Tag: donation

Supporting The Next Generation of Engineers

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

A while back, I was lucky enough to spearhead a donation from EXAIR to The University of Cincinnati’s 1819 Innovation Hub Makerspace. For the past several years, we have been sponsoring the UC Combat Robotics club, which uses the Makerspace to build its bots and learn more about the applications of its course of study. This facility is open to all students who attend the university. The course of study does not matter; the desire to learn appropriate usage of equipment and a determination to create are all that is needed.

The space puts every student through training for safety and manufacturing processes, if needed, and then the students can operate on their own. The staff in the space are often students themselves, or they are people with years of industry experience to share with the students utilizing the space. This 12,000 square-foot makerspace and fab lab is home to a variety of equipment that can all be seen on their equipment listing here. You can go in and learn how to use anything from a sewing machine or soldering iron, all the way up to a 4-axis CNC machine. If you just have an idea and desire to learn, the staff will even train you on how to make the idea come to life and do it all safely in a semi-controlled environment.

When we saw the need for safe, efficient use of compressed air in this space, EXAIR stepped in to help. We outfitted every air drop in the facility and every machine with an EXAIR VariBlast Precision Safety Air Gun w/ Chip Shield and Nano Super Air Nozzle. This will help keep all the operators safe by eliminating the risk of exceeding 30 psig dead-end pressure and also reducing the operating noise level to below the OSHA standard of 85 dBA, all the way down to 75 dBA. By keeping the entire facility uniform, they are also able to make purchasing new units easier when they are needed.

We also helped them assemble their new EXAIR Chip Trapper System to help recycle the coolant from their CNC machines and help them extend the life of their cutting fluid by being able to remove all the debris from their sumps, reducing the surface area on which bacteria can grow.

On top of both of these, we helped them to see how easy a Cold Gun is to mount onto the side of virtually any machine in their shop, even the industrial sewing machine, and showed them just how beneficial it can be. There was actually a group of students using one of the stationary belt sanders, and we were able to connect the Cold Gun to the closest air drop, use the magnet to hold it onto the housing of the sander, and position the single-point cold outlet to the contact point to keep the sandpaper and material cooler to prevent loading up of the sandpaper.

These were just a couple of the products we were able to share with them in order to help outfit their space with safe and efficient compressed air products. I’ve condensed the entire event down into a 50-second clip if you would like to watch. I feel like we need some classic Benny Hill music in the background.

I think the best part of this experience for me was the discussion that evolved as we unpacked all the items. We had already had lots of chatter back and forth around what their system is capable of and also what they plan to do with the EXAIR products. Then, as we are unpacking and discussing the capabilities, more applications started to come up. I have a feeling this is just part of what happens in this space. Ideas are born, then brought into fruition, all within these walls.

Special thanks to Benjamin Jones and his team for letting us be part of training the future leaders in the industry.

Brian Farno, MBA – CCASS Application Engineer

BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

March is National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month.

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

March is National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about cerebral palsy (CP), celebrating those who live with it, and advocating for better support and research. As someone personally touched by CP, I find this month incredibly meaningful. My son, Lincoln, was diagnosed with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy at age one, and our journey has been one of challenges, triumphs, and a deepened appreciation for the strength found in our community. This month, marked by the vibrant color green and the #GoGreen4CP movement, encourages us all to learn more about CP—a neurological condition affecting movement and muscle tone—and to push for inclusivity in education, healthcare, and beyond.

For me, the #GoGreen4CP movement is more than just a campaign; it’s a reflection of our daily life. Lincoln’s form of CP is the most severe form of spastic CP and affects all four limbs, the trunk, and the face, making mobility a hurdle, but his determination shines through every step he takes with his walker or pedal on his adaptive bike. I’ve written about this before in my work here at EXAIR, where I’m fortunate to have a platform that allows me to share personal stories like ours. CP affects over 1 million people in the U.S., with around 10,000 new diagnoses each year, often due to brain development issues or injuries before, during, or shortly after birth. This month, I’m reminded of how far we’ve come—thanks to therapy and support—and how much more we need, like increased research funding, which groups like the Cerebral Palsy Foundation tirelessly advocate for.

