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R E TA I L E R
GROWING THE BRAND Over the past five years, the Cotnam family has made some strategic decisions that have brought The Fireplace Center & Patio Shop to the next level in terms of visibility and branding. They expanded their West Ottawa retail store (making it one of the largest of its kind in Canada); put up high-profile signs; and created a large outdoor-living display area, in front of the store, that has significantly raised its visibility from the street. “We are located on the second most traveled east/west thoroughfare in the city (with an average Andy Cotnam of 40,000 cars per day), and one can’t drive by the store without noticing it. I thought the store was busy before, but now, our parking lot is never empty,” Cotnam says. The company has taken full advantage of the space in the large front courtyard area by building a gorgeous deck, shade structures, a pergola, and an outdoor kitchen. The Cotnams also park their signature 1950 bright yellow Chevrolet Suburban on the front driveway. The vintage truck is a staple in local parades and at golf tournaments and other community events. “We have become known for our vehicles, whether those are our branded delivery trucks or our classic Suburban,” Cotnam adds. The Cotnams have also expanded The Fireplace Center & Patio Shop’s online presence. In 2010, they hired an Internet marketing consultant to redo the
company’s website, changing it from a mediocre site that was designed and run by a family member into a slick, professional sales/marketing tool. “In today’s Internet age, a company’s website is the face of its business because people will check out the site before they even visit the store. It has to reflect the image one wants to portray to the public,” Cotnam explains. He is also preparing to go live on Facebook and Twitter. He adds,“I’m a dinosaur when it comes to social media, but since I have help, I think we have been able to put some really good tools in place.”
A BETTER EXPERIENCE From day one, the driving force behind everything that The Fireplace Center & Patio Shop does has been its customer base. The entire team is constantly thinking of new ways to improve the retail experience. When it comes to the showrooms, Cotnam says, “We want people to see beautiful things that excite them when they walk through our front doors.” The West Ottawa store not only is expertly merchandised, but is one of only three showrooms in North America that displays the Napoleon Swarovski special edition modern linear fireplace. This $10,000 fireplace, a joint venture between Napoleon and Swarovski Crystal, features flames that come through a bed of crystals. “Everyone comments on how unique it is, and I think it gets people thinking differently about fireplaces,” Cotnam says. On the second floor, the showroom has a large electric-fireplace display area with more than 40 fireplaces. The striking centerpiece is a 95-inch linear, wallmounted electric fireplace by Modern Flames. “There are hearth dealers who won’t touch electric fireplaces because they think that everybody is buying them from the big-box stores,” Cotnam says. “We have such a
great selection that customers who buy them from a big-box store in the morning come back and get something of better quality from us in the afternoon.” He explains that electric fireplaces constitute a much bigger market than retailers realize, and that he sells at least a couple of electric units a week to people who live in condos, high-rise buildings, and retirement homes. “They can be installed anywhere, and people buy them no matter what time of year it is,” he adds. The store also has a wide selection of grills, which have become quite popular in recent years. During the past summer, sales were up almost 50%. Cotnam has found that the best way to get people excited about grills is to fire one up and cook on it. “Customers love to smell and sample food hot off the grill. I was surprised at how something so simple could be so much fun for customers,” he says. The Fireplace Center & Patio Shop experience is not just about its showroom and products. It is also about its knowledgeable, experienced staff members and the environment that they create for customers. “We want customers to feel comfortable in our stores, knowing that we will listen to them and give them good advice. We never want to pressure them into making a purchase,” Cotnam says; he is quick to jump onto the sales floor and personally greet shoppers, when needed. He adds, “We have to remember that we are working in people’s homes, which are their castles. They are putting a lot of trust and faith in us, and we want to uphold that. It’s the culture of our business—and they know that our entire team cares.” In describing what has made The Fireplace Center & Patio Shop what it is today, Cotnam (without hesitation) says, “great employees, high-quality products, and uncompromised client satisfaction.”
