Founded in 1909 in Chicago, Janette Manufacturing began producing motors and blowers before shifting focus to centrifugal blower wheels under the name Jan-Air, Inc., in Richmond, Illinois. Specializing in forward curved blowers for the OEM oil/gas burner market, the company overcame a major fire that destroyed its facility, relocating a year later to a new 20,000 sq. ft. site, with Jim and Ethel Janette leading the rebuild.