HPBExpo 2022 Got Back to Traditions in Atlanta
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HPBExpo 2022 was a success! Thousands of attendees from North America traveled to the Georgia World Congress Center for another great trade show in early March. Bridget Brennan, author of “Winning Her Business and Why She Buys,” opened the show by giving the keynote address sponsored by Hearth & Home Technologies. We also were treated to some fascinating hearth research plans courtesy of Napoleon at a Friday evening session.
Over 20 new products were exhibited at the New Product Pavilion, which were eligible to win the Attendees’ Choice Awards for the most-marketable new product in the Hearth and Outdoor Living Categories. Congratulations go to the 2022 winners: Hearth category winner – Saver Systems for the HeatShield Prior Fire Retrofit Fireplace System; and Outdoor Living Category – LitUmbrella.
Trying to recall a company or a product at Expo? The 2022 List of Exhibitors is still available, as is the 2022 Mobile App. Be sure to also check back later for a collection of photos taken at the show.
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The 2023 HPBExpo Committee is scheduled to meet on May 17th –18th in Louisville, Kentucky. Members will have the opportunity to review the final 2022 HPBExpo reports, survey results, and discuss preliminary plans for 2023. They will also get a tour of the Kentucky Exposition Center, the outdoor burn area, and Louisville itself.
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HPBExpo 2022 Survey Results Thus Far!
This year's Expo results showed that participants had a productive trip to Atlanta:
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- 7 out of 10 attendees purchased a product on-site, committed to purchasing a product, or plan to purchase a product within a year.
- 81% of attendees find value in attending.
- 80% of exhibitors plan to exhibit next year.
- 86% of exhibitors find value in having a booth at Expo
- 85% of the exhibitors rate the quality of sale leads at the show as good.
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Reserve Your Booth Space for HPBExpo 2023 Today!
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Booth sales for HPBExpo 2023 in Louisville are off to a strong start, and prime space will be gone soon. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to showcase your products and help your customers make the most of their Expo experience! Book your space now so retailers know that they will see you in Louisville – visit the Apply to Exhibit page to review current floor plans, contracts, rules, rates, and more. Contact Exhibit Sales Associate Tanya Karkiewicz with any questions.
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Get Ready for HPBExpo 2023 and Save the Date!
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Exhibition: March 11-13
Education: March 11-13
Kentucky Exposition Center
Louisville, Kentucky
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Booth sales are off to a good start, so make your booth reservation today to claim your spot. Visit Apply to Exhibit page for floor plans and contracts. Mark your calendar: registration will open on September 1, 2022. Early bird hotel reservations are now available here. Be sure to mark your calendars for March 10-13, 2023 (note show pattern change to Friday – Monday for next year only).
Louisville Attractions
We are so excited to be visiting a new city for HPBExpo in 2023!
Horse racing, bourbon, baseball bats; there is something in Louisville for everyone.
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The next episode of HPBA’s podcast is now available on Apple and Spotify. This interview with Corey Krill, our Manager – State Energy Policy, talks about legislative activity at the state level, especially as it impacts electrification.
If you missed it, you can also listen to the interview with Henry Hall, HPBA’s new Chairman. Stay tuned for more episodes as we post them! Do you have any ideas for topics for a podcast? Reach out to Emily McGee and share your thoughts!
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We released our Annual Report last month and it is chock full of information and updates about HPBA activities. During our second pandemic year, the staff continued to represent and promote the industry and the Annual Report talks about everything that happened
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2022 HPBExpo Education Recap
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Now that spring is here, many of the HPBA affiliates are having their yearly events and education/training. Be on the lookout for news about their events on our social media channels. Make sure if you aren’t a member that you join your local affiliate. These are always great events and have tons of education.
We have such great educational opportunities and instructors who give their time to help us grow as technicians and business owners. We are teaching NFI reviews and classes at several of the affiliate events and hope to see you there.