Hitzer’s Heaters Feature Amish Craftmanship by SHARON SANDERS
H
itzer Inc. is known for the detailed Amish craftsmanship of its wood and coal stoves—and that’s not just a marketing claim. Every weekday morning, the company sends a 15-passenger van to a nearby Amish community in Adams County, Indiana, to pick up seasoned craftspeople who are part of families that have been making Hitzer stoves for 35 years. They spend the day working at the company’s factory in Berne, Indiana, assembling stoves by hand, and then the van takes them back home at night. Dean Lehman, general manager and son of the company’s founder, Claren Lehman, says, “We are a big family that takes pride in every stove we make.” Hitzer began in the early 1970s as a small blacksmith shop, making wood and coal stoves for local Amish homes. Its simple (yet powerful) stoves were designed to heat entire homes and large workshops. Hitzer made a name for itself as a local stove shop with outstanding heating products and family-friendly service. In 1975, Claren Lehman and a few of his brothers saw an opportunity to take the business to the next level, and they formed a partnership with the Amish that became Hitzer Inc. The original shop remained, and the Lehmans set up a new factory a short distance away. Lehman remembers that the first Hitzer Inc. stoves were basic black boxes, with no frills and no blowers (because the Amish use no electrical power), but the stoves were workhorses that could easily heat entire homes. “I used to tell people that they’d have to look long and hard to find something to out-heat a Hitzer stove, but they wouldn’t have to look far to find something that could out-look one,” Lehman says.
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Over the years, the Lehmans added glass doors, brass trim, and blowers to many of the stoves, but they have been diligent in maintaining the original heating and burning principles. “Our stoves are still workhorses, but we’ve fancied them up a little bit,” Lehman explains. In the 1990s, Hitzer introduced its first gravity-fed coal hopper, which became an overnight favorite with its customers. The hopper takes advantage of gravity to feed coal into a stove, instead of using mechanical/moving parts, so it can operate even during a power outage. Best of all, it provides hours of continuous, even heating, and it requires little or no maintenance. Today, Hitzer has 13 stoves in its lineup (including several versions of the gravityfed coal hopper); they are sold across the United States. The company’s biggest market is from Indiana eastward and up into New England. Two years ago, in an effort to give its products more precise control, Hitzer decided to enter the coal-stove stoker market with its 608 Energy Master I stoker. “In one giant leap, we went from being handfired to using one of the top-of-the-line stokers on the market,” Lehman says. Hitzer’s stoker, with its integrated Coal-Trol thermostatic control, speeds up or slows down the firing rate to maintain an even temperature. “We like to call it cruise control for your coal stove,” Lehman says. This year, the company is taking the next big step by adding a stoker furnace to its product line: the stoker hot air furnace. The furnace can be installed in the basement of a house, and the homeowner will be able to control the heat, feed rate, and blower from a thermostat inside the house. The furnace will have a higher Btu output than the freestanding stoker. Lehman says that he’s already had a number of dealers ask about the furnace, and it hasn’t even been intro-
Patio & Hearth Products Report January/February 2011
duced to the market yet. “I know it’s going to become a fast favorite,” he says. While Hitzer is proud of its heritage of making handtooled products, it is equally Hitzer Stoker proud of its personal coal stove service. Lehman and model 608 his father make it a priority to visit their dealers regularly to find out how to improve their products and service. “My dad, who is 78, still takes a road trip every spring to spend time with our dealers,” Lehman says. He adds that whenever possible, the family will even deliver stoves personally. “It’s generally with my dad, my son (Jason), or me, because it gives us a chance to talk to dealers, rather than just hiring a truck driver to haul the products,” he explains. The company also owns two display trailers (with eight mounted stoves) that the Lehmans use in late summer through early fall. “Dealers love it when we show up at one of their open houses, a county fair, or a local town festival to demonstrate our stoves. The best part is that we do it free of charge because it shows our dealers that we’re here to support them,” Lehman says. The Lehman family has enjoyed much success in its business over the years, and is careful not to grow too quickly. “The bottom line is not necessarily our number-one goal. Our stoves make warm friends, and that will always be our biggest reward. The bottom line will take care of itself,” Lehman says.