Speaking of EXAIR, February holds its own significance for us here at EXAR with Founders’ Day on February 21st each year. It’s a day to celebrate the vision of our company’s founders, who built a culture of innovation and community that I’m proud to be part of. This year, as we marked Founders’ Day just a few weeks ago, I couldn’t help but connect it to the spirit of resilience my family and so many others honor in March. At EXAIR, we design engineered solutions to solve problems, much like the adaptive tools and therapies that help Lincoln navigate his world. The overlap of these two moments—Founders’ Day and CP Awareness Month—reminds me how a supportive workplace and a passionate community can intersect to make a real difference.

So, how can you get involved this March? Wear green to spark conversations, share stories on social media with #GoGreen4CP, or donate to organizations driving CP research and support like the Cerebral Palsy Foundation. For my family, it’s also a chance to thank those who’ve walked alongside us—therapists, nurses, friends, and even my EXAIR colleagues who’ve cheered Lincoln on. National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month isn’t just about awareness; it’s about action and connection. As Lincoln and our family continue this journey, I hope you’ll join us in shining a light on CP, not just this month, but every day.

Be kind and love one another!

Jordan Shouse
Application Engineer

Send me an Email
Find us on the Web 
Like us on Facebook
Twitter: @EXAIR_JS

Image courtesy of The Cerebral Palsy Foundation

Founder’s Day 2025

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 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

Helping Within Our Community

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

Throughout my tenure here at EXAIR I have seen the company give to many different organizations and to the team members here.   Recently we implemented a program where employees are allowed to choose a charity of their choice to go and volunteer for a day each year.  This year for my volunteer day a group of seven members from EXAIR went to help a non-profit organization that focuses on helping students and teachers in 16 local counties.

The organization, Crayons to Computers is a free store for teachers in these counties that surround Cincinnati.  The store is stocked with donations from corporate and private entities and staffed by volunteers.  Their inventory can be anywhere from classroom supplies, books, decorations, technology equipment, even stocked book bags to give to students.  The store is the largest of its kind here in the United States and has been serving the Cincinnati area for 20 years. Their belief is that a teacher should not have to spend money out of their pocket to supply students in need with school supplies and to ensure that schools in need have access to supplies that aren’t always easily available.

They have a sales floor where the teachers shop and then a large warehouse where the donations are all sorted and stocked for easy pull to the sales floor when needed.  This is where our team spent the day.  We did jobs like sorting books by reading level, organizing / packaging chair mats, unloading trucks, and finally, consolidating over 30,000 boxes of 24 count crayons so that their valuable warehouse space was being used more efficiently.  These crayons were all donated by financial institutions here locally that had challenged each other to see who could donate more.  It still isn’t the amount of crayons that they will supply to teachers within this school year, but it helps tremendously.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

By volunteering our time we were also able to give 10 teachers who’s school would not normally qualify for shopping at Crayons To Computers the ability to go and shop for a day.  This was an added bonus that we were made aware of after the fact.  This is yet another way that Crayons to Computers gives to our community.

One of the best takeaways I have from this year is that I got to give back to an organization that my amazing wife would shop at when she was teaching students in need.  It was organized by someone here on our team that had no knowledge of my personal connection. We ended up getting more done than they had ever hoped to get out of 7 volunteers.  This was all made possible by a company that doesn’t just focus on making excellent products and providing top notch customer service.  EXAIR is also focusing on making sure our team members interests are embraced by letting them choose how to give their time and the companies time to a cause they believe will give back to our local community.

If you would like to inquire about donations or how you could help Crayons to Computers, please check out their site directly.

Brian Farno
Application Engineer Manager
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF
1-800-903-9247