Last week Vanaire had the honor of being a sponsor of the St. Mary’s Center’s Swashbuckler Event.
St. Mary’s Center is a Louisville non-profit, serving adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities. St. Mary’s has been providing vocational, independent living, academic, and social skills to program participants for 30 years. Their services include providing outings, activities, sports programs, and helping participants become more independent.
The Swashbuckler Event hosted 160 people and raised over $40,000. The pirate themed event includes a catered meal, a live and silent auction, dancing, and live music by Most Wanted.
To maintain our high standard of quality programming, St. Mary’s Center relies on the generosity of the community through donations and fundraisers. Participants are never turned away because of an inability to pay. If you would like to donate to St. Mary’s Center click here.
When it comes to ventilation options for your specific company processes, Vanaire is the go-to. Our knowledge in these fields is unmatched.
Harsh Chemicals used for Pickling, such as Nitric Acid, Hydrofluoric acid, and Hydrochloric acid, Descaling with Sulfuric Acid, Passivation with Nitric Acid and Citric Acid, and Galvanizing with Sulphuric Acid and HCL Acid all fall under OSHA requirements for exposure limits. In addition, the EPA mandates the Air Pollution Control of the emissions of many of these fumes. In order to effectively capture and ventilate corrosive fumes, Vanaire specially designs Exhaust Hoods and Ductwork. Since these acids are soluble in water, Vanaire recommends our Wet Packed Bed Scrubber to abate the emissions. Our scrubbers facilitate Mass Transfer and for optimal results, we suggest a Three Stage Scrubber using Packing to control the vapors, Chevron to remove bulk particulates, and an Acid Fog Mist Eliminator to capture smaller particles.
At Vanaire, we manufacture scrubbers in various materials, including PVC, CPVC, Polypro, Kynar, and Fiberglass, to name a few. Vanaire Engineering customizes each Scrubber unit to the customer’s needs.
Please reach out to us today and we can perform a CFM calculation for your process, along with guidance to provide a customized System for compliance.
Are you a fan of speed, power, and cutting-edge technology? Well, we’ve got the perfect combination for you. We are proud to announce our company-sponsored race car this upcoming season!
As industry leaders, we are always looking to demonstrate our commitment to quality and high-performance ventilation equipment.
We believe that our involvement in motorsports is a thrilling way to showcase our devotion to engineering, technology, and performance. This blog will talk about our incredible race car and its driver, Jamie Goodman!
The Perfect Blend of Power and Efficiency
Our sponsored race car, an ‘86 Monte Carlo Street Stock is designed to provide a seamless balance between power and efficiency and has a 406 cubic inch engine.
Last year, the Monte Carlo won second place in points at the Salem Speedway. The new season is just about to begin on April 16th which marks the first race.
The race car demonstrates how we are always striving to push the boundaries of technology and provide our customers with solutions that deliver outstanding performance without compromising energy efficiency or environmental impact.
This year our driver Jamie is partnering with Operation Care Kentucky to raise money for their charity. He previously donated his trunk lid to place a sponsored name on in exchange for donated funds to Operation Care, a Christian Ministry that supports the physical, spiritual, emotional, and social well-being of people in need.
Community Involvement and Giving Back
Being a part of the motorsports community allows us to give back by supporting various racing events, charities, and environmental initiatives. Our involvement in the sport is not only about winning races but also about creating a positive impact on society. By sharing our passion for motorsports and technology, we aim to inspire the next generation of engineers and professionals to pursue their dreams and contribute to a better future.
Our company-sponsored race car is an exciting representation of our commitment to engineering excellence, innovation, and top-notch performance.
The first two photos are from the car for this new upcoming season. Second two photos were from last season when we sponsored the Trunk.
On June 6th Vanaire was fortunate to be the title sponsor for St. Mary’s Center 2022 Golf Scramble at Woodhaven Country Club. Vanaire’s leadership, Michael and Gary Vanegas, are both on the committee at St. Mary’s and are very involved with the Louisville-based organization. This fun-filled day in the sun hosted over 40 teams during a Morning and Afternoon Session, with 5 teams including Vanaire employees, vendors and customers.
St. Mary’s Center is a non-profit founded by Sister Regina Bevelacqua and Mary Jo Payne and serves adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities. They provide vocational, independent living, academic, and social skills to program participants, as well as, community outings, leisure activities, and sports programs that empower participants to become more independent members of our community.
If you are interested in supporting this magnificent organization you can donate online.
Incorporated 50 years ago, the Vanaire legacy began in 1972 with our founder Guillermo “Bill” Vanegas. An Immigrant from Bogotá, Columbia, he started this business as part of his American Dream, which he grew from the ground up to eventually open up two facilities, the ThermoPlastics Shop and Fiberglass Shop. Starting this business was not easy. In fact, Bill worked 70 hour work weeks and didn’t take his first vacation from the business for the first 7 years.
