CICERO — Air Innovations, Inc. can relate to the old phrase “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,” according to Michael Wetzel, the company’s president and CEO. 

Cicero–based Air Innovations is a multi-division, environmental control and HVAC control-systems manufacturer. HVAC is short for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning.

About a decade ago, Air Innovations tried to export a display case for flowers, representing its first attempt to sell products internationally. The company had high hopes because it didn’t have any competitors in Europe for that type of product.

“Well, there’s probably a reason why there’s no competitors in Europe because they didn’t really want … the display cases for flowers,” said Wetzel.

Air Innovations, though, didn’t give up. About seven years ago, the firm started exporting its Wine Guardian products, which are residential and commercial wine cellars.

“That has been very successful. To date, we have exported Wine Guardian products to about 45 different countries,” Wetzel noted.

Wetzel on May 1 told the story after the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) honored the company as the New York winner of 2018 Small Business Exporter of the Year Award.  

The SBA held the presentation at Air Innovations, which operates in a 40,000-square-foot facility at 7000 Performance Drive, off East Taft Road in the town of Cicero.  It has 51 employees.

A second award

At the same time, Air Innovations has also been selected as the SBA’s region II 2018 Small Business Exporter of the Year. The SBA’s region II includes New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“It’s quite the honor to receive the local award. Then to receive the state award in region II, that’s way beyond our expectations,” Wetzel said in addressing the crowd gathered for the award presentation.

The SBA chose Air Innovations’ owners, Wetzel and his father, Lawrence Wetzel, for the award based on their company’s growth in international sales, employees, response to adversity, and community contributions, the agency said. 

SBA offices, like the one in Syracuse, recognize small businesses for the contributions to communities, said Bernard J. Paprocki, executive director of the SBA Syracuse district office. 

“In the case of Air Innovations … demonstrated tremendous ability to export products overseas, which is really key to our economy,” said Paprocki.

SBA assistance

With export assistance from SBA STEP grants, exports have nearly doubled over the past three years to represent 30 percent of revenues, the agency said.

SBA’s State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) seeks to support export growth among U.S. small businesses. STEP is designed to increase both the number of small businesses that begin to export and the value of exports for small businesses currently exporting, according to a September 2017 SBA news release.

Air Innovations generates about 

$15 million in annual revenue, said Wetzel, and about one-third of its sales come from exports.

Of that one-third figure, about half results from direct exports. 

“The other half of that third is … indirect export where we are selling to customers that are based in the U.S. that are then packaging our product with theirs and exporting it overseas,” said Wetzel.

He also noted that Air Innovations now has a sales office in Schaffhausen, Switzerland and a full-time sales manager based in that Swiss office.  

“He’s our one and only employee that doesn’t work out of our Syracuse location,” said Wetzel.

Originally founded in 1986 as Floratech Industries, Inc., the Wetzels acquired controlling interest of the company in 1996. 

Together, they shifted the firm’s initial focus on floral coolers to meet refrigeration, air conditioning and filtration needs for the aerospace, military, semiconductor, and pharmaceutical sectors.