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HPBA’s Government Affairs Academy
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After postponing the event in 2021 due to COVID, the HPBA Government Affairs Department hosted the 2022 edition of the Tom Pugh Government Affairs Academy (GAA) from Wednesday, April 20th to Friday, April 22nd. Seventeen attendees – comprised of retailers, distributors, and manufacturers – attended in person. A departure from the traditional Washington, D.C. offering, this GAA was a hybrid event held in St. Louis.
With the threat of forced electrification at the state and local levels continuing to rise across the country, this year’s curriculum focused more heavily on state legislative and state and local regulatory processes. Students also learned about giving testimony and participated in a mock hearing. HPBA staff is exploring options for the next GAA, likely in 2024. For more information or questions, email Chris Conner.
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Many state legislative sessions are wrapping up, with the final pushes for fuel choice and electrification taking place. We are also keeping an eye on cities where electrification efforts are being pursued. Below is an update on some of the places where we are tracking legislation. As always, if you hear of an issue developing in your state, city, or county, do not hesitate to forward it to Corey Krill.
New York: A statewide gas ban was not included in the budget bill despite Gov. Hochul including it in her budget proposal. The New York State Assembly refused to include what they considered a policy decision in the state’s financial plan. With the New York legislature still in session, other stand-alone gas ban bills remain a possibility.
Vermont: The Green Mountain State’s version of a gas ban – dubbed the “Clean Heat Standard” – passed the House and is in the Senate. The measure was amended to delay effective date to January 2024. The Government Affairs team and NEHPBA are continuing to monitor the progress of the bill.
Idaho: A fuel choice bill passed this session in Idaho, making it the 21st state that limits electrification by jurisdictions within the state.
Minnesota: Fuel choice bill Senate Bill 4269 received a hearing this session and is technically still alive although we do not expect it to pass. Despite its likely fate, it is anticipated that fuel choice will be back on the radar in the next legislative session.
Colorado: House Bill 1362 would require the Colorado Energy Office to select for adoption a low energy and carbon code based on the 2021 IECC or the forthcoming 2024 IECC (whichever is more energy efficient); cities and counties with building codes must adopt the selection and start enforcing it no later than January 1, 2030. The bill has passed out of committee and is awaiting the consideration of the full body.
Washington: The Washington State Building Code Council approved, by an 11-3 vote, an update to the state's commercial energy code. The updates to the 2021 Washington State Energy Code will require builders to install electric heat pumps for space and water heating in most new commercial buildings and multifamily residences with four or more floors. The council also advanced proposals that would restrict fossil fuel use in residential buildings, which would go into effect in 2023 alongside the commercial code updates.
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HPBA welcomes the Vent-Free Alliance
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The Vent-Free Gas Products Alliance is now part of HBPA as the Vent-Free Gas Products Subsection under the Gas Hearth Appliance Section. The group will continue to do business as the Alliance. The first meeting of the group under the HPBA banner will be May 5th, where both existing and new members will discuss membership details of the new subsection.
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Woodstove and Pellet Stove Technical Staff Meet for “Lab Day” in Portland Area
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On Wednesday, May 11th, engineers and technicians from throughout the industry will meet to review work done on sampling methods for EPA’s Measurement Technology Group last summer. The event is being hosted by HPBA and PFS-TECO at their lab in Clackamas, Oregon, to review their experiences and lessons learned from the work they performed. This months-long woodstove testing effort involved the first extended use of a new measurement tool favored by EPA, the tapered element oscillating microbalance, or “TEOM”, as well as the first successful use of the NESCAUM “Integrated Duty Cycle” (IDC) test protocol. Industry manufacturing members will be joined by two key members of the EPA’s measurement team.
