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Hearth & Home March 2017

Who Reads Hearth & Home?
Kevin Wood, for one!

Boulder, Colorado

Occupation: Independent Manufacturer’s Representative

Special Interests/Hobbies: “Mostly, I am involved in coaching youth baseball. It’s nice to be working with young athletes helping them to develop their skills, learn teamwork, and especially to learn life lessons. I’m a big family guy and love playing games with the family in the evenings.”

Problems Facing the Hearth Industry: “Government and bureaucratic regulations at the national, state and local levels. We’re an easy target and it’s causing an undue burden on us all. Low energy prices can also play a factor for some segments of the industry, especially in some areas of the country.”

Sales Forecast for Your Hearth Business in 2017: “Things are going in the right direction and it should be a good year for growth. The dealers and distributors I work with are very professional, have good displays and are feeling positive about the future. The companies I represent are well positioned in the marketplace.”

Years Reading Hearth & Home: “I’ve been reading it ever since it was Wood ‘n Energy. In other words, ever since it began.”  

Reasons for Reading Hearth & Home: “It helps me keep up to date on the topics and trends of the industry. It’s a great resource for seeing what’s new. It’s nice to also see successful dealers, friends and acquaintances that are sometimes featured in the magazine. Reading the magazine gives me good ideas for sales and marketing.”

More Stories in this Issue

Perspective:
Time for Women

Here’s a bit of HPBA trivia. Becoming chairman of the association is an honor, a sign of respect for someone who has spent a number of years on the board, and understands the workings of the organization.

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Impact on Business: Climate Change

By James E. Houck

In the near term, the tangible repercussions of climate change are not nearly as important to hearth, patio and barbecue businesses as consumer perception and governmental policies and regulations it arouses. Conversely, in the long term, if scientific projections are correct, its physical manifestations may become very important to these businesses.

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Meet Ingrid Schroeter

By Richard Wright

She’s the incoming chairman of the HPBA, co-owner of the Napoleon Group of Companies based in Barrie, Ontario, and she already has plans to improve business education, and to increase retail membership in the association.

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Fireside Chats

By Richard Wright

It certainly wasn’t the best year, but manufacturers we interviewed weren’t complaining. They’re just happy to be moving the needle a bit, while they worry about coming Net Zero regulations that could gravely damage their business.

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Wood and…

By Tom Lassiter

The hot look in wood is contemporary; paired with another material it may well become a best-seller.

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2017 January Business Climate

In early February, Hearth & Home faxed a survey to 2,500 specialty retailers of hearth, barbecue and patio products asking them to compare January 2017 sales to January 2016. The accompanying charts and selected comments are from the 231 useable returns.

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