The Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA) named Kyle Titsworth, general manager and partner of The Fireplace Showcase, an Emerging Leader Award winner in 2025. The award recognizes young professionals who show a commitment to the industry through their work and leadership.
A Journey Back to His Roots
Titsworth’s journey began with his family’s business, which his father started in 1999. He was involved from a young age, with his earliest memory of stuffing mailers at the age of seven. As a teenager and young adult, he assisted with installations, and during college breaks, he ran boxes for the crew. He had planned a career outside of the family business, earning a degree in environmental geology.
A twist of fate, however, led him back to The Fireplace Showcase in 2018. He was hired to learn from a senior employee, but that person quit a week into Titsworth’s training. This left Titsworth to learn through what he described as “trial by fire.” He quickly jumped in and found what he considered to be “a lot of inefficiencies” in the existing processes.
Titsworth quickly stepped into a leadership role, restructuring operations and leaning into customer service. He now manages a team, focusing on communication, training, and building a supportive workplace culture.
He says he gets called “Little Randy” sometimes, referring to his father, because “we just do something, we do stuff so, so similar. And I get called it all the time, and I’m fine with it. I think it’s a huge compliment.”
Advocacy and the Future of the Industry
Titsworth has become an advocate for the industry, getting involved as Secretary on the Board of Directors for the Northeast Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (NEHPBA) and in the HPBA’s Government Affairs Leadership Academy (GALA) where he participated in HPBA’s Congressional fly-in in July. During the fly-in, he and his peers advocated for the Energy Choice Act.
His environmental science background informs his advocacy, which he says is essential in a changing energy landscape. “With potential legislation threatening the use of combustion-based heating, I felt I had to be part of the conversation,” he said. He believes efficient hearth products are part of the environmental solution.
Titsworth also champions education within his company, incentivizing employees to earn certifications and attend ongoing training. “Without education, you risk falling behind,” he noted. “Training makes work safer, more efficient, and more rewarding.”
A Vision for the Future
When asked about his legacy, Titsworth said he would want to have an impact in the governmental affairs space. He wants to “help create a future that is not monopolized by one specific energy type” and to educate the public on various heating options. On a more personal level, he feels his reach is threefold: “helping the industry, creating moments for individual families, and providing a good place to work for my employees.”
He sees his generation as a new wave of leaders building upon the foundation laid by previous generations. “Our parents of the fireplace industry built the house,” he said, and now, “we’re going in, and we’re trying to provide renovation to this house that they built.”
Titsworth believes there is room for everyone to grow in the industry and that sharing information and learning from one another is key.
He concludes by stating, “Whether it’s helping customers create meaningful moments around the fire, supporting employees and their families, or shaping energy policy, I want to leave the industry better than I found it.”