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HPBA Files Comments on DOE Proposal
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On April 8th, HPBA filed comments on a Department of Energy proposal to gain the ability to regulate “miscellaneous gas products.” While the proposal is open-ended, DOE indicates it is looking to regulate products as diverse as indoor vented gas hearth products, gas log sets, outdoor fireplaces, patio heaters, and fire pits. The proposal suffers from a number of factual errors (including claims on what products already can be regulated by DOE and a failure to acknowledge the energy conservation benefits of relatively new – and increasingly prevalent – On Demand Pilot technology). HPBA’s comments can be found here. Please contact Ryan Carroll for more information.
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May Could Be Crucial Month for Tax Credit Discussions
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Many pundits have been carefully tracking the prospects of success for President Biden’s Build Back Better plan. Several provisions have no real chance of passing, but some pieces, including extension or modification of several tax credits, 25(D) being one of them, are still in play. A growing consensus, though, is that the run up to Memorial Day will be a make-or-break period for even the provisions of the package with the most bipartisan support. If opportunities to extend or strengthen the wood-burning appliance tax credit, currently set to expire at the end of 2023, appear, HPBA may send a call to action to our members to urge congressional support. Stay tuned for more information.
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Significant COVID Relief Tax Credit Could Be Part of Your Tax Preparation
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With U.S. individuals and businesses filing taxes in April, HPBA wants to again remind our members about a tax credit that has flown under the radar for some: the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC). This fully refundable tax credit can be claimed on qualifying employees’ wages for parts of 2020 and 2021. In total, the tax credit can range as high at $26,000 per qualifying employee over this two-year span. Even if you did not claim the credit when filing 2020 or 2021 taxes, there is a three-year look-back provision – this means you can still take full advantage of this significant credit.
We encourage you to read our ERTC blog post. We are happy to answer as many questions as we can on the tax credit for members – you can contact HPBA’s Ryan Carroll – but HPBA cannot provide any tax advice on the matter. Please contact your accountant, payroll processors, or tax experts for advice on filing.
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Membership Satisfaction Questionnaire Coming Soon
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In the coming weeks, you will receive an invitation from HPBA to take a survey about your satisfaction with the Association, what your pressing needs are, and how the Association could help. Please make every effort to take a few minutes to reply to the survey when you receive it. It should take no more than a few minutes to complete. Your responses are vital. They will help let us know which of the Association’s offerings are working, which ones are not, what the Association could potentially add, and how the Association could better help your business. Your participation helps HPBA only grow stronger and be a more valuable tool for you.
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HPBA Chairman Henry Hall is leading an effort to conduct a strategic planning exercise in early June. The exercise will include many facets of HPBA’s membership: manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and Affiliate staff. The results of the exercise – a new strategic plan – will help guide the association’s path over the next several years, and provide a blueprint for the new CEO, who is expected to begin no later than January 1st.
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Affinity Partner Spotlight
HPBA partners with a number of companies that offer discounts and special offers to our members. Each month, we’ll highlight one partner and their offerings. Visit the Affinity Partner webpage to learn more
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Lenovo is built for business and you can get tech & supplies up to 60% off as an HPBA member. Are you in the market for new computer equipment? Lenovo is your one-stop shop to building your small business. With special details for HPBA members that can provide full office solutions from high-performance PCs, laptops, and visuals to office supplies, with the best savings of Lenovo.com, this is the place to go when it is time to upgrade. Go to our Affinity Partner page
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On a limited basis, HPBA will start accepting ads for future issues of Hot News. If you are interested in more information, please contact Emily McGee. Hot News goes out each month to 7,000+ industry members with an open rate of approximately 25%.
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Do you have important personnel news to share with the industry? Please send to
Emily McGee for consideration for inclusion in Hot News.
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Reminder!
HPBA has a new banking relationship with Bank of America, and our SunTrust accounts are now closed. For wiring information, please contact Robert Washington.
NEW PAYMENT ADDRESS:
Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association
P.O. Box 412397
Boston, MA 02241-2397
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Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association
1901 North Moore Street, Suite 600
Arlington, VA 22209
Phone: (703) 522-0086
Fax: (703) 522-0177
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