Northeast Ohio manufacturer appears on ‘This Old House’
Show to premier on local PBS stations Jan. 31
DALTON — It’s not unusual for potential clients of Round Grove Products to ask owner Scott Widmer for a discounted price on his outdoor fireplaces and brick ovens.
It was, however, unusual to receive such a request in exchange for Widmer’s product to be featured on the popular TV series “This Old House” on PBS.
Widmer got an email last year from a homeowner in Rhode Island who wanted to purchase a Round Grove fireplace and brick pizza oven combination as part of a largescale renovation to his seaside Victorian cottage. “This Old House” was set to feature the home in its next season.
Widmer was skeptical of the request and asked for the producer’s contact information.
“Fifteen minutes later, I was talking to a producer,” Widmer said.
Widmer got the idea for his business when he and his wife, Bonnie, designed their own backyard outdoor kitchen at their home near Canton in 2012. Watching the two-week construction process, he realized he could build the products off-site and have them ready to be installed without the mess and inconvenience to the homeowner.
In 2013, Widmer built his first prefabricated fireplace and started selling his product. His operation started out of his garage, then moved into a workshop for a few years before he opened his own plant in Dalton in 2018.
Customers can choose multiple sizes, styles and features to create a custom outdoor fire feature. The combination fireplace/oven unit was invented and patented at Round Grove Products and is exclusive to Widmer’s company.
In a year when people were looking to update backyard spaces, Round Grove saw its sales go up 50% in 2020. The biggest issue
was trying to find available materials and suppliers still operating amid the shutdowns earlier this year due to COVID-19.
Widmer said he plans to expand his business this year.
“People weren’t traveling, so their money went into home improvement. We saw it in every state,” Widmer said. “We went from the shutdown to our biggest year.”
Round Grove launched its website in 2013. It sees about 50% of its customers come from online and the other 50% through trade shows Widmer attends across the country. The business also has seen a spike in clients who found Round Grove designs through Pinterest.
“We’re seeing more and more over social media,” Widmer said. “My goal is to be nationally recognized.”
The greatest exposure for Round Grove will come Saturday when PBS (WOSU-TV, Channel 34) will air the episode “Pizza Time,” featuring the installation of the outdoor fireplace and brick pizza oven in the backyard of the threebedroom, one-bathroom Queen Anne Victorian in Narragansett, Rhode Island, owned by Michael Campopiano, a personal injury attorney in Providence.
“It’s exciting to have the opportunity to be featured like this. It’s a once in a lifetime thing,” Widmer said.
Widmer traveled to New England in early December with his wife and two Round Grove employees. It took two trucks to haul the fireplace/oven combo unit, and Campopiano also ordered a stainless steel kitchen island, stainless steel appliances and all of the accessories to complete his outdoor kitchen.
Although the show would bring great exposure, Widmer admitted to being nervous about having to speak on camera while the unit was installed. His previous public speaking experience included trade shows and cold calls, but once he got into his “regular spiel,” Widmer said, he did fine.
Another first for Widmer and his employees was doing the installation personally. The product usually is delivered to the homeowner and it’s their responsibility to install it where they want it. To prepare, Widmer and his crew set up and tore down the unit multiple times before they had to do it for on camera in Rhode Island.
“We did a little practice, but it was different when everyone is looking and the cameras are rolling,” Round Grove production manager Hunter Scruggs said,
Scruggs said he was shocked when he learned about the opportunity to be featured on the show.
“I used to watch the show with my grandparents,” he said.
One of the biggest thrills for Widmer was the recognition he received from the show’s longtime general contractor, Tom Silva, who was impressed by how smooth the installation was for the fireplace.
“He said he’d never seen anything like it before,” Widmer said. “He seemed very interested in the product. … It was super cool to get acknowledgment from industry pros.”