Vermont Dealer Earns Return Trip to Morso DK Factory

Photo caption: Ray & Susan Plagge, owners of Montpelier Stove and Flag Works in Montpelier and Williston, VT, look on as a Morso DK employee demonstrates handcrafted wood stove construction.

Ray and Sue Plagge eagerly embarked on the Denmark dealer trip journey to, once again, partake in the ultimate hearth education adventure and fabulous Morso DK hospitality.

As returning guests, it seems that these Montpelier Stove & Flag owners have mastered the art of selling Morsø wood stoves, however this was not always the case.

As Ray recalls, they were at first reluctant to even carry the Morso line in their Montpelier and Williston retail stores because many of the stoves did not burn the standard 16” log. However, in time the persistent reps at Hearthlink hammered home the Morso benefits and now Montpelier Stove & Flag displays at least 9 different Morsø wood stoves and have achieved high enough sales levels to earn several Morso Denmark incentive trips.

While one might think the cold and woodsy green mountian location would make it easier to sell a Morso wood stove, Ray describes a more difficult sales environment that requires a patient sales approach, education, good consistent service, and great retail locations.

“In a cold state like Vermont where homeowners are acustomed to large wood stoves, we have to re-educate our customers so the discussion is not about the log size but the right stove for their particular situation”, explains Ray. “While many folks still want a large traditional stove that uses larger logs, we also serve plenty of bed and breakfast customers and home owners who recognize Morsø and like the selection.”

When asked what sets Montpelier Stove & Flag Works apart from other Vermont hearth dealerships, Ray confidentially states that his full-service Montpelier Stove & Flag Works store has been around since 1976 and good service gets noticed.

To learn more about Montpelier Stove & Flag Works vist www.stoveandflagworks.com

2011 Morso Dealer Trip: Ultimate Hearth Education Adventure

On August 28th, 30 US and Canadian dealers, manufacturer representatives, and guests traveled to Denmark for an event-packed Danish Dealer Week excursion. Morsø has sponsored this Dealer Week promotion every couple of years as a sales incentive. It is also the ultimate hearth education adventure.

In past years, many dealer trip participants reported higher Morsø sales after returning from Denmark because the trip sparked passion and loyalty. Meeting the craftspeople and seeing the assembly process helps the dealers to better communicate the unique Morsø wood stove qualities - construction methods, skilled craftsmen, high efficiency standards, and wide-range of stove designs.

This year’s Dealer trip highlights included: three days in Copenhagen visiting Royal Palace (changing of the guard), Rosenburg Castle and enjoying a leisurely canal tour, followed by three eventful days on the beautiful Isle of Mors taking part in a factory tour, working on the production line, touring the island, and concluding with a fun company-wide Morsø summer party.

Pictured in the photo above are: Front Row L to R : Bo & Dawn Hilliard (Biltmore Stove, NC), Steve Vorhees & Melyssa Cowles (Santa Cruz Stoves, CA), Jacquie Shankster (Morso US) Lone Bak Atterman (Morso DK), Susan & Ray Plagge (Montpelier Stoves, VT). Brent Boucher (Hearth & Home Calgary, AB), Beth Urban (Rich's for the Home, WA). 2nd Row L to R : Desiree Sirois & Jeramiah Graham (Evergreen Home & Hearth, ME), Bob & Kandie Diskin (Viking Sewing & Spa, OR) Brian Richards & Margaret Lui (Canned Heat distributor, Canada) Keith & Linda Perriman (Northeat, AK), Ernest & Debra Bingham (Great American Chimney Fireplace Folks, WI), Sherry & Vince Woods (Homestead Stove Co, OR) Bob & Paula Williamson (American Chimney Sweeps, VT), John Sullivan (Energy Unlimited, MA), Adam King (Hearthlink Int, Distributor, NE), Troy Smith (Rich's for the home, WA) 3rd Row, R to L; Michael Henning (Complete Heat, NH), Bill Murphy (Ashleigh's Hearth & Home, NY), Roy Matthews (Complete Heat, NH), Craig Shankster (Morsø US)

To contact a near near you, use the easy dealer locator at Morsona.com

NY Times Features Clever Cube House Heated by Morso 6148 Freestanding Wood Stove

Photo Caption: Home Designers Yumiko Foust Virant and Tom Virant with sons Wil and Andy

When it comes to good news the saying goes “it travels fast”. In our case, great news also travels long distances as a Morso friend in Denmark caught a glimpse of our Morso 6148 wood stove when reading the July 20th New York Times and sent us the Home & Garden feature - A House Built on Trust http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/21/garden/in-virginia-a-house-built-on-trust-on-location.html -written by Karrie Jacobs.

