Empire Distributing
Empire Distributing is a privately held, family-operated regional distributor of hearth and outdoor living products, serving independent dealers across the Northeast and Midwest US with 20+ manufacturer brands and a hands-on support model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1980
- HeadquartersArcade, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Empire Distributing does
Empire Distributing is a privately held, family-operated regional distributor of hearth and outdoor living products headquartered in Arcade, New York. Founded in the 1980s, the company has operated for over three decades as an exclusive distributor serving independent hearth dealers across the Northeast and Midwest United States, covering territories including Western New York, Eastern New York/Long Island, Pennsylvania/New Jersey, Virginia/Maryland/Delaware, New England, and Midwest states (Michigan, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio). The company distributes products from 20+ manufacturers including Lopi, Valcourt, FPX, Modern Flames, Ravelli, Superior Fireplaces, American Hearth, Warming Trends, Infratech, Blaze Grills, and Bromic.
The company operates two primary product categories: hearth products (fireplaces, gas and wood stoves, inserts, gas logs, and accessories) and outdoor living products (fire tables, outdoor heaters, BBQ grills, outdoor kitchens, and landscape lighting). Empire Distributing differentiates itself through a hands-on distributor partnership model rather than commodity distribution, providing dealer support across store layout and design, sales training, technical support, and installation training. The company maintains a dedicated product specialist team covering hearth, outdoor kitchens, and outdoor heating categories, supported by regional sales representatives in each territory.
The business model is B2B distribution with revenue derived from wholesale-to-dealer margins. The company operates a dealer portal (weborders.empiredistributing.net) for online ordering and catalog access, alongside direct field sales relationships. Pricing is quote-based and negotiated through dealer accounts rather than publicly disclosed. The Rupp family maintains active involvement across sales and marketing functions, and the company is privately held with no disclosed external investors or parent entity.
Empire Distributing firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Empire Distributing
- Legal name
- Empire Distributing
- Website
- https://empiredistributing.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1980
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Empire Distributing is a privately held, family-operated regional distributor of hearth and outdoor living products, serving independent dealers across the Northeast and Midwest US with 20+ manufacturer brands and a hands-on support model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Empire Distributing is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Arcade
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Empire Distributing business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Product Distribution: Empire Distributing generates revenue through the distribution and resale of hearth and outdoor living products to independent dealer networks. The company acts as an exclusive regional distributor for multiple manufacturers, supplying fireplaces, stoves, inserts, outdoor grills, fire tables, outdoor heaters, and related accessories. Revenue is derived from the margin between wholesale acquisition costs and dealer pricing.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Empire Distributing product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Empire Distributing is an exclusive regional wholesale distributor of hearth and outdoor living products, supplying fireplaces, stoves, inserts, outdoor grills, fire tables, fire pit burners, outdoor heaters, landscape lighting, and related accessories to independent dealers across the Northeast and Midwest U.S. The company supports dealer accounts with regional field sales coverage, an online ordering portal (Inferno/weborders.empiredistributing.net), technical and installation training, sales training, and store layout and design assistance.
Product overview
Empire Distributing is a distribution company serving as an exclusive distributor of hearth and outdoor living products. The company operates as a two-category portfolio: (1) Hearth Products including fireplaces, stoves, inserts, furnaces, gas logs, venting, and hearth accessories across brands like Lopi, Valcourt, FPX, Modern Flames, Ravelli, Superior, and American Hearth; and (2) Outdoor Products encompassing fire tables, outdoor heating (Infratech, Bromic), BBQ grills (Blaze, Bull, Louisiana Grills), landscape lighting (Lumien), outdoor fireplaces, and kitchen islands. The company also provides an internal dealer portal called Inferno for order entry, catalog access, and warranty management.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Hearth Products Distribution
- Outdoor Living Products Distribution
- Inferno Dealer Portal & Online Ordering
Companies that use Empire Distributing
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Empire Distributing technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Empire Distributing partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
24 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- LopicoreHearth product manufacturer whose products are distributed by Empire Distributing. Lopi manufactures gas stoves and hearth products for the residential market.
- ValcourtcoreHearth product manufacturer whose products are distributed by Empire Distributing. Valcourt produces residential fireplaces.
- FPXcoreHearth product manufacturer producing gas inserts, distributed by Empire Distributing.
- Modern FlamescoreElectric fireplace manufacturer whose products are distributed by Empire Distributing.
- RavellicorePellet stove manufacturer whose products are distributed by Empire Distributing to dealers.
- Superior FireplacescoreHearth product manufacturer producing wood fireplaces and outdoor products, distributed by Empire Distributing.
- American HearthcoreHearth product manufacturer (part of烟囱 brands) whose products including gas fireplaces and outdoor products are distributed by Empire Distributing.
- DaVinci FireplaceminorDecorative fireplace manufacturer whose products are distributed by Empire Distributing.
- FireplaceXminorHearth product manufacturer whose products are distributed by Empire Distributing.
