Contributor Spotlight: Tim Reed

Tim has been in the hearth industry since he was 18 years old. At that time, he was in a failing punk band that was playing shows up and down the West Coast, and his future father-in-law asked for some help installing a wood insert. Tim didn’t know what a wood insert was, but he knew that he needed the money, so he agreed—and that single decision has shaped his entire career. Since then, he’s been an installer at Schaefer’s Stove & Spa, a salesman at Lisac’s Stove & Spa, a retail leader at Fireside Home Solutions, the founder of WhyFire, and the executive publisher of The Fire Time Magazine.

When asked what advice he would offer to others in the industry, Tim responded with these words of wisdom: “This is one of the last remaining industries where the sole proprietor can still win over big-box stores and internet conglomerates. We have an amazing opportunity in front of us. This is an industry where you don’t need a pedigree to make your way, and we serve a very specific niche that’s very, very needed. So my advice would be to pour yourself into this industry—even if it’s not the ‘cool’ or ‘sexy’ job that someone out of college might get. This is an industry that can treat you very well, and you can serve a lot of people. And when you start doing the work every day, your heart just follows.”

Outside of work, Tim enjoys spending time with his family, studying the Bible, learning about theology, playing the guitar, and dunking over others while playing basketball.

Thanks for pouring into The Fire Time Magazine, Tim. We appreciate your generous heart, genuine enthusiasm, and boundless drive to be better!