Hearth Insight
May 2020
2020-2021
Board of Directors:

Scott Ongley
President
Edward Hosack
Vice President/AK
Ryann Blake
Secretary/ At Large
Pat Broddock
Treasurer/At Large
Jeff Davidson
At Large
Chad Eberhart
At Large
Grant Falco
At Large
Daniel Hammer
At Large
Chris Loper
At Large
Troy Olsen
At Large
Debbie Hannig
At Large
Vacant
At Large
Kelli Cruz
W WA
Colleen Kittridge
E WA
Chris Patterson
Idaho
Guy Hanson
Montana
Tim Reed
Reg 9 Rep
Carolyn Logue
Lobbyist
Amy Ohlinger
Executive Director

In this issue:
  1. President's Message
  2. Member Spotlight: VBS Heating Prodcuts, LLC
  3. Call for Involvement
President's Message
By Scott H. Ongley, NWHPBA President
Well, here we are at the end of May and things are beginning to look up! Several of our members have chosen to remain closed thru the COVID Days while others remained open for business. Whatever your choice was, I hope you are all getting ready for what I feel will be a decent selling season this Fall. The public has been cooped up in their homes for 2+ months and have been staring at their outdated fireplaces and stoves and will be needing our services soon.

Hot news for the Washington dealers, the state is cracking down hard on companies not following rules concerning worksite and showroom rules if you are open and operating. L&I will be enforcing the rules. If you are not sure what you should be doing, there are resources on the NWHPBA website that can help you. The fines are steep and we also do not want to bring any attention to our industry for all our sakes.

While we were unable to have our Spring Conference, we have begun to produce webinars that will be offered throughout the summer months with Educational topics that would have regularly been available at the Spring Conference. Our first webinar on Social Media How To’s was a Big Success. Colleen Kitteridge gave an in-depth hands-on experience of how Facebook and Instagram can benefit your company when used properly. Feedback on her presentation was very positive! Stay tuned for June and July webinar topics.

As we start to look forward and get back into the swing of business again, keep in mind, customers will be anxious and cautious. Let them know you are open for business with your advertising. Your message should include that you are practicing safe and clean standards within your showroom and your service techs are properly outfitted to enter homes safely. Project a positive prepared image of your company at all times. Talking with your employees and keeping them informed and updated on current safety standards is critical to getting through this.

NWHPBA is here for you, to support you and guide you through these uncharted waters of COVID. Let us know if you need anything and we will respond.

Have a great Summer season and get ready for a fantastic Fall!
Member Spotlight:
VBS Heating Products, LLC
By Connie & Mark, Owners
Company Name:
VBS Heating Products LLC
Company Birthdate/Year: 
Summer 1999
NWHPBA Member Type:
Dealer
Size of store/showroom sq feet:
Building is 3,200 sq. ft., showroom is 1,800 sq. ft.
Number of employees/installers/service techs/sales/sweep:
Mark and I both are employees and we have one technician/installer.
  • What do you do to separate your business from others? We only carry quality products from proven manufacturers.
  • What diversifies your business, product wise? We carry Big Green Egg and are currently looking at wood fired sauna stoves.
  • What are customers telling you when they come in the shop? We hear things like “So glad you are here”, “Beautiful showroom”, “I love these stoves”.
  • What trends do you see the next year? Loaded question with the ramifications of COVID-19. What we have already seen is more people wanting to be prepared for anything; most Alaskans are, but things are being taken very seriously now. Our business is down, but this is generally the slow time so hard to tell just yet what the future holds.
  • How long have you been in the hearth business? Since 1999
  • What got you started in hearth business? Mark was a placer miner for 20 years in the Seward Peninsula, way up in Northern Alaska. He was tired of it and wanted to stay home, so he started it as a hobby basically, selling DeVille Oil Drip, Scan wood stoves and Monitors or whatever we could get from Lucky Distributing back then. Within five years the business took off and we brought in more products like Blaze King and Jotul . By 2007, it got crazy so I resigned from my full time job to work the business full time instead of when I could and keeping books from home.
  • What has kept you in the hearth business?  Good income, helping our community with their heating needs, great customers and fantastic sales reps.
  • Why are you a member of NWHPBA? Information, and all the benefits that go with being a member. We like how we are kept informed of government agency actions and so many other aspects of our industry.
  • Have you attended NWHPBA/HPBA Events? If so… what is your favorite part about them? We have attended EXPOs. We’d have to say favorite parts would be networking with other dealers and manufacturers, seeing what’s new and checking out towns we have never been to before.
  • What’s your favorite NWHPBA memory? We have had some great times at EXPOs. The big dinner get together Jotul hosted in Salt Lake in 2011 was a blast. New Orleans was a real treat.
  • What’s your favorite movie? Mark: Master and Commander, Connie: Dances with Wolves
  • First car? Mark: 1974 Chevy Station Wagon, Connie: Sixties Chevy Nova
  • First concert? Mark: Eric Burton & War, Connie: ZZ Top
NWHPBA New Board Members
NWHPBA would like to welcome Kelli Cruz (W WA) & Chris Patterson (Idaho)
to our NWHPBA Board!
Hello! I am Kelli Cruz, Owner/CEO of Cascade Fire Solutions located in Puyallup, WA.

I have been in the hearth industry for about 13 years. I am extremely excited to be serving on the board of NWHPBA and look forward to networking with others in the industry. I am very connected to the Pacific Northwest as I was born and raised here.

In addition to fire, I love coffee, reading books and hiking with my border collie Zoey.  
Call for Involvement
Are you interested in joining NWHPBA's Board of Directors or getting involved on a committee? Do you have a great employee who would like to get more involved?

We have a number of opportunities for involvement, from providing content for social media and newsletters to helping us plan our Annual Meeting, to participating on the Board. We appreciate any time you can offer to help our association grow! 

Open Board of Director Positions:
  • Western Washington
  • At Large
  • Idaho

Open Committee Positions:
  • Government Affairs Committee Volunteer
  • Membership Committee Volunteer
  • Education & Communications Committee Volunteer
  • Annual Meeting Committee Volunteer
We want to hear from you!!!
The NWHPBA Communications Committee publishes the Hearth Insight monthly. If you have a story or article you would like to have shared, please email us to be included in our upcoming editions!!!
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