Kuma Stoves fires up top officials
(Official White House photo/Melanee Kate ThomaS) Jack Freeman, left, production manager at Kuma Stoves in Rathdrum, and his brother, Jason Freeman, sales manager, display their Ashwood stove on Monday at the White House during the Made in America Product Showcase. Kuma was the lone Idaho firm at the event.
By BRIAN WALKER
Hagadone News Network
RATHDRUM — The White House has warmed up to Kuma Stoves.
The first Kuma wood stove was built in the back of a pickup in 1981. One of the latest was on display Monday at the White House during the Made in America Product Showcase.
Kuma was the lone Idaho company invited to the event, which included visits from President Donald Trump and other top federal government officials.
"It was awe-inspiring to have one of our stoves in the grand foyer," said production manager Jack Freeman, who attended the showcase with his brother, Jason Freeman, the company’s sales manager. "We were proud to represent manufacturing in Idaho and it was neat to talk to people on the East Coast about our wood-burning stoves."
The Ashwood model, the company's top-seller last year of its five wood stoves, was showcased at the event.
The family-owned Rathdrum company's stoves range from $1,500 for the small stoves to $3,000 for large ones with decorative features. The company also manufactures three different fireplace inserts and a pellet-fired barbecue. It employs 13. The Freemans' father, Mark, is CEO.
Its Sequoia model is ranked as the most efficient wood-burning stove in the nation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
"Our other claim to fame is that we've researched every warranty and we've made sure we beat every other wood stove warranty," Freeman said. "We had a guy who burned a Sequoia hot and a lot, and it needed repairs. We decided to load him up with a brand new stove."
Other products showcased at the White House ranged from Moon Pies snacks to the model of an F-35 fighter jet.
Trump spoke at the showcase.
Freeman said officials who stopped by the Kuma display included Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, Small Business Administration Administrator Linda McMahon and U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-North Carolina.
"The secretary of energy said he may be in the market for a wood stove at some point," Freeman said.
Freeman said Kuma Stoves' sales have increased 20 percent in each of the past three years.
"We're one of the smallest wood stove manufacturers in the nation, but we're definitely growing and taking more of the market share," he said.