September 15, 2023
HPBA Pacific Mixers, Fostering Industry Connections
HPBA Pacific members gather for the August monthly mixer.
On September 25, at the lively Filippi's Pizza Grotto in San Diego, California, the Hearth, Patio & Barbeque Association (HPBA) Pacific chapter held one of their exciting industry mixers.
Pat Lopez, owner of Burnie Fireplace Services, along with Nick Pulone of Aero General Insurance, arranged this mixer as a way for industry members to meet others from different companies. Both Lopez and Pulone are dedicated HPBA members, with Lopez being on the Pacific board.
Lopez and Pulone acknowledged that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all industry outings were halted and continued to not be as available post-pandemic. Once things were back open, it didn’t take long for them to start making these mixers happen.
Pulone shared, "It's amazing to see what happens when you get a group of people together of the same mindset.” The mixers allow members to form new relationships in a fun and casual environment.
Events like these don’t happen without some hard work behind them. “With the approval of our board, Nick and I had to brainstorm and came up with the mixer events,” Lopez says. The three mixer events were so successful the group is already planning a fourth.