The President’s Perspective: October 2024
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The President’s Perspective: October 2024
Jill McClure
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Each month, as I read The President’s Perspective in The Fire Time Magazine, I notice a trend: The featured leader often mentions the HPBA or HPBExpo. What that means to me is that your North American trade association and your industry’s annual tradeshow are core components at the heart of your livelihoods; they’re part of the memories that timestamp careers, contributions, and decisions.
Your North American trade association and your industry’s annual tradeshow are core components at the heart of your livelihoods; they’re part of the memories that timestamp careers, contributions, and decisions.
Where was your first HPBExpo? Who made you feel welcome and showed you around? Who began as a colleague and has become a lifelong friend? These are the things people remember.
In July’s article, Kent Roeder of Roeder Ventures wrote eloquently about issues facing hearth business owners today and explained some of the ways to meet those challenges, including honoring and advancing the important connection between retailers and HPBA. I couldn’t agree more, which is why we engage and collaborate with retailers to strengthen our support.
Working with HPBA affiliates—coordinating our advocacy work and providing support to the network of retailers who join HPBA through affiliates each year—is at the core of this endeavor. HPBA has added year-round benefits to members as well as programming at HPBExpo that increases value to retailer attendees. Some of these additions include Retailer Roundtables at HPBExpo, naming our first-ever Retailer of the Year, and introducing a U.S. Employment Hotline as a resource for staffing—a chief challenge all retailers face.
Working with HPBA affiliates—coordinating our advocacy work and providing support to the network of retailers who join HPBA through affiliates each year —is at the core of this endeavor.
Kent also suggested another way to ensure a closer connection between retailers and HPBA is to make sure HPBExpo, which is typically held in the Central or Eastern U.S., goes out West now and then. Again, I couldn’t agree more!
At some point, it became a “done deal” that HPBExpo, the industry’s biggest event of the year, would always be held in the Midwest or Eastern U.S. As we all know, however, things change. We also know that our western retailers would like to see their area added to the rotation. New venues open regularly, and we will continue to look for one located farther west than our current host cities of Louisville, Nashville, and New Orleans. We’re investing resources in the search for a home on the range and will keep you updated on our progress.
At HPBA, we are focused on your business, your needs, and your success. We want to do all we can to support you and protect your livelihood through advocacy, codes and standards, and workforce development. We are here to help you make the best decisions you can for your business by providing data, education, and industry information.
At HPBA, we are focused on your business, your needs, and your success.
You want to be the best at what you do for your team and your customers. Engaging with HPBA gives you the information and the influence to shape the future of not only your business, but also your industry as a whole. I urge you to get involved—begin by renewing your membership with your local affiliate and follow up by planning now to join us in New Orleans in March for HPBExpo 2025!
P.S. We’ll be recognizing the next Retailer of the Year, so get your nominations in at hpbexpo.com by December 1.
Engaging with HPBA gives you the information and the influence to shape the future of not only your business, but also your industry as a whole. I urge you to get involved
Jill McClure
Jill is the President and CEO of the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA).
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