We're trying to mount a ceiling fan in a room with a suspended ceiling. The joist is 10" above the ceiling tiles, which is where the electrical box is located. Has anyone had any luck accomplishing this, where it looks professional?

You can get a bracket that will mount a ceiling fan to a suspended ceiling, however in this case it is probably easier just to mount the fan to the outlet box and use a downrod that is 10" longer.

It has to be easy to do. There is a bracket/box to mount a junction box between the beams of a suspended ceiling. That gets the fan where it needs to be, but it's not supported.

Look on page 27 here: http://www.hdsupply.com/ele_Catalog_...5-556_EL07.pdf
On the top-left corner.

Unistrut and threaded rod can attach the box to the joists above. Unistrut is like a metal erector set.

Actually that bracket is for ceiling joists. The one for grid ceilings has four arms and a safety cable.

I maintain in this case it is much easier, and probably safer, to mount the fan directly to the joist.

Now at my church, where the structural ceiling is a good 10' above the suspended ceiling (which is 15' off the ground), I mounted the fans to the suspended ceiling. I wasn't going to get a lift!

Oops, I agree. But the erector stuff starts on page 46 of the same link.

Have you checked the new "Tile Fans" from www.cobaviento.com? These fans are designed specifically for suspended ceilings. They only weigh 11lbs so you don't need to reinforce the ceiling grid. You basically just replace one of the 24"x24" ceiling tile with the "Tile Fan" apply power to it and you are done.