In Jacob’s home design article she describes the vision, architecture and construction of a sweet Charlottesville, Virginia cube house owned by Alison Threatt. Completed last summer, the house was designed and built by Tom Virant at Virant Design Inc and his Architect wife Yumiko Foust Virant at Virant Architecture Inc.

While just seeing our 6148 wood stove stand tall in this clever designer cube house was certainly a source of pride, we were still curious to learn how this highly skilled design team decided that a freestanding Morso cast iron wood stove was the best choice.

Fortunately, Asheville, North Carolina- based General Contractor Tom Virant took time between new construction projects to graciously answer our questions:

What prompted you to include a wood stove in this house? Our good friend and client Alison Threatt spent time in Canada and knew she wanted a wood stove in her home. In addition, I personally use a wood stove and recommend them to other clients who appreciate fire as a design element and want energy efficient heating.

Why did you choose a Morso wood stove? Honestly, we evaluated several different wood stove brands and found that Morso was highly recommended and had a wide chose of small freestanding wood stove models within our price range.

Is the Morso 6148 used for supplemental heating in the Charlottesville house? It is actually the primary heating system for this open, two-story home with 1,000 square feet living space. Radiant floor heating on the first level and a mini split ductless air/heat system with heat recirculation fan supplement the stove to keep the entire house warm in the most energy efficient and sustainable way.

To learn more about Virant Design visit http://virantdesign.com/home.html

Historical Foundation Give Morso Energy Efficient Wood Stoves Strength

The history of Morsø Jernstøberi dates all the way back to 1853, when business graduate, N. A. Christensen, started his own iron foundry on the Limfjord island of Mors in Denmark. In the first few years, the small handful of employees manufactured everything from barn windows and memorial crosses to cooking stoves, pots and pans.

However, N. A. Christensen wasn’t your typical business man. With his well-honed talent for good business and his many creative and forward-thinking ideas, he succeeded in turning Morso into a leading cast iron foundry. Towards the close of the century, Morso cast goods were well-known, especially the popular solid fuel wood stoves and wood burning cooking stoves which had now become the company’s most important product.

Royal warmth
At the turn of the 20th century, Morso began supplying wood burning heating systems to churches, schools and a number of public buildings, including the state railways and various ministries. And at the start of the 1900s, the popular imperial-style wood stoves found their way into the royal apartments at Amalienborg. In 1915, various wood stoves had already been supplied to the palaces at Amalienborg and to several other royal residences, and the company was therefore bestowed the prestigious title of Purveyor to His Majesty the King by King Christian X. Later, in 1969, the title was changed to By Appointments to the Royal Danish Court.

Always in front
When central heating and, therefore, radiators pushed solid fuel stove was out of fashion. Morso - once again- showed that it had its finger on the pulse, when the revolutionary open fireplace stove, the 1122, was launched. In so doing, Morsø opened up a completely new market and a completely new way of making life warmer, in two senses of the word.

Step by step, Morsø has led the way in wood stove design innovation and new ways of combining form and function; efficiency with beauty and comfort – and also in recent years with environmental awareness and respect. Today, Morso Energy Efficient Wood Stoves exports a wide choice of high performing wood stoves to 25 countries, irrespective of the climate – from northern Scandinavia to South Africa, from the USA and Canada to Australia and Japan.

Hearth & Home of Ithaca

Photo caption: Here are a few of the Hearth & Home of Ithaca pros (left to right) Matt Slowey, Jay Felli, Julie Langenbacher, Jeff Loik and Al Gillis.

