Upcoming Events
HPBA Region 9 – Annual Meeting 2023
Date: May 4-5, 2023
Location: Best Western PLUS Hood River Inn – Hood River, OR
Hood River is a really fun town just 45 minutes from Portland. The Best Western is right on the river with fantastic views. Nearby, watch windsurfers and kiteboarders. Hood River is the windsurfing capital of the world. Downtown, enjoy numerous coffee shops, pubs, and restaurants.
Registration: HPBA Members – $100 | Non-Members – $140 | Exhibit Table – $500 | Sponsor – $250
Fun Stuff:
- Golf Tournament – Indian Creek Golf Club, May 4, time TBD
- Welcome Reception – Full Sail Brewing, Hood River, May 4, 5 – 7 pm
Seminar Topics:
- 10-Step Execution Process for a Perfect Job Start to Finish
- How to Create an Amazing Showroom Environment
- Government Affairs Hot Topics
- Wood/Biomass Update
- Connecting and Motivating Gen-Z Employees
- Eliminating Accounting Headaches
Optional NFI Training:
- NFI CORE class (morning); Gas review course (afternoon)
- Registration is required through the NFI website (see instructions here)
- Testing is done later, online.
Click here for the Agenda!
Ready to sponsor? Click here!
Exhibit tables: Best Western has a nice room right next to the main room for exhibit tables. These are $500 and include two registrations and all meals.
Event Sponsors: Select your sponsorship for our welcome social (currently being planned at Full Sail Brewing Company on Thursday night) or for breakfast or lunch on Friday. Your support includes your logo/link on the website, your logo on slides during the event, and a live sponsor interview (2 minutes) during the meeting. Your sponsorship helps pay our speaker fees. Cost $250.
Hotel: Rooms at the Best Western PLUS Hood River Inn are being held for Thursday night, May 4. A total of 30 rooms have been blocked. Rates are from $149 – $189 per night, plus tax. Book rooms by April 10, 2023, to guarantee availability. Call 1-800-828-7873 and mention “Hearth Patio Barbecue Conference.”
Questions: Harvey Gail, OHPBA Executive Director, [email protected], 503-585-8254 ext. 308 or Amy Ohlinger, NWHPBA Executive Director, [email protected]
Thank you to our Event Sponsor!
About the Speakers:
Grant Falco
Grant Falco is the Owner & General Manager of Falco’s in the Pacific Northwest where he helps 35 team members blow customers’ expectations out of the water as they invest in fireplaces and outdoor grilling. Combined, Falco’s has more than doubled since Grant took over in 2013. His attention to the details of his business combined with a servant’s heart have helped him grow team members along with profits. During his time at Falco’s, Grant has worked in every aspect of the business, from sales, to estimating installation, and even was the head-janitor (which has helped keep Grant humble). Grant’s commitment to his team and family have set Falco’s up for rampant growth in the years to come.
Falco’s has become nationally recognized as one the premier retailers in the hearth industry through Grant’s social media channels. Being a practitioner of social media, and marketing in general, has helped Grant teach other businesses the same principles that have grown his own following. Outside of social media, Grant is known for helping dealers and manufacturers innovate their products and connect with their customers like never before. He has been flown all over the country to teach businesses about the principles that have helped him move the needle.
Grant lives in Spokane, WA with his wife, Andrea, and three children, Louis, Theo, and Ava James. After three decades in the business, he’s still the head janitor.
Tim Reed
Tim Reed is the President of Reed Marketing LLC where he helps business leaders in the hearth industry win by simplifying their sales process. Starting as an installer and eventually moving into sales and leadership, Tim grew his company’s retail division by millions while raising up team members to take his place in the business. Tim has been invited all over North America to teach companies how to market effectively and make it easy for customers to buy from them. His YouTube videos, sales blog, and “Fire Time Podcast” have become a resource for the industry and are actively helping thousands of people rethink their paradigms so that they can grow their businesses in the changing landscape.
