Attendees of HPBExpo voted Infinity Canopy the 2015 Attendees Choice Award for the most marketable outdoor-living product (38 new products competed for the marketability award in two categories, indoor and outdoor). Infinity Canopy was voted the winner in the outdoor-living category after facing stiff competition. This is the second award for Infinity Canopy, which was unveiled at the awning industry’s main event, IFAI Expo, in October 2014. There, it won the ShowStoppers Award for the best new product in the shade category.

Unlike custom canopies that are in one piece, Infinity Canopy has a unique modular design that allows…

Elmira Stove Works (Elmira, Ontario) stands as Canada’s only remaining kitchen-appliance manufacturer. Celebrating 40 years in business this year, Tom Hendrick, founder and CEO, says, “It’s been quite a run. There have been some bumps in the road, but by looking ahead and continually adapting, we’ve been able not only to survive, but to thrive.”

The ability to thrive over time is rooted in the company’s focus on product quality and innovation, in maintaining a steadfast loyalty to its dealer network, and in sticking to what it does best. Recent changes include the assumption of the role of president…

This year’s HPBExpo (held March 5–7 in Nashville, Tennessee) experienced a substantial increase in registration and exhibitors, mirroring the economy’s steady rise and consumers’ willingness to take on remodeling and home-improvement projects. HPBExpo 2015 featured 375 exhibitors, up 22% from last year, and 8,145 total registrants, a 54% increase over 2014.

Next year’s HPBExpo is scheduled for March 16–19, 2016, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Postshow surveys from this year indicate that 79% of attendees plan to return, and booth presales are up 7% over this time last year. With hundreds of manufacturers…

Ed Fisher, founder of Big Green Egg Inc., was named a 2015 inductee of the Barbecue Hall of Fame®by the American Royal Association. Ed Fisher was one of the first people in the United States to catch on to the fun and flavor of kamado cooking. After eating a meal prepared in a kamado grill in the early 1970s, Fisher declared it the best food he had ever eaten. Making it his mission to get these cookers into backyards everywhere, he began importing rudimentary clay kamados from Asia and selling them from an Atlanta,Georgia, storefront in 1974.

These early…

HearthDistribution.com featured its new pizza oven/outdoor-cooking center (www.hearthdistribu tion.com/product/SNH-OCC.html), along with a sampling of its flavored cooking pellets, at the HPBA Pacific Dealer Round-Up, held May 4–6 in Folsom, California. The company also displayed its wide variety of outdoor firepit burners, log sets, and hearth pads.

The demand for grills and firepits offered by HearthDistribution.com has thrust the company into the need to show the products to dealers all over the country. With its just-in-time philosophy, HearthDistribution.com appeals to dealers seeking financial rewards through cost-effective purchasing.

Company executives are reviewing existing product lines to determine which new products…

The World Food Championships and Bull Outdoor® Products announced recently that the Bull Burger Battles have been fired up for a third season in 2015. Bull Burger Battles are a nationwide series of live-event burger cookoffs held to find the best burger cooks and chefs across the country. The champions of this year’s five Burger Battles will be invited to compete (as part of Team Bull) at the World Food Championships in Kissimmee, Florida.

The Bull Burger Battles series started in 2013, with battles taking place in San Diego, California; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Chicago, Illinois; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Oklahoma…

C.R. Plastic Products Inc. recently purchased a new 300,000–square-foot manufacturing facility and corporate headquarters in Stratford, Ontario. For the past 21 years, C.R. Plastic Products has been designing and manufacturing premiumquality casual furniture from postconsumer recycled plastic. What started as a small flea-market business has grown into a global enterprise, with product distribution on nearly every continent. Jamie Bailey, founder and president, says, “We are ecstatic that our product quality, customer service, and environmental mission have resonated so strongly with our customers from all over the globe. We are expanding not only our operations, but also our presence as a…

Phifer has expanded its current stock line of indoor/outdoor furniture fabrics to include an additional 30 luxurious, fashionable GeoBella®cushion and Phifertex®sling fabrics. Timeless or trendy, classic or contemporary, Phifer’s Designed Fabrics feature the style, performance, and quality required by discerning customers.

The new stock line includes styles in bold, rich, and fresh tones, as well as soothing neutrals that easily mix and match—for a host of color-coordinated options. The 2015–16 stock line is also influenced by the need for cleaner lines, larger scales, and strong pattern elements. This mix of ideas and colors helps make it easy to create…