Ah, the New Year! It feels good. The sun has been out, we’re all rested up and recovered from the holidays, exciting projects are underway, and we’re moving full speed ahead.
However, before we get lost in 2010 and another year flies by, all of us at Maine Wood Heat took time reflect on the great experiences and fond memories we’ve had over this past year. To celebrate, we decided to take a look back on a few moments that topped our charts in 2009¦
1. “Wood Heat is a Family Affair” – A feature story about our business in local newspapers. Read the article in both the Morning Sentinel or the Portland Press Herald.
2. Participating in the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Common Ground Fair “ where we met great people, shared great food and love for what we do.
3. Collaborating with one of the best French bistros in Washington, SeventhHill, on designing their Le Panyol wood fired oven. Read about this project in:
– The Washingtonian
– The Examiner
– The Washington Post
– Daily Candy
4. Attending the annual Kneading Conference and Artisan Bread Fair in Skowhegan “ an event that has inspired a contagious sense of awareness and interest in growing local cultivated grains, and artisan bread making. Learn about the 2010 conference by visiting the new Kneading Conference Web site.
5. Maine Wood Heat’s entry in the design competition at Wildacres which won the Best Heater Award. Read about our award winning masonry heater.
6. Our LESSImpactHOUSE partnership debut.
We recently donated a Le Panyol wood fired oven to LESSImpactHouse “ a project dedicated to recycling a damaged house, and rebuilding it to meet US Green Building Council LEED standards. We decided to join this effort because we have common goals “ to provide a product with the least amount of environmental impact, to support our local economies, and to continually work on exploring and innovating new ways to reduce our carbon footprint. We’ll be blogging about this project in the coming months, so stay tuned!
7. Waking up bright and early and heading to the Skowhegan Farmers’ Market to share wood fired baking with our community, and support all things local.
8. The launch of the Wood Fired Store on our Web site in January 2009. Our goal early this year is to implement an eCommerce solution to make purchasing wood fired oven and masonry heater supplies and accessories easier, faster, and more convenient for our customers.
9. Attending the Alliance of Masonry Heater & Oven Professionals (AMHOP) Heater Calculation Workshop.
Scott Barden traveled to Connecticut a few weeks ago to attend AMHOP’s workshop on new, cutting-edge masonry heater calculation software. This software is used to design clean burning, highly efficient masonry heating systems, and was taught by Rod Zander, a worldwide leader in masonry heater design and installation.
10. On a personal note, we’re also celebrating the fact we are lucky enough to, as a family, be in business together. There is no greater joy for us than to work alongside each other, share ideas, and watch each other grow personally and professionally. This year marks our 32nd year and we’re hoping for many more to come.
Here’s to 2010!
