Finalists for Retailer of the Year

Earth Sense Energy Systems

Owners: Jed & Jody Martin
Year Established: 1991
Dale, Green Bay, Manitowoc,
Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Energy Plus

Owners: John Bergstrom & Nancy Hanson
Year Established: 1978
Duluth, Minnesota

Woodland Stoves & Fireplaces

Owner: Peter Solac
Year Established: 1977
Minneapolis, Minnesota

In 2013, Hearth & Home expanded its Vesta Awards program to include two awards for retailers:

Hearth Retailer of the Year, and Outdoor Room Retailer of the Year.

That year, winner of the Hearth Retailer of the Year award was Energy Products & Design, Rochester, Minnesota. Winner of the Outdoor Room Retailer of the Year was Outdoor Elegance, La Verne, California.

In 2014, the Hearth Retailer of the Year was Friendly Fires, with stores in Cobourg, Peterborough and Kingston, Ontario, Canada. There was no award presented in the Outdoor Room category because no company received enough nominations.

In 2015, there were four finalists in the Hearth Retailer of the Year category. Due to an insufficient number of nominations, once again there was no Outdoor Room Retailer of the Year.

In 2016, there are three finalists in the Hearth Retailer of the Year category but, once again, there will be no award for Outdoor Room Retailer of the Year due to an insufficient number of nominations.

In other years, we attributed the lack of nominations to the fast pace of sales during the year. Everyone was out straight with work, we thought, and they had no time to spare filling out nomination forms.

That theory was disproved this year, as many specialty stores suffered from lack of business.

Nominations in the Vesta Retailer of the Year program must come from those individuals who enter many retail showrooms on a regular basis and know them well. Those people are primarily reps, distributors and National Sales managers for manufacturing companies.

Somehow, they haven’t shown an interest in participating.

The Program

In early November, requests for nominations were sent to all manufacturers, retailers, distributors and reps who are members of the HPBA. From that point until the middle of January, similar requests were sent out weekly via email.

Each person or company was able to nominate up to three retailers in the Hearth category and three in the Outdoor Room category. The top three hearth retailers were asked to provide images and extensive information about their company to our judges, who also visited websites and social media to learn more about each finalist.

Nominees will be honored at the Vesta Awards Ceremony where one winner will be announced. All finalists will receive plaques acknowledging their achievement; the winner will receive an award and be asked to speak briefly from the stage.

Don’t miss the Vesta Awards Ceremony on March 18 beginning at 4:45 pm in the La Nouvelle Ballroom of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. Have a glass of wine, view images of the three finalists’ stores, plus images of approximately 60 new products in competition for Vesta Awards.

It’s a good time!

Feature Filled Fireplace

The FP40 Linear Wood Fireplace from Regency Fireplace Products has a variety of features. The fireplace is designed to fit into a custom-built wall without a brick fireplace or chimney and meets the latest requirements for emissions and efficiency. The FP40 includes a large viewing area for ambiance, making it the focal point of any room in the home. Call (800) 442-7432 or go to www.regency-vision.com.

Options for the Outdoor Chef

Alfresco Home offers the Outdoor Gourmet Kitchen Sectional, with abundant configurations to build the kitchen to best fit an outdoor space. The Sectional offers many options for the chef, including a 45-degree Wedge Spacer to create an L or U shaped-kitchen sectional or to be used as extra counter space; a Refrigerator Unit providing a shell for protection to a fridge unit; a Multi-Purpose Unit that can be used as a planter, beverage cooler or cutting board; a Work station available in two options; a Long Bar and Sink Prep Combo with entertainment bar and space to clean dishes and prep food. The custom-designed Fornetto-Alto Built-In Base Model adds ample storage and workspace to aid in food preparation. Call (610) 705-8808 or go to www.alfrescohome.com.