The blazing hot mid-summer heat does nothing to slow down the buzz at Hearth & Home of Ithaca. With only five years of ownership under his belt, owner Jay Felli has focused his abundant entrepreneurial energy to position this 30- year old full service chimney and hearth establishment as a leading Morso wood stove dealer in upstate New York.

Jay says, "When I purchased this business there was one or two Morso units scattered in the store. That was before our home design consultant Julie developed a passion for the Morsø  line and we now have a dozen units on display."

Schooled in architectural design, Jay has a good understanding of home design trends and has assembled a dream team of factory-trained technicians to provide installation, maintenance, chimney cleaning and repair, including complete construction of masonry and metal chimneys. Sean Rice , Tim Reynolds, Charlie Fish and Bill Hewes handle any issues in the field. Al Gillis supports the entire staff with his vast knowledge of stoves, fireplaces and the various parts.  He also has a unique knack for finding what is needed to maintain stoves that are long since out of manufacturing. 

Hearth & Home of Ithaca’s sales force is also highly qualified. Julie Langenbacher brings interior design to the table and spends quality time with customers designing their hearth. Matt Slowey has the environmental science knowledge and pays particular attention to developments in fuels and efficiency.

Being in top form is especially important in Ithaca, home to Cornell University, an Ivy League school of over 20,000 students, and Ithaca College. This academic hub houses highly-educate consumers who do their homework and want the best products, services, and buying experience. To edge out the competition, Felli and his team need to bring on their “A” game every day, year round.

To keep things fresh the Hearth & Home of Ithaca team are presently working on new first floor displays, organizing summer cooking classes and a Fall open house scheduled for the last weekend in September, and constructing a class-A chimney to vent a soon-to-be installed Monica Ritterband 7644 wood stove. That’s in addition to a fully booked schedule of summer installations, chimney cleaning and repair appointments.

Fortunately, the days are long this time of year so that Felli can whittle down his to-do list to enjoy a second well-earned Morso Dealer Denmark trip come August.

You can always visit Hearth & Home of Ithaca online http://www.hearthhome.com/ or stop by their store on 726 West Court Street, Ithaca, NY 14850-3296.

Today is a Good Day to Start Your Wood Stove Checklist

About now jumping into a cool lake, stream, or foaming surf is more likely to be top of mind, than ones chore list. Nonetheless, there are certain home improvement tasks that can be accomplished in a breeze.

First, if you own a wood stove and have not yet had your stove professionally cleaned, call your local hearth dealer or chimney cleaning company to schedule this important wood stove maintenance appointment today. Also, take stock of your wood pile. Do you have enough dry wood fuel to last the 2011—2012 cold season? If not, order soon to avoid waits come the chill.

Also, if you really want to sit back for a while, consider watching one or more of the five online Morsø educational videos that are available at http://www.morsona.com , or YouTube. These videos are intended to encourage new or long-time wood stove owners to fully realize the renewable benefits of local wood energy in a responsible environmentally respectful manner, without beginner missteps or old-school methods.

Ø Choosing The Right Stove For Your Home.
Ø Installing Your Stove Correctly
Ø Wood & Storage
Ø Operating Your Stove Correctly.
Ø Stove Maintenance

Lastly and most importantly, we want to thank you for reading this Morso Energy Efficient Wood Stove blog. Please visit often and pass along the information you find valuable.

Versatile 3610 a North American Favorite

A beautifully designed stove with clean lines, the Morsø 3610 wood stove was developed specifically for the North American market. The largest wood stove in the Morsø collection, the 3610 puts out 60,000 Btu and heats areas up to 2,400 sq ft.

The Morsø 3610 radiant wood stove is ideal for rooms with cathedral ceilings that require a radiant heater for effective and efficient heating. In addition, this stove’s large double doors make it perfect for heating large rooms.

Installation is versatile with a reversible 6” flue collar, standard rear and bottom heat shields, and an optional outside air kit.

For additional flexibility, wood can be loaded into a Morsø 3610 wood stove from the front doors or through the easy-access side door. The large firebox accepts up to 24” logs and a specifically designed air channel helps burn the fuel as completely and efficiently as possible. The Morsø 3610 wood stove has two ash pans for convenient ash removal without manually shoveling out the ashes from the firebox.

To see Morso 3610 wood stove technical and installation details click here