Tim learned “just enough to be dangerous” about sales, marketing, web development, and leadership from years of playing guitar in a failing punk band—which he swears has uniquely qualified him for his job today. Now considered one of the most innovative minds and compelling communicators in the industry, Tim uses his platform to serve others, helping them create clear messages that are wildly compelling to their audiences.
Tim lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife, Jessica, two children, Olivia and Luke, and his 90-pound Golden Retriever, Walter. He still plays guitar in a failing punk band.
Matt Bradley
Matt taught college and high school English courses for a decade before joining the hearth industry in 2021. Since then, he’s been the Partnership Manager at WhyFire, the Editor of The Fire Time Magazine, and the voice of all the audio articles published by the Fire Time Network. He lives in Redmond, Oregon with his wife (Emily) and their three children (Adam, Isaiah, and Hannah). In his spare time, Matt enjoys reading old books, watching OSU games, and writing terrible rock songs with Tim Reed.
Alysia LaTourette
Alysia LaTourette is a co-founder of Atlas Accounting Group, a virtual accounting firm for the specialty trades based out of the Olympic Peninsula, serving small businesses all over the US. Alysia chose a career in accounting because she truly cares for the success of small business and supporting small business owners in achieving their business goals. She specializes in strategic planning consulting and educating small business owners on accounting. Atlas Accounting Group is known for implementing accurate accounting, in real time, following proper workflows.
Alysia lives in Port Angeles, WA with her husband and two children. She enjoys reading, painting, crafting, gardening, and literally most things. She is also an ENFP, an accounting superhero, and breaker of all the “typical” accountant stereotypes.
Rich Sedgwick (NFI Training Instructor)
Rich Sedgwick is the Executive Director of the National Fireplace Institute. A graduate of Towson University with a degree in Business, Rich was a retail business owner for 20 years. After selling the business in July 2019 he came to work for the National Fireplace Institute. Rich also served on the Mid-Atlantic Hearth Patio and Barbecue Association Board for 7 years culminating as President in 2018. Rich has taught many industry classes for the National Fireplace Institute including technical and safety classes. When not working you can find him at the beach with family, crabbing, or Training Jiu Jitsu. Rich currently resides in the Washington DC area with his family and can be contacted at [email protected].
Carolyn Logue
Carolyn Logue is the owner of CA Logue Public Affairs, a legislative and political consulting firm based in Olympia, Washington. With over 30 years of lobbying experience, Logue works on behalf of clients such as independent grocers, libraries, online public schools, health care providers, HVAC and hearth products businesses, chambers of commerce, and other groups providing a vast wealth of knowledge to help these groups successfully navigate the legislative process. Prior to starting her own firm, Carolyn served as the voice for the state’s largest small business association (NFIB) at the state capitol and in the media here in Washington State for 15 years.
Prior to NFIB, Logue spent four years as the Political Affairs Manager for the Washington Association of REALTORS, where she managed one of the state’s largest political action committees. Logue also worked in market research, running focus groups and providing analysis. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from the University of Washington, and lives in Olympia.
Additional Information:
Exhibit Tables: Best Western has a nice room right next to the main room for exhibit tables. These are $500 and include two registrations and all meals.
Event Sponsors: Select your sponsorship for our welcome social (currently being planned at Full Sail Brewing Company on Thursday night) or for breakfast or lunch on Friday. Your support includes logo/link on the website, logo on slides during the event, and a live sponsor interview (2 minutes) during the meeting. Your sponsorship helps pay our speaker fees. Cost $250.
Hotel: Rooms at the Best Western PLUS Hood River Inn are being held for Thursday night, May 4. A total of 20 rooms have been blocked. Rate are from $149 – $189 per night, plus tax. Book rooms by April 10, 2023 to guarantee availability. Call 1-800-828-7873 and mention “Hearth Patio Barbecue Conference.”
Questions: Harvey Gail, OHPBA Executive Director [email protected] or Katie Bohocky, NWHPBA Executive Director, [email protected]
