April 2026
We recently interviewed Loretta Dolan, a retired HPBA member with a long and illustrious career. Read on to find out more about her life, her advice, and reflections on retirement.
Loretta Dolan has never been one to lead with the product pitch.
Early in her career, while sub-repping for a colleague, she visited a new customer and came back energized. She called him to share the good news. “They have 20 trucks, they pay their bills, they’re really nice. It’s a family business, and you should see how kind they are,” she told him. He paused. He had wanted to know what products they carried. “That was the last thing on my mind,” she said. “I was making a friend.”
That instinct—relationships before widgets—has defined a career that spans more than three decades in HVAC, hearth products, and industry leadership.
Early Career
Dolan began her career at Pierce Phelps, a distributor of Carrier air conditioning equipment in the Philadelphia area. She spent 22 years and was the only woman on a 19-person sales team.
It was there that she learned to build the kind of customer relationships that would become her signature. It was also where she earned a trip to Paris for outselling her peers on a particular product line.
Moving to the Hearth Industry
When Pierce Phelps sought a counter-seasonal business to balance its spring and summer air conditioning revenue, Dolan stepped in. She took on Vermont Castings as a distributor, built the hearth division through cold calls and curiosity, and discovered a product category that would shape the rest of her career.
She later pioneered ductless air conditioning in the region, placing an ad in a South Philadelphia newspaper and hosting an open house that drew 130 people on a Sunday afternoon. “It was like experimenting on somebody else’s dime,” she said. “They allowed me and paid me to go find these things, and I did.”
Involvement with HPBA
After 22 years, Dolan’s division was sold to another distributor. She lasted three months before striking out on her own, launching a consulting practice focused on market development and growth strategy across multiple segments of the hearth, barbecue, and outdoor living industry.
Her involvement with HPBA began when a few vendors she purchased from asked her to help start a Mid-Atlantic regional affiliate. “I remember our first annual meeting was like five people,” she said. “But it was the start of something.”
That something grew considerably. Dolan went on to serve seven years on the regional board, seven years on the HPBA national board, and chaired the national board in 2014, an experience she likens to “Lily Tomlin in the big chair.”
HPBA thanks her for her years of service and for the lasting impact she has made on the organization and the broader hearth, barbecue, and outdoor living community.
Serving on the national board shifted her perspective in lasting ways. “I never looked at things from the manufacturer’s point of view,” she said. “I started to feel for them. I started to understand what they are up against and getting pushed around by all kinds of codes and things blocking their way.”
That broader view, understanding the full chain from manufacturer to distributor to dealer to customer, became one of the things she values most about her HPBA experience.
Opening Doors
HPBA programs, the HPBA Women’s initiative holds a special place for Dolan. Growing up watching her mother navigate a male-dominated workplace in the 1950s while raising six children left a lasting impression. She said, “being in male-dominated industries, both HVAC and hearth products, it’s been a real pleasure to be able to open some doors.”
Advice
When asked what advice she would offer to the next generation of industry leaders, Dolan returned to her core philosophy. “Treat your customer like a friend and always be honest,” she said. “There were times I had to tell customers I didn’t think my product was the right product for them. That’s not all about the Benjamins. It’s the complete opposite.”
She urged younger professionals to prioritize face-to-face connections in an increasingly digital world. “I don’t care how much you can send them on the internet. You need to be there. You need to see somebody and touch their hands.”
As for her legacy, Dolan keeps it simple: “That I was fair and honest. I think those are the two things that would matter most to me.”
Retirement
And retirement? She is enjoying something she never had enough of during her working years—time. Dolan shared, “It’s been wonderful to have enough time to do things well.”
She has attended HPBExpo nearly every year since 1998 and has no plans to disappear. “I won’t be a stranger,” she said.