Hearthlist Digest #127 - Thursday, April 2, 1998 Re: Hearthlist Digest #126 - 03/31/98 by "Roger Sanders" <[email protected]> My thoughts, too! by "BASHINE" <[email protected]> Re: Hearthlist Digest #125 - 03/30/98 by "Rod Poplarchick" <[email protected]>
(back) Subject: Re: Hearthlist Digest #126 - 03/31/98 From: Roger Sanders <[email protected]> (by way of Craig Issod) Date: Wed, 1 Apr 1998 23:57:02 -0400 Some additional and personal observations about St. Louis. 1. The education sessions are a real hit. Maybe they=92re the best of any trade association. It certainly took Sue Kalish=92s hard work and Ron Pulone=92s clear and loud voice as head of the education committee. The Larry James presentation on networking Windows 95 computers was very good. HPA should have Larry do it again next year, as more retailers learn that networking computers is extremely valuable. (By the way Craig, =93Windoze=94 95 networked computers run much faster than equal Macs running on the Mac=92s built-in local talk network) 2. The times, they are a-changing. Times were when the gas fireplace guys built logs that looked a lot like three big dog turds with candles in back, while good gas stoves like Regency=92s Ultimate series seemed absolutely amazing with their glowing logs and flickering flames. Well it=92s now the opposite. The current gas stoves can=92t =93hold a candle=94 = to the flames and the glow in Heat-N-Glo=92s new gas fireplaces. Our stove guys are now really behind. 3. St. Louis seems like a much better city to be =93from=94 than to be =93in= =94. The down town and gateway arch were very nice. The miles of urban decay, abandoned factories and general lack of pride make for some interesting sociological questions though. 4. The one hour bus rides from hotel to convention center and one hour back were not good. The last HPA buses stopped at 6PM. The police on the Metro said not to ride the Metro back to the hotel at night. The $28.00 taxi fares back to the hotel were spendy, particularly when we rode in broken down, 84 Chevys with drivers that were unable to speak English. The time that our driver backed off the on-ramp of the wrong freeway was real exciting though. 5. I for one, vote no for HPA at St. Louis again. 6. Looks like the Big Mac Attack is back in previous St. Louis commentary. Here=92s some more Mac reality for you Craig as I write this on a Mac. >From a typical consumer=92s point of view, Windows 95 may be flawed but the Mac=92s limits make it much worse. Let=92s accept the fact that =93Windoze=94 95 is as undesirable as you say. Then just how much less desirable is the Mac OS8 to consumers when it has dropped from 12% to 5% of systems currently sold? Sad but it=92s all over for Mac, other than for backwater niches or some small corner of a future universal operating system. Roger Sanders =46ireside Spa & Patio [email protected]
(back) Subject: My thoughts, too! From: BASHINE <[email protected]> (by way of Craig Issod) Date: Thu, 2 Apr 1998 12:36:58 -0400 To Hearthnet Friends: I enjoyed reading the responses about Expo in St. Louis. As HEARTH Education Foundation's new Executive Director, I decided to take the opportunity to share my thoughts. First my congratulations to the HPA staff for a well run and successful tradeshow. Special thanks to Joan Letchworth, Sue Kalish, Betteanne Leahy and company for their help and support given to HEARTH during the show. I agree with John Crouch's assessment of the growing importance of professional education/training in our industry. Attendance was at an all time high at HEARTH Gas, Venting & Design and Pellet Prep Training seminars. (Gas training was a sell out.) Over 170 attendees took HEARTH Certification Exams at the show with over 130 achieving HEARTH certification. Over the years I have been aware of HEARTH's good work but from a distance. I was even more impressed with seeing first hand the interest and participation of retailers, sweeps, distributors, and manufacturers at our HEARTH booth. It revealed to me a strong commitment to excellence by Industry members and growth potential for our hearth service agency. Also, there was a strong consensus at both the HPA seminar regarding building officials' recognition of professional certification and also at our HEARTH booth that it is time to approach building officials with information about the fundamentals of hearth products and HEARTH certification. They are knocking at our door and we plan to answer. On a personal note I am glad to be back among all my hearth industry friends. I'll remember St Louis as the gateway to new personal growth and achievement as a member of the HEARTH Foundation team. We all know that professional credentials are a valued asset in today's environment. I am fortunate to be part of today's hearth products industry who want and merit such recognition. I look forward to working with all of you. Barb Shine Executive Director HEARTH Education Foundation 4/1/98
(back) Subject: Re: Hearthlist Digest #125 - 03/30/98 From: Rod Poplarchick <[email protected]> Date: Thu, 2 Apr 1998 13:46:33 -0400 I had a good time at the HPA show nothing really new. I was a thousand pellets off of the guess how many pellets that was a lot of fun I hope the winners had fun with the cash. I thought the out door burn area was a little cramped and hard to find the booths I wanted to visit in doors and out. Avalon had a great booth and their sales staff was the best the where willing to listen to me and tell me about all the new stuff. As for Heat N Glow and Whitfield I could not get any help so I gave up after two days and never got to talk to anyone about new products or problems. I did not know who to talk to at Whitfield do to them dumping my rep Jay Hanson for an on staff rep. I hope I get the same excellent service from the Paid Rep as I did for a commission based Rep I had with Jay. I hope the best For Jay and let hope other Manufactures don't follow Whitfields suit! The White Rogers, Robert Shaw and Fasco Booths where very helpful even if I was not an Manufacture they help me with all my questions. I like how most of the booths had the Scan card reader so they can send me info and not have to lug around hundreds of price sheet and brochures that came in handy because I did not go back home for a week after the show, I flew to Upstate NY where the Weather was warm and and Home in sunny California it was Snowing "El Nino!" Is any one still making the extended hopper Mantels for Whitfield if so drop me a line I must have missed them at the show. Rod Poplarchick Climate Control Systems Oakhurst, Ca [email protected] http://www.surfus.com/