my turn
ALL FIRED UP Hearth Products Controls experiences a surge in sales as customers discover its exciting line of outdoor fire products. Top: The HPC 18-inch match-lit insert in a Bay Stoves firepit
by GREG THOMPSON
W
ith 2012 gross sales up a healthy 20% at Hearth Products Controls (HPC) Company (Kettering, Ohio), Greg Steck, president and owner, can safely call it a good year. Steck attributes the positive numbers to strong demand for HPC’s outdoor fire products—including fire rings; match-lit kits; and highend, electronic-ignition firepits. Customers favored mostly linear designs for their outdoor needs—a trend that Steck hopes to feed with the company’s H burner drop-in firepit insert, scheduled to come out in the next few months. “Concentric round rings are still here, and still a good part of our business,” Steck says, “but people have seen those rings and want something different. We have the linear models, and a new burner, called Penta, that we launched three months ago. Penta has a flower look, with five portions, and it is doing well.” In the United States and Canada, 16 sales representatives give Steck invaluable input as to what hearth users are asking for, keeping him connected to the pulse of the industry. Meanwhile, independent dealers in hearth shops across North America form the heart of HPC’s loyal customer base. Big-box stores are not targeted by HPC sales representatives because Steck strongly believes in the personal-service aspect of small shops. “I don’t want to water down the product,” he says. “We have a
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Center: Greg Steck
solid dealer network, and the dealers do an excellent job.” Deciphering the whims of the public is not always easy, but with the numbers pointing to the outdoor realm, it is tempting to put more eggs in the hot-products bas-
ket. Fortunately for HPC, having a relatively small workforce of 30 dedicated employees makes it easier to pivot quickly and respond to changing demand. While outdoor designs won the day in 2012, Steck is already hearing from dealers that the indoor realm is picking up, too—perhaps due to seasonal fluctuations. Overall, Steck estimates that 70% of the dealers he works with are doing better than they were last year. Keeping up that momentum is important, and HPC fills the gaps with a small (but steady) business distributing parts that are used
Patio & Hearth Products Report January/February 2013
Left: The Evolution 360 water series
in products from well-known hearth brands. The parts business provides welcome diversity, but Steck is keen to stay true to the foundation of the company; it was built on safety pilot valves, millivolt valves, and remote-control kits/repair parts. The Outdoor Fire Products division came on the scene a decade ago, roughly 25 years into the company’s history. Today, this segment of the business has grown to include high-end, electronic-ignition firepits; push-button–ignition firepits, TK torches, copper water bowls, outdoor-fireplace acces-
sories, and a selection of stainless-steel components. HPC also designs custom fire features and control systems of any shape or size for residential or commercial applications. From 2 to 30 feet wide (and 50,000 to 3 million Btu), these fire features can now be found at large venues— including casinos, resorts, and restaurants—throughout the country. Commercial properties represent about half of HPC’s sales, these days, and that fraction is growing. At least part of that growth is due to laws that force cigarette smokers outdoors. Steck explains, “Restaurants and bars want to keep smokers outdoors, but they want them eating food and drinking—so what better way to accomplish that than to put a firepit out there?” The reliance on added outdoor features at many commercial properties has also served as a powerful form of advertising. “People call in and say they’ve seen our product at different venues,” Steck explains. “They ask, ‘Can I do that at home?’ We’ll get