10 Years of Spotix: Thank You for Being Part of Our Story

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In 2021, Spotix celebrated 10 years in business, marking a decade of helping homeowners, contractors, designers, builders, and commercial teams create spaces where people can gather and enjoy life.

What began in 2011 as a small company with a clear vision grew into a family of specialty stores supported by more than 40 dedicated team members, strong manufacturer partnerships, and a shared commitment to exceptional products and knowledgeable service.

As we looked back on our first decade, we were grateful for every customer, trade professional, employee, and partner who helped Spotix reach this milestone.

10 Years of Spotix at a Glance

How Spotix Began

After spending years in the hearth industry, Spotix founder Scott Ramspott launched the company in 2011 with two primary goals.

First, Spotix would make luxury hearth, patio, and barbecue products available to customers who could not easily find them at traditional brick-and-mortar stores. Second, the company would support those products with the level of knowledge and service required to help customers make informed decisions.

That approach became especially important because many of the products Spotix carries are not simple purchases. Fireplaces, fire pits, grills, outdoor kitchens, burners, ignition systems, and replacement components often require careful consideration of sizing, fuel type, voltage, installation requirements, compatibility, and intended use.

From the beginning, the goal was not only to offer more products. It was to help customers find the right products for their projects.

“Buy Nice, or Buy Twice”

The phrase “buy nice, or buy twice” became a motto that resonated with both Spotix team members and customers.

It reflects the belief that the right product should be selected based on quality, suitability, long-term performance, and project requirements rather than price alone. A well-planned purchase can help customers avoid replacing an undersized, incompatible, or poorly suited product later.

That philosophy continues to guide how Spotix approaches product selection, customer consultations, technical guidance, and project estimates.

Looking Back on Our First Decade

Spotix began with a small team and a desire to become a trusted source for hearth, patio, and barbecue products. Over the following 10 years, the company expanded its team, product categories, manufacturer relationships, websites, warehouse operations, customer-service capabilities, and professional project support.

During that time, the Spotix family helped support more than 400,000 residential and commercial gathering projects.

Those projects ranged from individual fireplace and grill purchases to complete outdoor kitchens, custom fire features, hospitality installations, multifamily courtyards, and other large-scale gathering spaces.

Each project represented a different vision. Some customers wanted to create a backyard where friends could gather around a fire. Others needed a fireplace for a new construction project, an outdoor kitchen for entertaining, or commercial equipment for a restaurant, hotel, apartment community, or shared patio.

Helping bring those ideas to life became a central part of the Spotix story.

The Spotix Family of Stores

As the company grew, Spotix developed a family of specialized stores designed to help customers more easily explore different product categories.

• Spotix offers hearth, fire feature, outdoor cooking, patio, and outdoor-living products for residential and professional projects.
• Fire Pits Direct focuses on fire pits, fire tables, burners, ignition systems, controls, and fire feature components.
• Fireplaces Direct focuses on fireplaces, fireplace inserts, stoves, mantels, and other hearth products.
• KickAss Grills focuses on grills, outdoor kitchens, refrigeration, storage, and outdoor cooking equipment.

Although each store specializes in different products, they share the same commitment to product knowledge, customer guidance, quality brands, and authentic service.

More Than Products

Spotix has always aimed to provide more than a large product catalog.

Behind the websites, more than 40 team members focus on helping customers find the right products and move their projects forward. That work may include developing detailed product pages, answering technical questions, reviewing project requirements, preparing estimates, comparing compatible components, coordinating large orders, or helping a customer understand the differences between several possible solutions.

Some customers arrive with a complete product specification. Others begin with only an idea of the space they want to create. In either case, the Spotix team works to provide useful information and a more personal buying experience.

That combination of digital resources and direct consultation has helped Spotix serve both simple purchases and complex projects.

Growing Alongside the Hearth and Outdoor-Living Industry

The hearth, patio, and outdoor-living industries changed significantly during Spotix’s first decade.

Outdoor kitchens became more complete and sophisticated. Fire pits and fire tables became central features in residential and commercial patios. Electric fireplaces introduced new installation flexibility. Electronic ignition, smart controls, and high-performance outdoor appliances gave customers more ways to customize their spaces.

