If necessity is the mother of invention, Frank J.
Zamboni might be considered its father. This tireless
inventor/entrepreneur never came across an obstacle he couldn’t tinker
his way around.
Frank J. Zamboni was born on January 16, 1901 in Eureka, Utah.
Frank’s parents moved their family (with one year old Frank in tow) from
Eureka to a farm in Idaho, where Frank developed his mechanical skills.
For more information about the Zamboni family history, see “The Man Behind the Machine”.
In 1920, Frank moved to Southern California with his brother Lawrence
to join their older brother George in his auto repair business. After a
short time tinkering on cars, the two younger Zambonis decided to open
an electrical service business catering to the local dairy industry. The
brothers installed many refrigerator units dairies used to keep their
milk cool.
When the demand for cooling expanded into the produce industry, the
brothers expanded their business vision, as well: they built a plant
that made the block ice wholesalers used to pack their product that was
transported by rail across the country. But as refrigeration technology
improved, demand for block ice began to shrink, and Frank and Lawrence
started looking for other ways to capitalize on their expertise with
ice.
That opportunity came in the sport of ice skating. Popularity of the
sport was growing, but there were few rinks in Southern California, so
in 1939 Frank, Lawrence, and a cousin built Iceland Skating Rink in
Paramount. The rink still operates today just blocks from the Zamboni
factory. In fact, it’s not unusual to see Zamboni ice resurfacers
driving down the neighborhood streets on their way to be tested at
Iceland.
Since Frank Zamboni’s introduction of the world’s first self-propelled
ice resurfacing machine in 1949, his business naturally began to grow as
more people became aware of his innovative product. In the 1950’s,
Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc. began to advertise in a variety of ice
industry and arena management publications. These are a few of those
early advertisements.
Those ads make great wall posters. You have a gem there!
ReplyDeleteStephanie Finnell
@randallbychance from
Katy Trail Creations
Stephanies Stuff