July 4, 2014

Rasmussen will be closed on July 4 in observance of the 238th anniversary of the birth of our country.

We will be relaxing, celebrating and, of course, grilling on our Solaire Infrared Grills.

We’ll be back in the office Monday.

Sell More Grills with this Promotion from Solaire Infrared Grills!

For a limited time, Solaire will give away Prime Filet Mignons from BestFiletMignons.com to consumers who purchase a 27″ or larger Solaire Infrared Grill!

This is a new tool to help you sell more Solaire Infared Grills during this grilling season. Use this during the sales process to:

1. Provide a distinction between Solaire and all other grill brands on your showroom floor and in your market.
2. Allow you to give the consumer more “bang for their buck.”
3. Offer the consumer to enjoy a great steak from a great grill. As the owner of BestFiletMignon.com says, “Solaire Infrared Grills make the Best Filet Mignons … better.”

How it works:

1. Download and display the POP flyer in your showroom. Promote the “Gift With Purchase” on your web site.
2. Familiarize yourself with the details at http://solairegasgrills.com/buy-get-promo/
3. Explain the promotion to the consumer, eg: “Purchase a 27” or larger Solaire grill, email or mail a copy of the sales receipt to Solaire and Solaire will send you a Gift Certificate for a free pack of Prime Filet Mignons from BestFiletMignon.com. The consumer should redeem the gift certificate when they got used to grilling on their Solaire and are ready to graduate to these wonderful, flavorful filet mignons. Close the sale. Don’t forget to sell accessories.

Fulfillment of this promotion is done exclusively by Rasmussen Iron Works, Inc. The dealer needs to do nothing more than promote it. There is currently no expiration date on this promotion. We will provide ample notice when we decide to retire it.

Happy selling!

Rett Rasmussen reports from the HPBA Board of Directors meeting he attended in Nashville on
June 18, 2014:

This was the summer meeting that is traditionally held in the city of the next HPBExpo. We were given a tour of the new Music City Center. As you may recall, the Expo was supposed to be held here in 2013, but they were not yet completed with the construction, so Expo went back to Orlando. It was worth the wait! This is a beautiful venue in a hoppin’ town. Check out my photos.

The Omni is the headquarters hotel and HPBA has blocked out the entire 700 rooms. You can’t ask for a more convenient location, as the Music City Center is right across the street, is next door to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and is two blocks from Broadway, which is lined with honky tonk bars and clubs, western clothing and cowboy hat stores, and lots of live music. The burn area is between the Omni and the Music City Center.

Please make plans to be in Nashville next March 5-7. In my many travels around the country this year, most everyone is excited for going to Nashville, and for good reason.

The rest of the meeting was fairly routine, with departmental reports and administrative matters. All is well with HPBA.

More Regulation from the DOE

In 2010 and 2011, the US Department of Energy (DOE) published rulemaking that would have severely impacted gas logs and gas fireplaces.

The HPBA, joined by the NPGA, filed suit against DOE to stop the rulemaking. We ultimately prevailed in the DC Court of Appeals (at a cost of $2.7 million in legal fees), but the ruling gave DOE an avenue to renew its aim of regulating our industry by redefining the term “Vented Hearth Heaters” that the court struck down.

On December 31, 2013, DOE gave notice of intent to regulate our industry by declaring regulatory coverage for a new, very broad term “Hearth Product”. Per the notice:

“Hearth product means a gas-fired appliance that simulates a solid-fueled fireplace or presents a flame pattern (for aesthetics or other purpose) and that may provide space heating directly to the space in which it is installed.

This proposed definition includes (but is not necessarily limited to) all vented and unvented hearth products. More specifically, it includes vented decorative hearth products, vented heater hearth products, vented gas logs, gas stoves, outdoor hearth products, and ventless hearth products.”

In January, Rasmussen submitted comments in opposition of this proposed coverage. On June 26, Rett Rasmussen was interviewed by Navigant, the DOE contractor tasked with investigating options for DOE to include in the upcoming rulemaking. The intent of this new rulemaking is to regulate “Hearth Products” to improve efficiency and/or conserve energy usage. Next week, on July 9, HPBA has called a meeting of manufacturers at the Phoenix offices of Polsinelli, our industry’s law firm, to plot a unified course for protecting our industry, products and markets.

What can you do?

1. Pray, for starters. DOE is back with a vengeance, an over-broad agenda, and more money and resources than sense.
2. Read the docket at http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=EERE-2013-BT-DET-0057 This includes the Notice of Propose Coverage from 12/31/13 and all of the comments submitted during the comment period., including Rett Rasmussen’s at http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=EERE-2013-BT-DET-0057-0009. Please note the lack of documentation by DOE in support of this action.
3. Buy products from HPBA member gas appliance manufacturers. Under the new HPBA Sections structure, all of the cost of fighting DOE will be borne by the manufacturers, unlike the past where HPBA split the cost (which depleted their reserves and cannot be duplicated on this new action). We need sales to have the funds to fight to keep our products salable. Please purchase from those who are carrying the water for our industry.
4. Be prepared to contact you congressman. HPBA is also exploring legislative means for protecting our industry, but the lack of activity by Congress leading up to the mid-term elections does not work in our favor. Very little legislation on any matter at all is being passed. An opportunity may be possible in the fall and will we need to act quickly and decisively should it occur.
5. Elections matter. Vote wisely in November. Rett will give you his unvarnished opinion if you ask him directly.
6. Stay tuned. We’ll keep you posted on events as they develop.