His hard work and dedication paid off. In 1992, Bill was recognized as one of the 100 largest Hispanic-owned firms in the U.S. He met with Vice President Al Gore to discuss the North American Free Trade Agreement and provide his input on the effects of the industry. Vanaire is a Certified Minority Business and sets an inspiring example for minorities in the U.S.
His devotion and vast knowledge of the plastics industry extends to his two sons, Michael and Gary Vanegas. Michael and Gary took over the business on December 30th, 2013 to continue their father’s legacy and leave their own stamp on the industry. According to Michael Vanegas, “one of the greatest accomplishments for Vanaire is being able to compete on a global scale from a business started and headquartered in Louisville KY.”
Bill’s passion for manufacturing equipment has carried over from his children to now his grandchildren as well, who have started their own careers in the Air Pollution Control Industry and will see the future of this thriving business for the next 50 years and beyond.
Harry served our country in the United States Marine Corps for seven years. After completing his service he attended Baker College and received a degree in business administration/marketing in 1990. He also attended the Industrial Ventilation Conference at Michigan State University. Upon graduating he started his career in the corrosion ventilation business, giving him 31 years of experience. He has been married to Rebecca Taphouse since 2011.
Ron Weihe
Ron Weihe has been in sales and management in the thermoplastics/fiberglass industry for over 31 years in. He received both an AS and BS degree from the University of Louisville. He and his wife Melisa have been married for 31 years and are the proud parents of 3 fantastic young women.
Chelsea Vanegas
Chelsea started in the air pollution control industry back in 2017 and has had the best teachers in the industry, her father, uncle, and grandfather who started Vanaire. She graduated from the University of Kentucky with a double major BA in marketing and management. She and her husband Ian have been married for 5 years and are parents to a son and daughter (come December!).
Our founder Guillermo Vanegas, “Bill,” has had a long-lasting legacy within the Air Pollution Control Industry. A native of Bogotá, Colombia, he attended the University of Pittsburgh in 1957, where he received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.
He then began his career in plastics with General Electric in the Appliance Division. At GE, he designed refrigerator parts made from plastics as a substitute for traditional metals. Bill soon grew passionate about the design of plastic valves, fittings, and pumps, and in 1967, he invented his proudest professional accomplishment: the “True Union Ball Valve.” This invention is now an industry standard used around the world.
In 1972, Bill founded his first business, Corro-Flo, an engineering firm specializing in designing non-corrosive plastic pipes used in highly corrosive manufacturing processes. Corro-Flo became a leader in industrial plastic piping distribution. In 1975 he founded IFS, Industrial Fiberglass Systems, which focuses on Fiberglass Fabrication & Products.
Vanaire was founded in 1983, with the primary goal of engineering entire Air Pollution Control systems and manufacturing with Thermoplastics and Thermosets such as dual laminates, including products such as Scrubber Systems, Exhaust Fans, Interconnecting Ductwork, Exhaust Hoods, Odor Control, Chrome Systems, and Mist Eliminators. Other services include Turnkey Installation of all equipment and Preventative Maintenance Services.
In 1992 he was honored by former President George Bush as one of the nation’s top one hundred largest Hispanic-owned firms. He flew to Washington to consult with Former Vice President Al Gore, regarding the North American Free Trade Agreement and give his input on the effects of the industry.
Bill’s greatest strength that has helped him in business is organization, which he learned in engineering school. His advice for young professionals in the Air Pollution Control Industry is to work hard and not back down in the face of problems. It … takes a lot of luck, and how did I get lucky? The harder I worked, the luckier I got.”
We, at Vanaire, would like to take this time to update you on some of the external factors that have affected our industry in the last year. Raw materials, as well as building and manufacturing materials are at all time high prices and are globally in short supply. This supply shortage also includes resin, which is used to fabricate our fiberglass products that are used on our Tanks, Ductwork, Fans, Scrubbers and much more. Our industry as a whole is being affected due to this difficulty in obtaining Raw Materials for production and is therefore causing high fluctuation in prices of these goods.
In addition to the effects of the global pandemic, the recent freeze in Texas has also had an effect on our industry. Texas is one of the largest U.S. exporters of plastics and petrochemical products. The freeze caused production of 75% of polyethylene, 62% of polypropylene, and 57% of PVC to shut down, which the effects of have lasted beyond just that week, according to S&P Global Platts. The great Texas freeze resulted in polyethylene and polypropylene seeing the largest price increase in 10 years.
We at Vanaire, want to be completely transparent with our valued customers so that you will fully understand the rising costs within the industry. These factors have made determining the price of materials and estimating product delivery times much more difficult than ever before. This uncertainty is something we regret, but unfortunately is unavoidable as we have absorbed each and every price increase. At Vanaire we will continue to work with our customers through this economic uncertainty so that we can fulfill your projects as quickly and efficiently as possible. This will allow us to better adapt to an economic situation that is changing so quickly.
Where Can I Get My Industrial Air Pollution Control System?
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