Meet the Founder of Lopi Stoves at Rich’s This WeekendBy JHCadmin, October 17, 2011Thirty-one years ago, a young rock ‘n roll drummer named Kurt Rumens began selling wood stoves so he could pay for gas to drive his band to gigs.Kurt examined the stoves he was selling and thought, “These stoves need heavier steel. They need to burn more efficiently. And they need to be prettier.”He decided to do something about it. Kurt and his friend, Dick Miller founded their own stove company, Lopi Stoves, in the garage of Kurt’s Bellevue home.Today, as president of Travis Industries, Kurt is still actively involved in the design and production of every Lopi Stove. Along with the Lopi brand, Travis Industries manufactures three additional brands: Avalon, Fireplace Xtrordinair, and Tempest Torch Gas Lamps. This coming weekend, you have the opportunity to meet this vibrant man who truly loves creating wood, pellet, and gas stoves, fireplaces, and fireplace inserts. Kurt will be at Rich’s Lynnwood store Saturday, October 22 and Sunday, October 23 from noon to 3 PM. He’ll be talking about breakthrough technologies in stoves and sharing other interesting and fun facts about stoves.Factory Direct Sale Rich’s is also hosting a factory direct sale this week, featuring products manufactured at Travis Industries. Contact a sales associate at any of Rich's 5 Puget Sound showrooms in Lynnwood, Bellevue, Tacoma, Southcenter, and Silverdale for details about the sale.Travis House of Fire TourIn addition to meeting Kurt Rumens at Rich’s, you can tour the Travis Industries factory, a sprawling 11-acre facility in Mukilteo. The House of Fire Factory Tour is free and open to everyone who’s interested (Note: Please no children under the age of 8 years old). Registration is required for tour entry – just ask any Rich’s sales associate to help you register for a tour.More About Kurt Rumens and Travis IndustriesThe following posts from our blog will help you get to know Kurt Rumens better, and will give you a preview of what you’ll experience during your tour of Travis Industries.A Man Who Loves Fire: Kurt Rumens, Founder of Lopi StovesTake This Hot Factory Tour – You Won’t Regret It Travis House of Fire Factory Tour Gets Rave Reviews from Rich's Customers ‘Like’ Rich’s on FacebookWe provide daily tips and Internet-only specials on our Facebook page. Hope you’ll “like” us, and encourage your Facebook friends to join us, too.Subscribe to Rich's BlogSubscribe to our blog via your feed reader or receive our latest posts in your e-mail Inbox. Simply click “Subscribe to this blog’s feed” or fill out the form located in the right-hand sidebar of our blog.Visit Rich'sFor more details about our products and for directions to our five Puget Sound showrooms, visit Rich's website, richshome.comRecent Articles See All Rich's New Tigard, Oregon Store: A Chat with Manager Rick Campbell General Articles Author:Rich's For The Home Posted:February 1, 2023 Meet Tigard, Oregon store manager, Rick Campbell, who has been in the hot tub/patio/BBQ business more than 25 years in the Portland metro area. Read More Grill Islands - Easily Create an Outdoor Kitchen in Your Backyard Grills Author:Rich's For The Home Posted:January 2, 2023 Grill islands: Modular outdoor kitchens with grill(s), workspace, fridge, storage, and more. Read More Tartan and Sparkle Holiday Mantel - DIY Tutorial Mantel Decor Author:Rich's For The Home Posted:December 3, 2022 Step-by-step tutorial for your holiday mantel: How to create a classic tartan design. Read More DIY Winter Mantel Décor Tutorials: Golden Magnolia Wreath and Cinnamon Stick Votive Holder Mantel Decor Author:Rich's For The Home Posted:December 2, 2022 DIY Holiday Mantel Decor tutorial: Golden Magnolia wreath and cinnamon stick votive holder. Read More How to Transform Your Mantel to a Winter Wonderland Design Mantel Decor Author:Rich's For The Home Posted:December 1, 2022 We show you how to transform your fall mantel decor to a winter wonderland design easily and quickly! Check out our 15-sec time-lapse photo that shows us making the switcheroo. Read More Tutorial: 3 Easy DIY Fall Mantel Projects Mantel Decor Author:Rich's For The Home Posted:November 7, 2022 Illustrated tutorial: how to create 3 DIY fall mantel essentials: Stacked herringbone pumpkins, shabby-chic reversible mason jars, and Washi tape pumpkins. Read More