Profit & Wealth Shark Ruth King has worked in the construction industry (including plumbing, heating and air conditioning, generators, pool and spa companies, etc.) since 1987. Her work includes consulting in sales and marketing, finance, technical training, and operations challenges.

Ruth has been instrumental in helping business owners understand and profitably use the information generated from the financial segment of their businesses. She has a knack for helping business owners truly understand financials.

She is especially proud of one contractor she helped climb out of a big hole. He started with a negative $400,000 net worth 15 years ago and is still in business today…profitably and with a positive net worth.

After twelve years on the road, doing 200 flights per year, she knew there had to be a better way to reach business owners who wanted to build their businesses and train their employees. She began training on the Internet in 1998 and began the first television like broadcasting in 2002. Channels currently include www.profitabilityrevolution.com and www.hvacchannel.tv.

Ruth holds an MBA in Finance from Georgia State University and Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Chemical Engineering from Tufts University and the University of Pennsylvania.

She holds a Class II HVAC contractor's license (inactive) in Georgia.

Ruth is passionate about helping adults learn to read, photography, and marathon races. She helped start an adult literacy organization in 1986 that currently serves over 1,000 adults per year and ran the Boston Marathon and 11 other marathons so far.

Ruth has written many manuals and books including the popular Operations Manuals: Best Practices for Running a Profitable Service and Replacement company.

Her latest book, Profit or Wealth? reached #1 in October, 2020. This book is preceded by The Ugly Truth about Cash and the #1 best-selling book, The Courage to be Profitable. These two books were named two of 37 books start ups should read, along with the books of Napoleon Hill, Stephen Covey, Dale Carnegie and other esteemed authors. She is also the author of two other award winning books, The Ugly Truth about Small Business and The Ugly Truth about Managing People.

She contributes a monthly financial column to HVACR Business as well as columns in Reeves Journal, Today's AC, and many other regional publications. Ruth is part of Jim Blasingame's Small Business Advocate brain trusts and appears frequently on his national radio program. She has also been interviewed by the Wall Street Journal Radio Network, the Big Biz Show, and many regional and local radio programs.

Ruth has spoken for national and state association meetings, national and local trade shows, manufacturers, distributors, and others in 49 of 50 states. (She is looking for a reason to go to North Dakota).

Bill has been servicing, installing, inspecting and building chimneys, hearth appliances, venting systems and assemblies since 1980! Yes at the ripe old age of 6, Bill started his career under the wind of his father. Fast forward to adulthood and chimneys and venting have been a full time career for 28 years.

Bill is a FIRE certified Fireplace and Chimney Inspector, NFI Master Hearth Specialist, CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep, ICC RCS Certificate completion holder and Certified Baseball Coach.

Bill has previously served on the Mid Atlantic HPBA Board for 9 years and is a two time past President. Bill is a past recipient of the Pat Magnotti award (2014). Other Board service includes the New Jersey Chimney Sweep Guild as Past President (3 x) Vice President and Treasurer. Bill was also the first and founding Chairman of the Board of the International Association of Fireplace and Chimney Professionals, a group instrumental in forcing change toward code compliance of our industries. Bill serves on the Board of Planning and Adjustments for Roxbury Township, NJ.

Bill serves on the National Chimney Sweep Guild Education Committee as well as the Technical Advisory Committee, specializing in the Levels of Inspection, Codes, Standards and Documentation. Bill is also a lead instructor for Copperfield Academy and its Professional Course series.

In his free time Bill enjoys playing and coaching baseball, boating on Lake Hopatcong, cooking, cigars and time with family and friends. He also may just be the biggest fan in the world of the Rock group GENESIS.

Michael has been servicing hearth appliances, fireplaces, chimneys and venting systems since 1997, operating his own company in central New Jersey with his wife Kathy since 2004. He has also been a Senior Consultant with Ryan Consultants Group since 2015.

