Lennox Hearth Products is the most recognized name in home comfort and carries a wide variety of hearth products to fit the needs of every home. A division of Lennox Industries International, Lennox Hearth Products was established in 1996 and is the premier manufacturer of safe, reliable, and efficient wood burning, gas, electric, and pellet-fired fireplaces, fireplace inserts, freestanding stoves, gas log sets, and chimney systems.

Gary Anderson has been the VP of operations for Lennox for about two years but has worked within the company’s operations since the late ’90s. His recent projects as president include a three-year strategic operation plan that features lean flow distribution, more advanced technology, and a complete value package.

Anderson and his team have recently launched six new products and implemented SAP, which has enabled employees to track operations from other Lennox Hearth Products locations in Canada, Mexico, and Southern California.

Getting results
Results of a national consumer survey conducted by Decision Analyst, Inc. in January 2002 showed that Orange, Calif.-based Lennox rated more than four times higher in consumer brand awareness than its competitors.

Every year, Qualified Remodeler editors compile the Top 100 Hottest Products issue. The list is generated by products QR readers request on a monthly basis. Topping last years list were products that ranged from garage floor coverings to residential solar panels to radiant heating and ventilation products. Lennox Hearth’s High-Definition Fire Vision (HDFV) for its Reflections Electric Fireplace was in the top 50.

As part of the Dave Lennox Signature Collection, HDFV lets consumers create a hearth of their own, anywhere they want, with access to a standard 110V outlet. The HDFV technology displays a realistic 3-D simulation that captures all the subtleties and ambiance of a real wood fire. Customers can adjust the flame and color tones and listen to the crackling fire sounds and turn the heat off or on.

This past June, Lennox Hearth announced the introduction of its improved Dave Lennox Signature Collection Montebello Direct Vent Gas Fireplaces. This flagship product now features more realism—an enhanced flame—and more options for customizing the look of a fireplace.

The log set is more realistic in the bark detail as well as in the shape and size of the logs, and the logs better fill the firebox and blocks the view of the burner. Lennox Hearth also replaced the fiber-panel floor with lava rock and vermiculite for a more life-like presentation. The flame changes to the burner provide a taller, more impressive flame for LP gas.

To customize satisfaction for the customer, Lennox offers red brick liner options in both rustic and herringbone patterns, and it has added birch logs so that customers can choose between oak and birch. A new fixed panel is also available for customers who want to add a protective barrier to prevent direct contact with the ceramic glass.

More refined features include a freestanding screen, which has been updated with a no-tip feature. The screen curtain is more securely mounted and a modest panel blocks the view into the dome of the fireplace. Black screw heads replaced silver ones in visible areas, and a flush-mount nailing flange has been added.

Extreme exposure
Lennox Hearth Products has basked in the television spotlight this summer with two back-to-back product placements on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” Lennox supplied “Extreme Home Makeover: Home Edition” with two fireplaces to redesign two families’ homes.

Premium Fireplace Products, Inc., a Cincinnati-based Lennox Hearth Products dealer, worked with one of the families through John Henry Homes and installed a Merit Plus 4035 direct-vent fireplace in their new living room. Specialty Supply Co., Inc., a Lennox distributor based in Cherry Hill, NJ, installed a Merit Plus 4035 direct-vent fireplace, which was used as the focal point of the second family’s new den. The episodes of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” aired on April 23 and April 30.