“Trust is earned in drops, but lost in buckets.” In this episode, Tim sits down with Kyle Quinn, ICC’s national sales manager for Canada, at the Compact Appliances Open House in Sackville, New Brunswick. Kyle has spent 22 years in the business, and he’s built his career on one idea: Show up, be responsive, and let the sale come to you. Tim and Kyle cover why the best reps listen first and find the gap before they pitch, how ICC turned chimney pipe from a commodity into a product dealers actually sell, and where the line falls between personal connection and oversharing on the sales floor. Watch it here, or open the episode page to listen.

“Relatively high natural gas inventories entering the winter season provide a cushion for heating demand, while households that rely on heating oil face higher prices because distillate markets remain tight.” That’s EIA Administrator Tristan Abbey, introducing the agency’s forecast of what American households will pay to heat their homes from November through March, fuel by fuel and region by region. This year’s picture is mixed: Natural gas and propane homes (about half the country) should spend less than last winter, while electricity and heating oil homes should spend more, with heating oil customers in the Northeast paying about 21% more for fuel. Take 10 minutes with the charts, and you’ll have you the numbers for the next customer who asks whether a stove or insert is worth the money this year.

“This is not just an opportunity to become an advocate, but to learn more about the industry.” That’s Jason Tolleson in this issue’s “Government Affairs Update,” and Tim, a Government Affairs Academy alum, calls the program “something everyone needs to take advantage of.” The Leaders Academy builds on nearly two decades of GALA with three pillars: leadership training, advocacy, and industry knowledge. The 2027 class kicks off at HPBExpo27 in Nashville in March, then meets through webinars and three in-person gatherings, including the Congressional Fly-In. Applications close December 15, and space is limited.