ARLINGTON, VA - The Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association and Casual Living magazine have named Ron LaRocca as this year’s winner of the prestigious Donna H. Myers Barbecue Leadership Award.
 
A 30-year sales and marketing veteran, Ron has worked at all levels of the barbecue industry from sauces, marinades and charcoal briquettes to grills and accessories. He has helped more than a dozen barbecue-related companies such as KC Masterpiece and Hickory Specialties redefine and move their products forward in the market. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Ron served as chairman and vice chairman of the Barbecue Industry Association, and was instrumental in realizing BIA’s merger with the Hearth and Patio Association.
 
“Ron has dedicated a large part of his life to the growing of the barbecue industry,” said Ray Shelor, national sales manager for Duluth, Ga-based components manufacturer DiversiTech. “From his initial introduction to the industry—taking KC Masterpiece from a basement hobby to a massive worldwide known brand—to serving two terms as BIA president, Ron has mentored many, including myself.”
 
The 2015 Donna H. Myers Barbecue Leadership Award was presented March 5th in Nashville, Tenn, during the Big Green Egg Chef Cook-off at HPBExpo 2015.
 
Now in its fourth year, the award recognizes innovative leaders who have contributed to the growth of their companies and the overall industry. Recipients combine distinguished professional achievement and community service with problem solving skills and an unwavering commitment to the barbecue industry. Donna H. Myers was a leading barbecue industry advocate who died in January 2011. The award is sponsored by the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA) and Casual Living.
 
Previous winners include: Ed Fisher, founder and chairman of Big Green Egg (2014) and George A. Stephen, founder of Weber-Stephen Products and creator of the Weber kettle grill (2013). The first award, in 2012, was given posthumously to Myers. 
 
For more information on the Donna H. Myers Barbecue Leadership Award and this year’s recipient, contact Michele Kayal at kayal@hpba.org; 703-919-8778.