At the same time, customers gained access to more products online and expected more detailed information before making a purchase.

Spotix continued investing in product education, technical content, buying guides, troubleshooting resources, customer support, and manufacturer relationships to help customers navigate those changes.

Supporting Homeowners and Trade Professionals

Spotix serves homeowners as well as contractors, builders, designers, installers, chimney professionals, architects, and commercial buyers.

Homeowners may need help comparing products, understanding fuel options, finding replacement parts, or planning a gathering space. Trade professionals often need additional assistance with specifications, compatibility, project estimates, technical documentation, product availability, and larger orders.

Through SpotixPro, qualified professionals can access resources designed to support their project work, including trade pricing, product guidance, account tools, order support, and assistance navigating complex product categories.

This ability to support both residential customers and industry professionals has remained an important part of Spotix’s growth.

The People Behind Spotix

The Spotix team includes Hawkeye fans, fishing experts, veterans, volleyball and pickleball players, hikers, brewers, gardeners, tailgaters, grillers, and people with many other interests.

What team members share is an appreciation for gathering and enjoying life.

That may mean coming together for a team grill-out, bringing dogs to the office, sharing a meal, spending time outdoors, cheering on a favorite team, or helping a customer create a space for their own celebrations.

The products Spotix sells are often part of those experiences. A fireplace can become the center of a living room. A grill can bring people together for a weekend meal. A fire pit can extend an evening outdoors. An outdoor kitchen can become a destination for friends and family.

Understanding the importance of those moments helps shape how the Spotix team serves its customers.

Celebrating the 10-Year Anniversary

Spotix celebrated its 10-year anniversary with a gathering at the company’s headquarters. Team members had the opportunity to recognize the milestone, look back at the company’s early years, and reflect on how much had changed since 2011.

Photos from the company’s first decade captured early office spaces, team events, warehouse growth, celebrations, product launches, community involvement, trade events, customer projects, and the people who helped build the company.

The anniversary was not only a celebration of growth. It was a recognition of the time, effort, creativity, and commitment contributed by team members across the company.

A New Look for the Future

As part of the anniversary celebration, Spotix refreshed the branding across its family of stores.

The updates helped create a more consistent identity across Spotix, Fire Pits Direct, Fireplaces Direct, and KickAss Grills while making it easier for customers to recognize the relationship between the brands.

Spotix also continued investing in improved website experiences, educational resources, product information, and tools intended to help customers plan their next hearth or outdoor-living project.

The release of the Spotix e-catalog provided another way for customers and professionals to explore products, compare ideas, and find inspiration for gathering spaces.

Thank You to Our Customers, Partners, and Team

A 10-year anniversary is not achieved by one person or one department.

Spotix is grateful to the customers who trusted the company with their homes, businesses, and project plans. We appreciate the contractors, builders, designers, installers, and other trade professionals who chose Spotix as a product and project resource.

We are also thankful for the manufacturer partners and suppliers who supported the company’s growth and helped make a broad range of premium products available to our customers.

Most of all, we appreciate the Spotix employees whose knowledge, creativity, hard work, and commitment shaped the company during its first decade.

Building for the Next Decade

While the 10-year anniversary offered an opportunity to look back, it also marked the beginning of Spotix’s next chapter.

The company remains focused on expanding product knowledge, strengthening manufacturer partnerships, improving the online shopping experience, supporting trade professionals, and creating resources that help customers make more confident decisions.

The products, technology, and ways customers shop will continue to evolve. Spotix’s commitment to insightful guidance, exceptional products, and authentic service will remain at the center of that growth.

Thank You for Being Part of the Spotix Story

From a small team with a clear vision in 2011 to helping support more than 400,000 residential and commercial gathering projects, Spotix’s first decade was defined by its customers, partners, and employees.

Thank you for being part of the Spotix story. We look forward to continuing to help homeowners and professionals create spaces where life’s everyday moments, celebrations, meals, conversations, and traditions can happen.

To learn more about Spotix, explore Spotix.com, discover professional account benefits through SpotixPro, or contact the Spotix team for product and project assistance.