EDUCATION & TRAINING

HPBA employs a full time education professional to produce training programs that increase sales and profits for members of Hearth Products Association.

• Retail Sales Training Program – Using videotapes and workbooks, the sales training program provides retailers with the tools and information necessary to train sales staff in effective showroom sales techniques. This is now part of OHPBA’s PHD, Professional Hearth Dealer Program.
  
  
• PHD, Professional Health Dealer Program – A special series of full-day courses with manuals designed to help retailers maintain competitiveness and profitability. PHD features these sections: Hiring, Retaining, and Empowering Employees; "Show Me the Money: Getting Financial Control of Your Business".
  
  
• FireWright - Developed with the Gas Research Institute and A. D. Little, this is a training program for those who sell, install, and maintain gas hearth products.
  
  
• Annual EXPO Education Programs - During OHPBA’s annual EXPO, the Association offers continuing education for retailers in these three tracks: Business Management, Sales & Marketing, and Technical, providing nuts and bolts information and lots of ideas to take home and implement.
  
  
• Manufacturers Annual Meeting – This meeting provides continuing education on topics and challenges that manufacturers face daily in their efforts to remain competitive, while offering opportunities to network.

Consumer Promotions

HPBA’s web site includes a complete list of the locations and products sold by all HPBA retailer members.

HPBA responds to consumer requests for information by providing its 16-page brochure Rediscover the Heart of the Home. This new consumer publication:

• conveys technology and design innovations
• educates consumers on heating alternatives
• illustrates interior design possibilities
• covers venting and fuel options for hearth appliances
• Provides consumers with the chance to select the best product, listing questions related to location, style, performance, costs, fuel, and lifestyle.

HPBA’s public relations programs annually bring more than 20 magazine editors to EXPO, HPBA’s annual trade show. Editors see new hearth products for the home, learn about new hearth technologies, and receive ideas about hearth design and décor. The exposure results in dozens of news stories and magazine articles, influencing consumer attitudes and generating interest in new products.

EXPO – HPBA’s Annual Trade Show & Exposition

Hearth & Home EXPO is a marketplace that attracts more than 9,500 hearth and hearth-related industry professionals to buy, sell, network, and learn. HPBA’s EXPO, the largest buying and selling arena for hearth products in North America, combines the exhibit floor and the outdoor burn area into a new products showcase.

HPBA then adds technical, marketing, and management information not otherwise available. HPBA’s EXPO includes every aspect of the hearth products industry, from learning state-of-the-art installation procedures, to purchasing new product lines, to strengthening and forming business alliances.

IN PRINT & ON THE WEB

• Annual Membership Directory & Products Guide – For HPBA members only. The complete list of Association members, with detailed products and brands information
  
• CEO Report – published monthly for HPBA members, a quick and easy to read executive update covering Association activities and industry developments from HPBA’s president and CEO
  
• Web Site – HPBA’s web site offers the latest information on Association activities, industry events, and consumer information. The password protected members-only area provides value-added information, analyses of essential issues, and important information about member services. The consumer pages offer the dealer locator, making it easy for consumers to find a nearby HPBA member retailer.
  
• Market Growth and Future Vision Study – Published in 1998 by HPBA and the Gas Research Institute and prepared by The Axiom Group, this report describes growth opportunities in the hearth products industry during the next 10 years. The report also includes strategies that can help the industry meet its full potential in the next decade.

HPBA CAUCUSES

The Association maintains special industry groups, offering companies in specific sectors of the industry opportunities to meet, discuss specific concerns, share ideas, and propose activities benefiting both the industry segment and the industry as a whole. Current caucuses include:

• Accessories
• Barbecue Manufacturers
• Barbecue Dealers & Distributors
• Distributors
• Installing Distributors
• Manufacturer's Representatives
• Masonry Products
• Outdoor Furnace Manufacturers
• Retailers
• Vent Free

Industry Information Services

HPBA publishes statistics, surveys, and reports for participating members, to determine the direction of the industry, measure the performance of industry segments, and provide benchmark performance indicators.

Government Relations

HPBA provides leadership in developing and implementing strategies to meet legislative and regulatory challenges. The Association successfully tackles major safety and environmental issues and delivers solutions that avoid unwarranted regulations while preserving the reputation of the hearth products industry. Member companies are involved in designing the industry’s strategies, and can take early advantage of resulting opportunities.

HPBA currently holds a seat on the important Clean Air Act Advisory Council (CAAAC), which advises EPA on air quality regulation issues. HPBA’s president & CEO is an experienced Washington attorney, who has represented the hearth products industry for nearly two decades.

A seasoned and highly regarded government relations professional deals with government affairs at state and local levels and staffs HPBA’s office in Sacramento, California. When necessary, HPBA retains specialized counsel and technical experts to support its government relations efforts.

Codes and Standards

HPBA employs a full-time professional engineer who represents the industry’s interests relating to developments and changes in codes and standards affecting hearth products.

As a member of ANSI (American National Standards Institute) HPBA has a major influence on standards affecting hearth products.

HPBA is constructively involved in the emerging issues surrounding hearth products and indoor air quality.

Dealer Locator: Only members are listed on OHPBA’s website dealer locater (oregonfireplaces.com).

Dual Membership: By joining OHPBA you are also a member of HPBA: See list of HPBA benefits below.

Mystery Shopping:
Last year, HPBA provided a low cost way for retail stores to b involved in a mystery shopping program. Participating retail stores are shopped during the busy season. Store managers receive a detailed report comparing the scores for their store against all other hearth, patio & barbecue specialty retail shops.

download the Mystery Shopper PDF

Local Meetings, Trainings and Registration Discounts: Locally, OHPBA and NWHPBA (representing Washington, Idaho and Montana) join forces to offer three days of education and fun. The Spring Conference is held in early June. Sunday will offer a golf tournament and tour of local attractions. Monday and Tuesday will offer NFI certification courses, sales training and managerial topics. If you don’t go to EXPO, definitely plan to attend this event and visit with Reps and Distributors about the hottest new products for the fall! Members receive a significant discounted registration fee. Members receive discounted event registration - save nearly $100 per person at our Conference.

Public Affairs: If we let up on our presence at the Oregon legislature, we can expect troubled times ahead. Last session, there were proposals to require a plumber’s license for running fuel gas pipe and an HVAC license for venting and fuel gas piping related work – and we expect to see these proposals again at the next Oregon legislative session. In 2003, OHPBA drafted a bill to create a residential hearth installation license. Your membership in OHPBA will help us achieve our goal of defending our industry from the undue burden we would face if other licensing programs were enacted that only partially captured our work. Only OHPBA members receive updates on how changes in building codes affect the hearth industry. Also, only OHPBA members receive help from the OHPBA office on codes related problems. OHPBA is your representative with air quality agencies, like DEQ. Only members receive updates on proposed air quality rules in Oregon that affect hearth and barbecue appliances.

Media Exposure: Your association is your voice to the media! OHPBA sends press releases to local papers on your behalf to highlight trends in the industry, to promote clean burning appliances, and to offer home owners seasonal safety tips. When the OHPBA office gets a call from a newspaper, radio, or TV station, only local members are referred to the reporter.

Industry News: As a member of OHPBA, you will stay current with all of the industry news and governmental issues facing your hearth-related business by receiving our quarterly newsletter Fireside Chat and Codes Update.