ZAMBONI Inducted Into World Figure Skating Hall Of Fame: 2006

For Immediate Release

FRANK J. ZAMBONI TO BE INDUCTED INTO HALL OF FAME

PARAMOUNT, CALIFORNIA (February 24, 2006) – The World Figure Skating Museum & Hall of Fame President Hugh C. Graham, Jr., M.D. recently announced the 2006 election of Frank J. Zamboni to the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame. Frank will be inducted posthumously during the 2006 World Championships in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, in March. Richard Zamboni (Frank’s son and the President of Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc.) will accept the award in Calgary on behalf of his father.

Frank Zamboni’s innovative spirit literally changed the surface of ice rinks around the world. He not only engineered and patented a unique ice floor in 1939, but in 1940 he and his brother Lawrence and a cousin opened Iceland in Paramount, California – one of the largest ice rinks in the country with 20,000 square feet of skating surface. While Frank managed the rink, he realized that to be successful in the ice business, he would need to reduce the amount of time required to resurface the ice sheet. Frank spent nearly a decade developing a workable machine. The resulting Model A ice resurfacer was the world’s first self-propelled ice resurfacing machine. In 1949, Frank applied for a patent (which was granted in 1953) for what would become his most well-known design – the world’s first self-propelled ice resurfacing machine. In 1950 he established Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc., also in Paramount, which along with a Canadian Zamboni manufacturing facility in Brantford, Ontario, produces the company’s ice resurfacing machines.

Zamboni’s background in the ice industry originates fro the ice-making plant he helped to establish in 1927, which sold ice wholesale to fruit and vegetable packing plants. Frank had a natural ability with mechanical objects and although he did not complete his formal education, received 15 patents during his lifetime. The son of an Italian immigrant, Frank was born January 16, 1901. his engineering genius was recognized by Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y. on May 15, 1988, when he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Engineering.

Frank Zamboni was inducted into the Ice Skating Institute’s Hall of Fame in 1965 and the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame in February of 2000.

Richard Zamboni was extremely proud when it was announced that his father would be inducted into the World Figure Skating Museum’s Hall of Fame, joining legendary skating icons and industry friends including many with whom he worked closely – Sonja Henie, Richard Dwyer and John Nicks to name a few. When he received the news, Richard said: “My dad would be especially proud to know that his commitment to ice sports and the industry is being recognized by the World Figure Skating Museum. He is joining a group of people that have made significant contributions to skating and that would have meant a lot to him.”

With a history that spans over 50 years, the Zamboni Company preserves its founder’s legacy through continuing innovation and its support of the ice sport industry. As the leader in ice resurfacing technology, Zamboni remains the overwhelming choice for ice rink operators throughout the world.

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