV
Supporting disabled American veterans and their families.

Freestore Foodbank
Supplies 33 million meals per year to those in need.

Lighthouse Youth and Family Services
Supporting their Safe and Supported program for LGBTQ youth

Cincinnati Works
Partners with all willing and capable people living in poverty to assist them in advancing to economic self-sufficiency through employment.

Wave Pool
Wave Pool is a contemporary art fulfillment center where experimental art connects the community and creates change.

Bethany House
Helps homeless and at-risk families with solutions to achieve housing stability and long-term self-sufficiency.

To further encourage ourselves to participate and engage with our communities, EXAIR has also established an Employee Volunteer Program that enables every full-time employee with at least 90 days of service to volunteer with organizations of their choice during the normal work week with full pay by EXAIR.  We urge everyone to work collectively with organizations in our community to improve the lives of those in need.

As we celebrate Founder’s Day today, we wish Roy a happy birthday.  We miss him.  We remember what he and Jackie did (and do) for all of us and for countless others.  And we pledge to continue his commitment to helping those who need it.

Happy Founder’s Day 2024 from everyone at EXAIR!

Kirk Edwards
President
EXAIR