Small to Big: The Evolution of Big Ass Fans

Carey Smith says the decade he spent running his first industrial cooling business with his father was “horrible.” The factories and warehouses where they installed equipment were sweltering. The heat inspired Smith, 60, to create Big Ass Fans, which designs and manufactures high-end fans up to 24 feet in diameter. One challenge he encountered along the way: luring engineers and other professionals to the company’s hometown of Lexington, Ky.

When you start a company, there are very few people anxious to work for you. And why would they be? You’re operating in some little office warehouse. You have to wait for the boss to open the door. You’ve got one bathroom. So you don’t get the best people; you don’t get the cream of the crop. There weren’t a lot of Stanford grads knocking on the door.