Formanek begins stained glass business in rural NYM

Contributed photo
Jim Formanek carefully places new decals on a Deer Creek Fire Department truck. He currently operates Pro Skinz out of his shop in Wadena, while expanding to a stained glass business at his farm in rural New York Mills. 

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

Some people shy away from a challenge—Jim Formanek runs straight into a difficult situation with his arms extended to embrace the situation. After all, the former teacher, chef, business owner and artist, has dabbled in just about anything a person could desire of the past few decades. 

His latest venture is a stained glass business he started at his home in rural NY Mills. After his wife expressed an interest in constructing a new greenhouse, Formanek began dabbling in stained glass artwork as a way to get in touch with his artistic side in a new and creative way. 

“I wanted another challenge and after building a greenhouse for my wife out of an old grain bin on our farm I became interested in stained glass and jumped in with both feet like I always do,” said Formanek. “Completing projects for family and myself taught me that I loved the challenge and attention to detail that stained glass requires.”

As part of his new stained glass business, Formanek is creating custom pieces of art, like a bear on a log, repairing old stained glass panels and creating one-of-kind small pieces of artwork for future generations. The delicate form of art was once a commonplace several hundred years ago, but the tedious nature of creating stained glass has resulted in it becoming somewhat of a lost form of art. Due to the lack of stained glass workers across the country, Formanek has already received a number of requests for custom pieces of art or stained glass repairs. 

Contributed photos
Jim Formanek has several businesses located in both Wadena and at his farm in rural New York Mills. His latest business is a stained glass business that creates custom stained glass pieces of art. He started working with stained glass after remodeling a grain bin at his rural NY Mills house and installing stained glass. He also operates Pro Skinz, which creates custom wraps at his shop in Wadena. 

“Currently I am taking custom sculpture and smaller pieces,” said Formanek. “A few customers have also contacted me about repairing 200-year-old panels that have been broken and I plan to start that as well.”

Due to the nature of stained glass, Formanek said each project will be bid on a case-by-case basis  due to the time the project will take to complete, as well as the cost of getting the different stained glass panels shipped to his shop in rural NY Mills. 

The new business venture has not only allowed Formanek an opportunity to try his hand at a new form of art, but also gives him the opportunity to work on projects near his home in rural NY Mills. Since his stained glass business is located at his home the business allows him the opportunity to go to work without ever having to leave his property. 

“I am at the age where I wanted something else to do at the farm,” he said. “I wanted something to piddle with.”

Formanek established Pro Skinz Design & Detailing after stepping away from teaching. During that time he also found another passion in the culinary arts. He purchased the Up Town restaurant in downtown Wadena where he was the head chef until he continued to feel an artistic tug pulling him back to graphic design. 

“At an early age I found creative outlets in building things and art. Classroom academics never connected with me other than creating and teaching others to be creative,” said Formanek. “In seventh grade I start to hang out with our small town’s local artist Andy Sinnwell. I learned how to hand paint signs, pinstripe, illustrate and even watched Andy restore classic cars. With his inspiration I started meddling his skills and opened my own business in 1986 named Formanek Designs while still in high school.”

Unsure of what he wanted to do after high school, Formanek’s mother suggested he explore a career as an art instructor and he eventually moved to Wadena in 1994 to join the Wadena-Deer Creek art program as a teacher. In 2010 Formanek explored enhancing another art form, culinary art, when he purchased the Up Town in downtown Wadena. Just one week before a tornado destroyed the former Wadena-Deer Creek High School, Formanek resigned his teaching position after 15 years to focus his time on the Up Town and eventually a new business, Pro Skinz & Design. 

After a bad experience with a custom wrap job from another business, Formanek decided to expand his Pro Skinz business to offer large scale printing for vehicles, signs banners and walls. 

Over the next five years he designed and printed 15 sales vehicles and 30 semi-trailers for Russ Davis Wholesale in Wadena. Feeling the tug to get more involved in the art side of his business once again, Formanek sold the Up Town and focused his attention on Pro Skinz full time. 

“I sold the Up Town in 2015 to concentrate fully on Pro Skinz. In 2017 I added automotive detailing as another option for my clients and that has become really popular,” said Formanek

While his stained glass business is located out of his home, Pro Skinz & Design will continue to be located in his shop in Wadena. The two businesses offer a creative outlet for Formanek, while also providing him a chance to have a wide variety of work options from one day to the next. 

Recently, he was installing a new wrap to a Tesla vehicle to protect it from chips and nicks that can be associated with gravel roads in rural Minnesota. He has also installed a wrap to essentially change the color of a vehicle, while also designing wraps for things like buses to create a movable billboard. 

“Challenges have always been my addiction and Pro Skinz has been a constant creative outlet for me full-time since 2015 and I am very thankful for that. I still do chef part-time in the summer for restaurants in the area so I can also be creative in the kitchen and see more people,” said Formanek. 

To see more of Formanek’s designs or to get a quote on an upcoming project visit his website at www.proskinzanddesign.com or call (218) 639-1691.