► ► CONTRIBUTORSPOTLIGHT Clay Dennis Clay has been part of the hearth industry since 1995. In May of that year, Tommy and David Lancaster of Lancaster Gas Service in Greensboro, N.C. recruited him while searching for an experienced salesperson. Clay started in sales at Lancaster Gas Service, and he was
► ► CONTRIBUTORSPOTLIGHT Ryann Blake Ryann joined the hearth industry about a decade ago. At the time, she had just gotten her MBA, so her dad asked her to help him run their family business, Chimney Techniques, which has been open in Aberdeen, Washington since 1985. After her dad retired,
► ► CONTRIBUTORSPOTLIGHT Chris Neufeld After graduating from Cal Poly, Chris went to work at Santa Anita in Arcadia, where he started in sales and eventually became the Vice President of Marketing. After that, he worked at Bay Meadows in San Mateo before joining the hearth industry. But about 30
► ► CONTRIBUTORSPOTLIGHT Matt Bradley Bill Lentz holds Economics and MBA degrees from the University of California. His sales career began in 1972 with Exxon Mobil. In 1979, he took a six-year break to study and teach meditation. After moving to New Mexico in 1985, he sold Dale Carnegie Courses
► ► CONTRIBUTORSPOTLIGHT Matt Bradley Matt never planned to work in the hearth industry. But after a wide range of roles in food service, plywood production, and public education, he eventually found his way into the hearth world through a part-time role with Tim Reed in 2020. At the time,
► ► CONTRIBUTORSPOTLIGHT Noel Putaansuu Noel grew up in a house with an open fireplace and a wood stove. Wood stoves have also been the primary heat source in his last three homes, and he currently burns about three cords of wood per winter. As such, many of his fondest
► ► CONTRIBUTORSPOTLIGHT Dave Anderson Dave Anderson has been part of the hearth industry since 2003, but his professional journey actually started in the backcountry—not behind a showroom counter. At the time, he was working full-time as a hunting and wilderness guide, spending his days packing into remote areas on
► ► CONTRIBUTORSPOTLIGHT Dave Rettinger Dave’s a second-generation hearth guy, so he’s been around the industry all his life. “My father started Rettinger Fireplace when I was five years old,” he recalled, “and I watched my parents grow the company into a legacy worth continuing.” Even though he grew up
► ► CONTRIBUTORSPOTLIGHT Kyle Titsworth Kyle owns and operates The Fireplace Showcase, a retail store that was started by his father. As such, he’s been around the industry his whole life, but he’s only been professionally focused on it for the last five years. During that time, he’s been the
► ► CONTRIBUTORSPOTLIGHT Gideon Honeycutt Gideon Honeycutt has been part of the hearth industry for 15 years, getting his start at just 17 years old. What began as a part-time job in sales at his aunt and uncle’s shop—Wright’s Hearth, Heat & Home—quickly turned into a career. While earning his