Michael is a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep, a CSIA Certified Master Chimney Sweep, a FIRE-Service Certified Chimney Inspector, an NFI Certified Master Hearth Professional and an NCSG Certified Chimney Professional.

Michael has previously served on the MAHPBA, NJCSG, CSIA and NFI/HPBEF Boards and has years of previous and current committee service, chairing and co-chairing a variety of committees. Current committee service includes the NCSG TAC (Technical Advisory Council), the NFI/HPBEF CEU Committee and Chair of the NJCSG Government affairs Committee. Michael is also a past President of the NJCSG (New Jersey Chimney Sweep Guild).

Michael authored the NCSG monthly technical articles for 7 years (2013 - 2020) and has written and instructed industry specific classes and courses on the local, state, regional, and national levels for more than 10 years. He is a recipient of the CSIA's Don Leavitt Education Award for "outstanding contributions to industry through education”. Michael has been an instructor for the C.S.I.A. and the Olympia Academy, and is currently an instructor for the Copperfield Academy.

In his free time Michael enjoys fishing (especially fly fishing), camping (mainly on the Delaware River), cruising (any place warm!) and spending time with family and friends playing games, enjoying meals or just having conversations by the campfire.

Dave Rettinger, Jr. has been utilizing his early career experience in enterprise software, process engineering, HR management, and data marketing to grow his family's business (Rettinger Fireplace, South Jersey) for over 10 years.

While optioning new software for their hearth shop, Dave partnered with a custom software developer to create a digital platform tailored to the hearth industry in which his staff and customers could unify and thrive. Today, Striven's Hearth Edition is available to all companies in the industry from big to small, sweep to retailer, distributor to subcontractor, allowing owners to manage their business from lead-to-invoice and the consumer lifecycle beyond in a simple, consistent, and transparent ERP platform.

Shannon founded The Good Marketing Group in 2003. Specializing in campaign management, graphic design, media planning, on-line marketing, social media and SEO/SEM, Shannon looks at the unique goals of her clients and creatively 'integrates' various media to accomplish those goals, on any marketing budget!

Shannon believes having a successful marketing campaign must include an understanding of the target audience. Therefore, Shannon and Brad feel they have a unique perspective for their clients because they are also husband and wife small business owners who meet the demographics or "target audience” for their client's products and services. Shannon and Brad also get involved in their client's industries so they can fully understand the relevant benefits and value to the target audience to allow for effective communications and messaging.

As a previous member of the Board of Directors for the Mid-Atlantic Hearth Patio Barbecue Association (MAHPBA), Shannon learned the various terminology and the sales/operation process while always keeping the customer experience top of mind. In addition, Good Marketing Group is also an approved affinity partner of HPBA. This involvement includes teaching marketing tips at the national and regional conventions and providing discounted marketing services for members.

Brad works closely with clients and affinity partners to develop new strategies, improve existing ones and develop on-line marketing tools. Additionally, Brad manages Google Ads, data research and direct marketing.

One of the strengths to understanding the home service market is that he is a demographic target customer himself. This gives GMG unique and vital insight into speaking with a client's potential customer.

Rich Sedgwick is the Executive Director of the National Fireplace Institute. A graduate of Towson University with a degree in Business, Rich was a retail business owner for 20 years. After selling the business in July 2019 he came to work for the National Fireplace Institute. Rich also served on the Mid-Atlantic Hearth Patio and Barbecue Association Board for 7 years culminating as President in 2018. Rich has taught many industry classes for the National Fireplace Institute including technical and safety classes.

When not working you can find him at the beach with family, crabbing, or Training Jiu Jitsu. Rich currently resides in the Washington DC area with his family and can be contacted at sedgwick@nficertified.org.

Casey Harvey is the Vice President of Sales at Ray Murray, Inc. Joining the hearth industry in 2008 as Regional Sales Manager at RMI, he quickly realized that once you're in—you're in for life.

Prior to his time at RMI Casey spent a decade in progressive sales and management roles at a large fuel and propane marketer in Baltimore. Casey is passionate about sales, marketing, fire, family and guitars.

