Insight – Fulfilling Dreams

ARG interior lights

ARG Pro Side Burner

RCS outdoor kitchen

Fulfilling Dreams

Builtondecadesofexperiencesince

1949andhardworkbygenerationsoftheCunningham family, CGProducts has established itself as a supplier of high-quality gas grills and anything else needed to fully outfit an outdoor kitchen. Jeff Cunningham, owner of CGProducts, says, “We’re a multi-channel business with a long, rich history.”

In addition to the company’s complete outdoor kitchen line—Renaissance Cooking Systems—that was established in 2001, CGProducts has a diverse set of business outlets with two retail stores, a wholesale distribution operation of a variety of brands across four states, an order fulfillment system serving online retailers nationally, and production and sales of rustic goods with Haggard’s Rustic Goods, which was acquired in 2015.

“Our business is multifaceted,” Cunningham says. “With our eye on the future, our company is so diverse in terms of our channels. We have two local retail stores, we have outside sales, we have wholesale distribution, we have online channels, and we have manufacturing with RCS, so I’m the third generation of this company, and this is not going to fail. Not on my watch. Besides having my wife, Robben, helping me today, the fourth generation is already on board.”

CGProducts has grown its distribution sales from humble beginnings with its first 40 Falcon grills and 100 Peterson Real Fire gas logs that it sold, to now having their salesforce covering Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas and a staff of about 35. With the creation of Renaissance Cooking Systems that are sold throughout the country, CGProducts became a force to be reckoned with in the manufacturing component of the industry. “It’s a product we developed,” Cunningham says. “It’s a brand we are building nationally. It’s America’s best value in outdoor cooking products.”

Cunningham explains how the company decided to focus on manufacturing in America. Not only did they want to diversify their offerings, but they noticed a high demand for American-made products. “The reason we went to manufacturing in the U.S. is because of a real American Renaissance,” he says. “So many people are buying and wanting to purchase products that are made in the U.S., so that’s what spurred us on to develop this new product line.”

Cunningham notes that they wanted to have control over the brand and not rely on one manufacturer or manufacturing location, so this year they expanded Renaissance Cooking Systems with a new grill to add to their already popular Premier, Cutlass, and Cutlass Pro models. “In January, we

RCS kitchens appeal to customers who want American-made grills

Multiple generations have made CGProducts a leader in both grill manufacturing and multi-channel sales distribution.

BY CHERISE FORNO

launchedAmericanRenaissanceGrill,whichisa subsetofRCS,”Cunninghamsays.“Thisisvery excitingnewsandhasbeenverywellreceivedby ourdealers.”

Duringthedevelopmentprocess,designinga grillthatofferedpremiumfeaturesatanapproachablepricelevelquicklybecameapriority.“When we developed this product, which took over a year to bring to the market, we developed it with a target of prices that we wanted to hit,” Cunningham says. “We wanted to give customers the most value possible, so we designed the American Renaissance Grill that is a premium product, made in America at a very reasonable price,” Cunningham says.

He notes that especially when compared with similar grills on the marketplace, Cunningham estimates that the closest price point for a similar grill is about $800 more. The American Renaissance Grill has been well-received because CGProducts is delivering exactly what consumers wanted—no more, no less.

“The American Renaissance Grill has several unique features in contrast to other grill manufacturers,” Cunningham says. “It has cooking grids that are square, so it makes for a larger searing area and better contact with the meat. You can also lift the lid with one finger thanks to spring-loaded lid assist. There is also a foldaway potato or warming rack as well as 900 Degree professional heat indicator, air dam on the rear, ball bearing slide-out cleanup tray, LED-illuminated control knobs, interior lights, professional flavor briquettes, lifetime warranty and, of course, 304 grade stainless in all key areas plus a host of other upgrades. These are premium features that people look for in an upper-end grill, but it doesn’t have that upper-end price point.”

Cunningham notes that having a diverse business has helped CGProducts adapt to the ever-changing market during changes brought on by COVID-19. “The past 12-14 months, the world has faced lifechangingissues,”Cunninghamsays.Heexplainshow many companies are quoting three months or more for grill delivery times during a widespread shipping crisis. Last year, Cunningham had the foresight to invest heavily in acquiring more inventory, which necessitated more warehouse space—almost 12,000 additional square feet so far just this year.

“Pretty much all grill manufacturers are facing some serious supply chain issues,” he says. “We invested and continue to invest a ton of money, going back to August and September of last year, placing our orders with manufacturers well in advance, so we have had to increase our warehouse space dramatically to help house all these products.”

Cunningham continues to see the investment into inventory as a priority because demand for outdoor living products has not slowed. “The reason we’re investing millions of dollars in our inventory is because I feel like the business with the most inventory wins because so many other companies don’t have it,” he says. “We started looking to the future more than six months ago, and we are now seeing the rewards of the investments we started making back then.”

When the first two-week lockdown started in March 2020, Cunningham took his more than 30 employees down to a skeleton crew of six people. The rest were sent home, to stay safe but remained on the payroll. He had no idea how the past year would go.

“In the last 20 years, sales in our industry were growing almost double digits each year,”

Cunningham says. “Then this hit, and it took off because people were investing in their yards, homes, and good times with their family. We are not seeing a slowdown yet in demand.” Cunningham notes how tragic the pandemic has been in many ways, but he also is grateful that

CGProducts stepped up to the challenge and made necessary changes. He credits his family’s faith in God for their success and for the values the Cunningham family has embedded into the culture of the company. “We’re learning how to adjust and adapt,” Cunningham says. “By the grace of God, it got busier. We’ve had to not only bring back our entire staff in just a couple of weeks but have since hired more people, and our sales overall, in all areas are way up. Robben and I are blessed to have an incredible staff of hardworking, dedicated folks that really make this company run.”

A full range of accessories is available, such as briquette trays and cooking grids.

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