The Fire Time Podcast

"This is the conversation for you if you've been trying to think about how we ease the tension between retailers, distributors, and manufacturers." In this episode, Tim shares exclusive content from the HPB Expo opening session in New Orleans, featuring insights that were too important to wait for the regular podcast schedule. The session brought together industry leaders to tackle the biggest questions facing hearth, patio, and barbecue professionals today. This session includes: • Jill McClure and why the HPBA is fighting to protect an industry that provides better living to millions of customers by providing you with intentional spaces so you can build the right relationships to grow your business • Jessica Voss-Kehl and how AI will fundamentally change how hearth and patio businesses operate—from customer service to inventory management • Tim Reed moderates a panel discussion with industry leaders Dave Rettinger, Deb Hannig, and Zack Fisher - Making the Shift: How Our Industry Stays Relevant in the Years to Come • The specific roles retailers, distributors, and manufacturers must play to reduce industry tension and create mutual value Don't miss this rare behind-the-scenes look at where industry leaders think the hearth and patio world is headed—and what you need to do now to stay viable in the years ahead. —— Watch this podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/U3v6SxkXC9w Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fire-time-podcast/id1433804268 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4vHdzg48bE5qFf0KjMeMej?si=7b6cae3923d348f2 Read The Fire Time Magazine: https://www.itsfiretime.com/magazine Subscribe to The Fire Time Magazine: https://itsfiretime.com/subscribe Support The Fire Time Podcast financially: https://www.itsfiretime.com/join

"It was my feeder and burn pot, they decided to make their own burn pot and change the design. That's where things didn't work very well for very long..." In this episode, Tim sits down with Dane Harman (founder of Harman Stoves) and his daughter Karen Harman-Smeltz for a rare father-daughter conversation about building one of America's most respected hearth companies from a basement workshop in rural Pennsylvania. From cutting stove parts with Gloria's cutting board as a template to pioneering the pellet technology that powers today's industry, this is the untold story of grit, innovation, and the $40 electric bill that changed everything. In this episode, Tim, Dane, and Karen cover: • How a shocking electric bill jump from $40 to $100 sparked the idea to build their first wood stove—using a cutting board, T-square, and acetylene torch in the basement • The evolution from welding corners by hand on the floor to precision laser cutting that's accurate to ten thousandths of an inch • How coal stoker technology accidentally birthed the pellet pro feeder system—plus the Vermont Castings partnership that launched Harman into the big leagues Don't miss this intimate look inside the mind of a true industry pioneer who went from three employees in a 40x80 building to revolutionizing an entire industry—all while never losing sight of the principle that you build to a standard, not a price. —— Watch this podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pAb7YMvWWyQ Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fire-time-podcast/id1433804268 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4vHdzg48bE5qFf0KjMeMej?si=7b6cae3923d348f2 Read The Fire Time Magazine: https://www.itsfiretime.com/magazine Subscribe to The Fire Time Magazine: https://itsfiretime.com/subscribe Support The Fire Time Podcast financially: https://www.itsfiretime.com/join