Here's a quick update from us.

Hot News

MAY 2019

National Barbecue Month

It’s May and that means everyone should be cooking outside to celebrate National Barbecue Month. Here are 31 Reasons to Grill , courtesy of HPBExpo 2019 attendees. HPBA has a full range of activities thid month and many prizes to give away. First of all, thank you to our generous sponsors who have donated a number of interesting BBQ prizes, with a special shout-out to WPPO for the grand prize donation of a Vesta-winning portable pizza oven. Go to our Sponsor page to see all the different prizes donated by Anderson & Forrester , Big Green Egg , Blue Rhino , DiversiTech , EZ Start , Hestan , Mr. Bar-B-Q , Napoleon , and TEC Grills . We will be giving the prizes away during our various social media activities throughout the month, culminating in a Facebook Live with our May ambassador, Stan Hays – Founder and CEO of Operation Barbecue Relief on Saturday morning of Memorial Day Weekend.

We encourage all of our members to take part in this fun month and to help you, we have created a member kit with graphics, sample press releases, and other images. This same kit also includes materials to help you use #WhyIGrill as a marketing tool. We update this folder all the time, so check back for new material as new promotions launch. We want to encourage consumers all across North America to get out and start grilling (and buy new grills and accessories!).

To see everything we are doing, make sure you are following our BBQ-specific social feeds on Twitter , Facebook , and Instagram .

NSPS Q&A -- Live!

Don’t miss our next Facebook Q&A Live event, where you will have the chance to ask your questions about the May 2020 deadline for NSPS Step 2. This event is hosted by Rachel Feinstein, HPBA’s Government Affairs Senior Manager, Tim Reed of Fireside Home Solutions, Chris Neufeld of Blaze King, and Grant Falco from Falco’s. Tune in on May 7 ^th starting at 10am ET to find out what retailers need to know about the fast-approaching deadline. This interactive Q&A will give retailers the opportunity to ask experts anything about NSPS. Don’t miss out on this informative session; click here for more information.

Do you have an idea for a Facebook Live event? We welcome all suggestions from all members and will work with you to determine how to address topics of interest to our industry, whether on our Facebook page or in some other way. Please reach out to Emily McGee with any ideas.

Hearth Promotions

It might be spring (or summer in some parts), but we are still pushing consumers to think about their hearth products. We’ve had three successful Facebook Lives promoting hearth products from different angles, with each video getting thousands of views on Facebook. You can now view all of them on our YouTube channel , along with other HPBA videos. We are also encouraging consumers to remember that this a great time to get that chimney cleaned and inspected, perform that routine maintenance, or even work on that hearth upgrade. The retailers would love to help with these projects, especially in the “off-season!”

All questions, suggestions, or any other thoughts about our promotions are encouraged – please contact Emily McGee .

HPBExpo 2019 Survey Results So Far

This year's Expo results showed that participants had a productive trip while in Dallas:

7 out of 10 attendees purchased a product on-site, committed to purchasing a product or plan to purchase a product within a year.
71% of exhibitors already plan to attend HPBExpo 2020 in New Orleans.
77% of those attending felt it was an overall positive experience.
80% of attendees would recommend attending to others.

HPBExpo Site Visits

The Expo Committee is scheduled to meet on June 4 ^th -5 ^th in New Orleans. Members will have the opportunity to review final 2019 Expo reports, survey results, and discuss preliminary plans for the 2020 Expo. A tour of the convention center, outdoor burn area, and city will also be conducted.

Kelly VanDermark made a site visit to Louisville, Kentucky on May 3 ^rd . While there, she met with representatives of the Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau and Kentucky Exposition Center and got tours of the center, hotels, and city to determine if the city could be a contender for a future Expo.

HBEF/NFI

Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for classes that were taken at HPBExpo in Dallas have been entered on the NFI website. Please log in to the NFI website and check your score. Call the NFI office at 703-524-8030 or email us if you have any questions about your score.

Recordings of HPBExpo classes have been uploaded to the HE@RTH Online Training Subscription Catalog. You can purchase single classes or a 12 month subscription that gives you access to all 325+ classes in the catalog .

We would love to hear from you – do you have any thoughts or suggestions about our Expo Education program? Please share them with us.

Government Affairs

EPA's Remains Silent on NSPS Sell-Through Proposal

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) still has not published a final rule regarding sell-through for Step 1 appliances beyond the May 15, 2020 effective date – when only Step 2 appliances can be sold under the New Source Performance Standard (NSPS). HPBA continues to encourage all members to operate their businesses with the May 15, 2020 deadline and requirements in mind. For more information, visit our NSPS FAQs website page . Please contact John Crouch if you have any questions.

CEC Proposal on Gas Hearth Products Expected This Month

The California Energy Commission (CEC) began considering an efficiency standard for gas hearth products more than a year ago. After extensive meetings with stakeholders, CEC is expected to publish a proposal this month, along with an announcement of a public hearing. To sign up for the CEC hearth product rulemaking listserv, click here . If you have any questions on the rulemaking or the public hearing, please contact Ryan Carroll .

HPBA Canada Kicks Off Changeout in Ottawa

The first woodstove changeout in Canada’s capital city of Ottawa kicked off in late April. The changeout, which focuses on surrounding rural areas, is funded by the city. Rebates authorized under the program are for 25 percent of the total cost of a qualifying appliance, up to $750. For more info, click below.

Contact HPBA Canada

Affiliate Spotlight

Thanks to the efforts of NWHPBA, two significant things happened in the Washington State legislature recently - the Washington State woodstove bill died and the capital budget is funding changeouts.

The State legislature adjourned this week without passing a proposed bill requiring a state emission limit of 2.0 grams per hour (g/hr) for all new stoves. The 2.0 g/hr emission limit would have applied regardless of the test method used in certification. Step 2 of EPA’s NSPS, by contrast, sets emissions limits of 2.0 g/hr for appliances tested with cribwood and 2.5 g/hr for those tested with cordwood. Additionally, the bill would have increased the fee which that state collects when any new woodstove is purchased.

When NWHPBA got word of this bill, they got to work to try to stop it or at least amend it. Their grassroots effort in Washington made a big difference when NWHPBA worked with HPBA to encourage their members to contact their legislators directly in opposition.

Some more good news came about from the state legislature when it passed a state capital budget that included at least another $2 million for woodstove changeouts over the next two years. NWHPBA strongly supported this position.

Good job to NWHPBA on keeping an eye on the state-level government activities and being prepared to act quickly to protect the industry!

HPBExpo 2020

Exhibition: March 12-14

Education: March 11-13

Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, LA

Get ready for HPBExpo 2020

Booth sales are off to a good start; make your booth reservation today and visit Apply to Exhibit page for floor plans and contracts. Housing and registration will open September 3, 2019.

HPBExpo 2019 Photo Gallery

Find yourself on the show floor in the gallery , and tweet images at #HPBExpo!

Connect with HPBExpo

Small Biz News

Congratulations to BBQGuys for being selected as the Small Business of the Week by the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship! Each week, the Committee selects a small business to recognize for its hard work and accomplishments, and we love to see someone in our industry get selected. Congratulations BBQGuys!