Occupation: Owner of Outdoor Elegance

Special Interests/Hobbies: “Golf and cooking.”

Problems/Issues Facing the Patio Furnishings Industry: “Being on top of your game. With all the competition such as the Internet and the flood of incorrect information, you need to know exactly what you’re doing.”

Problems/Issues Facing the Barbecue Industry: “Perceived Value would be number one. So many grills look great but don’t last. All the cheap grills on the market should be named Disposal Grills; they’re filling up our landfills.”

Key Trends in the Patio Furnishings Industry Today: “Mixing and matching furniture. Example: wicker with iron and/or teak wood. This is the year of the mixed grouping of furniture.”

Key Trends in the Barbecue Industry Today: “Outdoor Kitchens, Outdoor Kitchens – we built more outdoor kitchens with all the bells and whistles in 2018 than in any other year in the history of Outdoor Elegance.”

Forecast for your Business in 2019: “We’re looking at an increase in business over 12% for 2019. More people want the customer service and are not buying online.”

Years Reading Hearth & Home: “Since I purchased this business in 2001.”

Reasons for Reading Hearth & Home: “Hearth & Home is a great industry publication. The information provided is valuable for our industry, and is a great reference guide when dealing with Hearth and Barbecue. One more thing – Richard is a cool person and Tom is also cool!!!!!!!!!!”

Article(s) Ideas: “I like reading about innovative people like myself. I love it when someone comes up with a plan or system on how to make money in our industry and also do good for the consumer. That’s what I like, and I want to see more of it.”