I’ve worked in various trades since 2002, and hearth is where I started. About 16 years ago, though, I moved over to HVAC, and from then on, the fireplace side only got a small portion of my attention. But all that recently changed—because over the last six months, I’ve gotten back into hearth full time. Honestly, it’s felt like a baptism by fire, even though hearth has always been part of our business. My office is the showroom now, and with fresh eyes on the floor, I’m convinced that three things will shape our industry this burn season and beyond: the product customers are asking for, the people it takes to deliver it, and the partners who are there when we need them.

Let’s start with the product, since wood burners are making a real comeback. Waconia Comfort has never been a big wood company. We’ve got about 30 units on our showroom floor, and only one is wood. But with all the uncertainty in utility pricing, people are looking for alternative fuel sources. Some have a little prepper in them. Others just want options to keep their energy costs as low as possible. So I’ve been getting deep back into the wood side of things—which I haven’t had to focus on in a while—and we’re bringing in two, maybe three, more wood displays before the season starts. Simply put, demand is moving, and our industry has to move with it.

Next, I’ve noticed that the people in our industry are spread pretty thin—and the problem starts with the pipeline. Kids grow up knowing they can go to college, and if that’s not the right fit, there are established trades with real schools waiting for them. Counselors will happily say, “Go be a diesel mechanic.” But nobody’s talking about becoming a hearth technician because there’s no college degree for installing fireplaces—no program, no pipeline, no push. So recruiting comes down to grassroots efforts: converting a mechanic over from another trade, or bringing in kids right out of high school and training them ourselves. It takes a little time, but some of our best talent has come that way. The hearth industry doesn’t have an established track in trade schools yet—so for now, our shops have to be the school.

Finally, we all need partners who support us—and sometimes, support is just as simple as answering the phone. For example, I just spent three weeks chasing my tail on a builder’s fireplace. It was 10 years old, it was a brand we don’t carry, and it needed to be re-vented—but I couldn’t find a manual anywhere. When I finally reached the manufacturer, the tech department’s message said, “Due to unforeseen circumstances, no one is available to take your call.” And then—click. Not even a voicemail. Just a click. So I called up one of my distributors and asked, “Who do you have in your Rolodex?” Well, he knew a guy who knew a guy who had what I needed. The next day, I filled out a credit app with a company down in Missouri—because now I’ve got a contact I can rely on. Don’t get me wrong: I need good product, and I need good pricing. But if a company can’t support me, I won’t deal with it. And I know I’m not alone, if only because we all need partners who pick up the phone.

So that’s my report after looking at our industry with fresh eyes: The product mix is moving, good people are getting harder to find, and the right partners matter more than ever. The good news is that you don’t need 16 years away from the industry to see your business clearly. You just need to ask three honest questions: Do you have the right product? Do you have the right people? And do you have the right partnerships? We’ve got about four weeks until the burn season, which is still enough time to make adjustments—but only if we start asking these questions today.