Spinning success: Hunter Fan CEO on keeping a 136-year-old brand cool and current

Hunter Fan Company was founded as a family-owned business in 1886. It has undergone ownership changes over the years and was acquired in December 2021 by Griffon Corp. for $845 million. It is now part of a portfolio that includes Ames hardware and ClosetMaid, among other entities. Thomas Blackwell, who was named president of Hunter Fan in 2022, has been with the company for almost 27 years. He spoke with us about balancing company history with innovation, lessons learned from past generations, and how he wants the company to be known 20 years from now.

Hunter Fan Company has been around since 1886. How does that history influence the way you lead today?

The best thing about being part of a company so rooted in history as well as the present is that we stay very connected to our roots. There is nothing more empowering to employees than to see they are stewards of an incredible tradition that dates back 140 years. They are not just an individual contributor; they are empowered to steward this incredible legacy. They get to see the family, the retirees, and hear about the traditions [at company events]. We are known for high quality and durability. That foundation has never changed. But we are also a continuous innovation leader. Our latest innovations are SureSpeed, TrueLight, WeatherMax and Hunter Express, the easiest ceiling fan installation on the market today. It can be installed in 15 minutes or less.

How does your own upbringing influence how you work?

I grew up in the suburbs of New York, in a very blue-collar, hardworking environment. My great grandfather worked in the steel industry, my grandfather served in World War II and later founded an automotive repair shop, my father followed suit. I learned from an early age that hard work drives success, and if you are going to do a job, do it right.

I approach work by rolling up my sleeves and getting in with the team. I like to empower the team and make sure their input is heard. As we develop strategies and solutions, I push them to come up with answers, always encouraging them — in a group dynamic, you are not alone. You have a right to be here. Our team is made up of long-term people and younger people with fresh ideas. It’s great to see the blending of historical mindsets with the new and young. Great strategic thought processes come out of that.

Are you a leaper or a planner?

By nature, I’m a planner. By the same token, you have to think of the challenges facing the lighting industry over the past four to five years. Your best-laid plans can be challenged quickly, whether through COVID, shipping disruption, a drop in consumer demand, or tariffs. We leap very, very well. That’s how we got to longstanding industry leadership: being able to pivot and leap has been pivotal to our success.

What are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned from past generations of leadership at Hunter?

For me, the dynamic in the lighting industry has changed so much in five years. Employees feel pulled in many different directions. But longstanding employees come back and talk about the energy crisis, the housing crisis, or other challenges [from the past], and how those challenges were not only met but overcome and ultimately made the company stronger. There will always be challenges, but stay true to your historical roots, don’t pull back on innovation. You need to stay focused on long-term strategic goals.

Can you share a historical fact about the category that most people don’t know?

We invented the ceiling fan, I think most people know that.

Most U.S. manufacturers during World War II had to stop making base products to support the war industry. Hunter made the micro-motors that helped make the Norden bombsight work. Very few people know that. In our core products, we made oscillating fans for the Navy and Army field hospitals during the war.

Hunterventions — volunteer home makeovers in the local community —seem to be a big part of company culture. What do they mean for you and your employees?

Hunterventions positively impact the community and engage our employees to help others. The real message is that we can then take it and show consumers how a very simple project can transform a living space. We’re helping the community, employees are engaged helping individuals in need of a refresh in their homes, and then we take the imagery and show others how a low investment can literally transform your living space in an afternoon.

Tell me a little about your lighting business.

We’re very well known for ceiling fans. We did a market study in 2019-20, and when we asked consumers to name lighting brands, they came back and said Hunter. We weren’t even making lighting fixtures at the time. We did an initial lighting launch in 2022, mostly tied to the most dynamic fan models, so we could offer a suite of products. From there, we partnered with HGTV’s Jasmine Roth as our primary spokesperson. She does a fantastic job highlighting Hunter lighting fixtures on her show.

Lighting has continued to scale. It goes back to the fact that consumers love our brand. We have a core foundation that we can build around. We continue to invest in it. We now have 800 lighting models on offer.

What would you say to people who think ceiling fans are a design liability?

Ceiling fans are a design-driven category. We offer different blades, lighting colors, different fixtures. We cover any major design themes a consumer may have in their house. Our breadth of assortment and unique styles address that there is a product for every consumer. People love circulating air; it creates a healthy environment.

At a recent exhibition, the company shared a few classic Hunter advertisements. Do you have a favorite?

I do. There was an ad in the ‘70s or ‘80s, the Hunter cricket ad. There is a person lying in bed looking at a fan. Then you hear a cricket. He’s desperately trying to find the cricket. [The message was], “you may have other disruptions on the room, but you will never be disturbed by your Hunter ceiling fan.”

When you look ahead to the next 10 to 20 years, what do you hope Hunter Fan will be known for?

In my mind, it’s the continuous, longstanding promise of durability and longevity and being a category innovator. We’re bringing exciting things to CES next year. How the customer interacts with our product, and how we work with the consumer is what I want us to be known for. How we enable a better home environment is the legacy we’re building and continuing to innovate on. We’ll have great product that lasts forever, but we also want to be able to engage with consumers in their homes in unique ways. We’re really excited about that.

Just for fun:

Where is the most interesting place your job has taken you?

I was thinking China, but ultimately, I’d say Australia. As part of Griffon ownership, we have a great business in Australia. It’s a fantastic place. Their oldest horse race is The Melbourne Cup, the equivalent of the Kentucky Derby.

When you’re not leading Hunter, how do you like to spend your downtime?

In the summer, I am an avid boater, spending time on the water and decompressing for the next week. And in the winter, I am an avid Buffalo Bills fan.

What do you keep postponing in your life?

World travel. With a big family, the needs of this position and job, and constant travel, I have been limited to the U.S. I’ve got this bucket list where we can go two, three, four weeks [at a time] and do it right. My wife says Italy, I say Greece. We’ll probably come to a balance and do both at the same time.