By Karlene Ponti of BUSINESS Monthly

Photo by Donna Lasater

From its modest beginnings in a garage near Stateline, between Walla Walla and Milton-Freewater, what is now Blaze King Industries has matured into a multi-national manufacturer of wood and gas burning stoves sold in the U.S., Canada and overseas.

According to Blaze King Vice President Chris Neufeld, the firm’s Walla Walla plant and a similar one in Penticton, British Columbia, Canada, have survived ownership changes, increasing government regulations and challenging economic conditions to become what he called “a successful small company with little debt and improving sales.”

Blaze King Industries traces its beginnings to Woodcutter Manufacturing of Oregon and subsidiary, Western Fab and Finish, Inc., founded by Walla Walla Valley businessman Hal Larson nearly 30 years ago.

After a serious slump in the 1990’s, Western Fab was dissolved by Larson, who then reconfigured the company, naming it Blaze King after purchasing the patent rights to an existing line of Blaze King stoves.

“Many companies went away in the 80s because their products didn’t comply with the tough requirements of the then new federal Clean Air Act,” Neufeld said.

In addition to developing technology that would reduce wood-burning emissions, Blaze King began building gas-fired appliances that gave the company diversified products and increased efficiency.

For example, Neufeld said their wood-burning stoves operated at 80 to 82 percent efficiency compared to earlier models that were only about 50 percent efficient.

“There is increasing demand for wood-burning stoves here and abroad,” Neufeld added. “There are considerable numbers of people who want to ‘live off the grid.’”

To take advantage of potential growth, Blaze King Industries continues to “transition” itself into the future. Instead of allowing licensees all over to build stoves, the firm has streamlined its manufacturing process and makes stoves only in Walla Walla and its Canadian plant. Units are sold only through dealers – about 600 of them – mostly in the United States and Canada, some in Japan and Europe.

In 1998, Larson sold the company to Canadian brothers, Syd and Garth Bates and, since then, last December it became an employee-owned business.

“This is a successful, privately owned company,” Neufeld emphasized, “and we want it to stay that way.”

Blaze King’s employees – as many as 23 during the seasonal peak – at its fabrication facility at the Walla Walla Regional Airport are cross-trained to do varying work that assures them full-time, year round jobs.

“With workers who are treated well and secure in their jobs, you create and maintain a nimble company that can produce a quality product,” Neufeld said. “We pay our staff members a fair wage, use high quality components (for example, special glass from Germany) and charge a bit more for our products.”

“There are plenty of customers who can see the difference that quality makes,” Neufeld continued.

Future plans for Blaze King Industries include expansion of its product line, increased research and development, the addition of more sales people in the East and a continued emphasis on customer service.

“You hate it when you’re trying to call a company and you can’t find your way through the voice mail menu,” Neufeld said. “We aren’t going to get like that. You need to be able to call a company, talk with an employee that cares about what they do, order a part and have it shipped out. Like that. It’s simple.”