The Companion Group, a design andmanufacturing company makinggrilling, pizza-making, and other cookingand outdoor-living products, has returned toits roots by moving its office to Berkeley,California. The Companion Group wasfounded in Berkeley in 1984.

Its beginnings were small, as foundersChuck Adams and Doug Fielding startedout selling chimney-style charcoal startersby visiting local retailers, door to door.Eventually, the company grew into the familyof brands that it is today, with lines suchas Charcoal Companion®, StevenRaichlen Best of Barbecue™, pizzacraft®,and Planet Barbecue™. As the companyevolved, it based its offices in Berkeley,Oakland, and Emeryville, California. SinceOctober 2012, however, it has once againcalled Berkeley home.

Chuck Adams, CEO of TheCompanion Group, says, “It’s such a goodfeeling to be working again in Berkeley,after all these years. I am a 1960s kind of guy, so being smack dab in the middle ofthis incredibly unique, diverse communitytruly appeals to me and to our dedicatedstaff, many of whom are also Berkeleyresidents. Doug and I see this move as animportant step in strengthening the missionof our company: to grow our business continually, with consistently innovativeproduct design, while also providinga comfortable, dynamic workplace builtwith a thoughtful eye toward our impacton the local and global environment.”