The History of the Original Windfeather®

Originally founded in 1992, Get in the Wind, LLC was a small retail kite and sundries shop in Destin, FL. In 1993, Keith Lisk purchased the store and began a long series of expansions in both location size and inventory selection. Keith’s son, Kurt, became a partner in 1995 and began production of the company’s first signature product - Windfeathers®.

Windfeathers® was a virtually unknown product, commercially unavailable in the United States. Over time, Get in the Wind either invented or reinvented everything about Windfeathers®, from materials to production methods. The most significant early inventions were the pattern and construction methods used to create the intricate appliqué sewn designs, a process allowing logos and copy to be added in an easy and cost effective manner.

An Idea to Promote Our Kites and Sundries

These banners, from a concept dating back many centuries in Asia, were initially constructed to promote our own business. As a form of self-promotion, we would fly kites on the beach to increase interest in our products. Our Windfeathers® banners were initially made to help attract attention to our kite and sundries business. The banners made us instantly noticeable and more approachable. As our designs got more complex, we started to receive requests from other business owners who were noticing the effect we were achieving. Shortly thereafter, we landed our first national distributor and our business really took off.

From A One Car Garage to 8,000 Sq. Ft.

Windfeathers® production first began in a one-car garage at Kurt’s rental home. One day we backed the car and built our first light table with a piece of broken glass from a bank’s teller station. The glass table was the key to our process, using light from underneath to see through both the paper pattern and the overlaying fabric. Soon after, a larger table and sheets of new glass were installed to make a light table 5’x16’ long with multiple florescent lights mounted underneath.

Next, the Windfeathers® operation moved into Kurt’s new home, now with a two-car garage and an office. A second light table was added and employees were hired to handle the growing Windfeathers® demand. Our first poles were modified fishing poles, but we quickly identified a source in China that could produce poles to our specifications. This was the Ringmaster pole, our second signature product. As time progressed, we improved the pole, making modifications to the pole with every order.

Windfeathers® next expansion was a 30’x30’steel building built by Kurt and his brother Bill, now an employee with the company. Cheryl, Kurt’s daughter, and Barbara, Kurt’s mother, have also been with the company from the beginning. The new building housed the computer driven, custom laser system used to cut all fabrics, ending the days of hand cutting and paper patterns. The new system allowed for much more complex patterns cut at much greater speeds. More seamstresses were hired, and soon a larger building was acquired. Our latest 8,000 sq. ft. facility was purchased just after Hurricane Ivan in the Fall of 2004. It was an immense struggle to accomplish our move due to the lack of electricians, carpenters, and painters. We now have 5 light tables, the laser table, and several departments including shipping, art, sales, administration, warehouse, and digital print. We purchased our first digital printer about 2 years ago and have just added our second. A third digital printer and a second laser cutting system are expected to be added soon.

Flags Stand Tall

The flag industry saw an immense surge of business in the aftermath of 9/11. We were fortunate that our suppliers cared enough about our small company to alert us to the increasing demand for what would normally be an overstock of fabrics in red, white, and blue. We quickly made the decision to purchase all of the raw materials for our products that we could lay our hands on, about a year’s supply, and that kept us in mass production for the next four months. We are now laying plans for a sales and call center, plus expanded warehouse space.

In June 2006, Kurt went on his second trip to China to meet with engineers and factory workers developing plans to create the ultimate banner pole, leaving all traces of the original fishing pole behind. With many years of experience and a laundry list of issues, many meetings were held until the newest signature products were ready for prototyping. The Windruler, Windstinger, and Tourmaster poles were finalized and delivered in February 2007 and are now industry leaders and the newest standard of excellence. After more than a year of testing, prototyping, and yet another tour of China in 2007, these new poles are now available and outperforming the most rigorous conditions.

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