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Insight – Sustained Success
Legacy series commercial grill
AEI Corporation has made its mark with a diverse portfolio of outdoor products and a well-oiled sales channel.
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BY CHERISE FORNO
Sustained Success
It’sbeenamonumentalhalf-century tenure for AEI Corporation. Overthe
course of five decades, the company has grown from a wholesale distributor of gas grills and lamps to a distributor of multiple brands of gas grills and outdoor heating equipment, as well as a manufacturer of its own patio and hearth products.
“In 1966, AEI was a true wholesale distributor,” says Pete Arnold, the co-owner of AEI and son of the company’s founder, Phil Arnold. “Over these past 30 years, we have grown as we have added manufacturing our own line of grills and patio heating equipment.” Phil Arnold took his experience as a gas engineer with a public utility company in Wisconsin and moved to Southern California when he had the opportunity to distribute Charmglow gas grills and lamps. Alongside his wife, Libby, Phil developed a company that focused on valuing its employees and customers and selling quality products to enrich consumers’ lives.
“A phrase often repeated but is accurate for AEI is it is our team that makes us outstanding,” Arnold says. “We have attracted and retained great people. Many have been part of AEI for years, some for decades, and a few for over 40 years.”
Today, AEI distributes patio heating equipment and grills from three highly reputable brands, along with manufacturing its own line of grills, Performance Grilling Systems (PGS), and outdoor infrared patio heaters with its Patio Comfort line that provides ambiance, comfort, and warmth to outdoor dining, relaxing, and entertaining that is clean and efficient. Sunglow and Sunpak produce their high-quality heaters in Yorba Linda, California, and Infratech heaters are manufactured in Gardena, California.
Arnold explains that one of AEI’s strengths is focusing on gas grills and patio heating equipment, so it is extremely knowledgeable and experienced about its products and customers. “We are truly one stop for a great solution to patio heating in our offering of umbrella domed, horizontal, gas, electric, natural gas, or propane heaters,” Arnold says. “The same is true for our gas grill offering of all aluminum, stainless steel, residential, commercial, builtin, or freestanding grills.”
Infratech and Sunpak are two brands that have performed extremely well for AEI. “The highest growth has come from Infratech, which initially began marketing quartz electric patio heating about 20 years ago,” Arnold says. “Infratech offers virtually endless possibilities in terms of style, color, mounting options, and how to control the heat.”
Sunpak offers efficient heaters for residential and commercial use. Arnold notes that recently Sunpak has expanded its offerings with two-stage burners, a remote-control option, and three fascia kits for added design appeal.
Patio Comfort natural gas heater
Gas timer
A-Series PGS Grill with gas timer
AEI’sPerformanceGrillingSystems(PGS) grillshaveproducedstrongsalesforthecompany asAEIcontinuestogrowthemanufacturingcomponentofitsbusiness.Whencraftingitsgrills, AEIfocusesonqualityanddurability.Italso strivestodesignuser-friendlyfeaturessuchas intelligentlyspacedcookinggridstopreventfood fromfallingbetweenthem.Theyalsodevelop safetyfeaturesthatdeliverpeaceofmindtonovice andprofessionalgrillers.“Ourgasgrillsofferonehourtimersbuiltrightintothecontrolpanel, whichprovidessafetyunlikeanyotheronthe market,” Arnold says.
AEI’s Legacy grills, the company’s stainless steel series of grills, are manufactured in the U.S., Taiwan, and China. They feature ceramic rocks for even heat distribution and minimal flare-ups and come with a lifetime warranty on all of its major components.
The A-Aluminum series, which are manufactured in Wisconsin, features a stainless steel “H” burner and a self-contained continuous spark electronic ignition. The T-Commercial series offers grills specifically designed for commercial settings and professionals.
AEI has made improvements throughout its lines to keep up with consumer preferences. “We have recently begun to manufacture a master gas shut-off assembly for use in multifamily environments,” Arnold says. “We also have redesigned the cart and pedestal assemblies for our Legacy series of grills and are well on our way to manufacturing a line of electric grills that we hope to have in the marketplace by the third quarter of this year.”
Even as many companies experienced supply chain challenges due to COVID during the past year, Arnold predicts a bright outlook for the patio and hearth industry and for AEI because of increased demand as people have spent more time at home and outdoors.
“AEI feels that the entire industry will see remarkable growth throughout 2021 and likely well into 2022,” Arnold says. “This feeling comes from the sense that many of us are not traveling or vacationing and want our homes to be as nice as they possibly can be. We have also seen that our homes’ most accessible expansion can be found in our backyards, where high-quality gas grills and patio heating equipment fit any plan. Add to this the demand from the hospitality’s increase due to the desire to dine outdoors and the many solutions we offer.”
As AEI continues to grow, it remains committed to retaining the core values of the company that were established 55 years ago by its founders—Phil and Libby Arnold. Its next priority is to continue to invest in its employees, support and serve its customers, and build partnerships with more vendors. “Goal three is to significantly expand our geographic footprint to serve customers in additional areas of the United States,” Arnold says. “AEI’s future is very bright indeed.”
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