He puts his degree in philosophy to work sitting by the fire pondering the big questions—like The Beatles or Stones, Gas or Wood. Casey is a proud father of two and occasional guitar slinger.

Tom Shay is a fourth-generation small business owner. He teaches how to improve the operation and profitability of the business.

Tom has authored thirteen books on small business management and a college textbook on small business accounting and business planning; written 400 columns in 75 trade publications and nominated three times for the Jesse H. Neal award for editorial excellence in business media; earned the Certified Speaking Professional distinction-attained by 8 percent of speakers.

Heather brings a valuable perspective to the team at Hockenberry Management Consulting. She has a passion for teaching, training, and coaching, and always looks at situations from multiple angles to discover the best overall approach for improving the situation and moving forward.

She enjoys finding ways to have a greater, positive impact on the organization by maintaining a high-level perspective that allows her to understand cross-functional influences. Working together with client organizations, Heather has successfully crafted and executed successful marketing strategies that align with organizations' business strategies and sales plans.

Heather also works with leaders to develop and grow in their professional and personal lives through executive coaching.

As the Immediate Past President of her local Toastmasters International club, Heather has a passion for public speaking and loves to educate audiences on interesting topics.

Chris Neufeld is the Vice President of Blaze King Industries, Inc., with 27 years of experience in the hearth industry.

He is co-chair of the HPBA North America Solid Fuel Section, as well as a member of the HPBA Government Affairs Committee.

Chris has been married for 40 years, has two grown sons and three grandchildren, and is an avid hunter and fisherman.

Larry Oxenham is one of America's top asset protection experts, having helped thousands of professionals achieve financial peace of mind by teaching them how to properly structure their assets for lawsuit protection and tax reduction. He has authored and co-authored several articles and books on the subject including The Asset Protection Bible and How to Achieve Financial Peace of Mind through Asset Protection.
His career has been credited with helping thousands of people save millions of dollars.

Larry Oxenham is a nationally recognized speaker who has trained thousands of professionals at hundreds of conventions, conferences and seminars across the country.

Kevin Chambers is the Area Director for the Harrisburg Area Office of the Occupational Safety & Health Administration. The Area Director for the Harrisburg Area Office oversees the safety and health enforcement and compliance assistance efforts for 14 counties in southcentral Pennsylvania.

Kevin is in his thirty-first year of Federal Service. After a tenure with the Department of Defense, he joined OSHA in 2008 as a Compliance Safety and Health Officer in the Allentown Area Office. Kevin has been the Area Director in Harrisburg since 2020. Additionally, he served in the U.S. Air Force and, later, retired from the Pennsylvania Air National Guard after a 23-year career.

Kevin holds a Master of Business Administration, and a Master of Science in Occupational Safety & Health.

Shawn Renaldi is the Compliance Assistance Specialist for Harrisburg Area Office for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Shawn has worked for OSHA since 2010, initially as a Compliance Safety and Health Officer before assuming the role of the Compliance Assistance Specialist in 2022.

Shawn served in the United States Army beginning in 1995 as an Air Defense Unit Specialist operating the Patriot Missile System. His military career involved a deployment, including serving in Saudi Arabia providing Theater Air Defense for Allied and U.S. Forces. Shawn later transferred to the Pennsylvania National Guard serving in a communications unit, and ultimately as the battalion marksmanship coordinator and section chief for the Division Signal Office.

After an initial private sector career in Information Technology, Shawn attended Slippery Rock University, earning a Bachelor's Degree in Safety and Environmental Management in 2007. This led to a position working as a safety manager for Manitowoc Cranes in Shady Grove, Pennsylvania before returning to government service in 2010.

Shawn has extensive safety compliance and investigative experience through performing hundreds of workplace inspections across all sectors of industry. A large number of these inspections have included incident investigations for significant incidents and injuries. This direct understanding provides Shawn with a body of knowledge not commonly found within the safety and health community.