- EnvirominorHearth product manufacturer whose products are distributed by Empire Distributing.
- BreckwellminorHearth product manufacturer whose products are distributed by Empire Distributing.
- OsburnminorHearth product manufacturer whose products are distributed by Empire Distributing.
- Hargrove Gas LogsminorGas log manufacturer whose products are distributed by Empire Distributing.
- Diamond HearthsminorHearth product manufacturer whose products are distributed by Empire Distributing.
- Warming TrendscorePremium fire pit burner manufacturer whose Crossfire Brass Fire Pit Burner products are distributed by Empire Distributing.
- InfratechcoreInfrared outdoor heater manufacturer whose products including W-Series heaters are distributed by Empire Distributing.
- Blaze GrillscoreProfessional gas grill manufacturer whose products are distributed by Empire Distributing.
- BromiccoreOutdoor heater manufacturer whose Platinum Smart-Heat Gas Outdoor Heater products are distributed by Empire Distributing.
- Outdoor GreatRoomcoreOutdoor living product manufacturer whose fire tables and outdoor products are distributed by Empire Distributing.
- Bull Built-in GrillsminorBBQ grill manufacturer whose built-in grills and accessories are distributed by Empire Distributing.
- Lumien Landscape LightingminorLandscape lighting manufacturer whose products are distributed by Empire Distributing to dealers.
- Broil KingminorBBQ grill manufacturer whose products are distributed by Empire Distributing.
- BroilmasterminorPremium BBQ grill manufacturer whose products are distributed by Empire Distributing.
- Louisiana GrillsminorPellet grill manufacturer whose products are distributed by Empire Distributing.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Empire Distributing competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Travis Industries: Manufacturer of hearth brands including Lopi, FPX, and FireplaceX — all distributed by Empire. Not a direct distribution peer, but its strategic decisions about distribution models directly determine Empire's access to those brands.
- Infratech: Manufacturer of premium infrared outdoor heating products whose Empire distributes. Listed as a peer because of its dual role as an adjacent equipment supplier and an established outdoor living brand competing for the same end-customer spend.
- Hearth & Home Technologies: Largest manufacturer of hearth products in North America (Heatilator, Heat & Glo, Quadra-Fire, Vermont Castings brands). Functions as both a competitor to Empire's distribution model (via its own direct dealer programs) and a potential supplier/partner depending on territory arrangements.
Broad incumbents
- Hajoca Corporation: Large US wholesale distributor of plumbing, heating, and cooling supplies with regional operating centers. Comparable to Empire in serving independent trade customers, but operates at much larger scale and across broader product categories.
- The Granite Group: Regional wholesale distributor of plumbing, heating, and cooling products across New England and upstate New York. Direct geographic overlap with Empire and a similar independent-dealer service model, though broader product scope.
- WinWholesale: Group of wholesale distribution businesses including HVAC, plumbing, and industrial supplies serving independent contractors. Operates an analogous local-warehouse, relationship-driven distribution model to Empire but across broader categories.
- Watsco: Largest HVAC distributor in North America with a national footprint. While focused on air conditioning and refrigeration rather than hearth specifically, it is a comparable value-chain distributor serving dealer networks with technical support and exclusive territories.
- ABC Supply Co. Largest wholesale distributor of roofing, siding, and exterior building products in North America. Comparable as a building products distributor serving contractor/dealer channels, though focused on exterior envelope rather than hearth/outdoor living.
- Ferguson Enterprises: One of the largest North American distributors of plumbing, heating, and related building products. Overlaps with Empire in heating equipment and home improvement distribution but operates at national scale and serves a broader customer set including contractors, builders, and institutional buyers.
- Johnstone Supply: National HVACR cooperative/distributor serving independent contractors and dealers. Comparable channel model (exclusive territory, dealer support, technical training) but with a broader HVAC focus rather than specialized hearth/outdoor products.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Empire Distributing social profiles
Digital presenceEmpire Distributing financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Empire Distributing leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Empire Distributing funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Empire Distributing M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Empire Distributing
What does Empire Distributing do?
Empire Distributing is an exclusive regional wholesale distributor of hearth and outdoor living products, supplying fireplaces, stoves, inserts, outdoor grills, fire tables, fire pit burners, outdoor heaters, landscape lighting, and related accessories to independent dealers across the Northeast and Midwest U.S. The company supports dealer accounts with regional field sales coverage, an online ordering portal (Inferno/weborders.empiredistributing.net), technical and installation training, sales training, and store layout and design assistance.
Is Empire Distributing a public or private company?
Empire Distributing is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Empire Distributing founded?
Empire Distributing was founded in 1980. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Empire Distributing based?
Empire Distributing is headquartered in Arcade, United States, in the North America region.
How does Empire Distributing make money?
One revenue line is on record: product Distribution.
Who are Empire Distributing's main competitors?
Others on record are Travis Industries, Infratech and Hearth & Home Technologies. Broad incumbents are Hajoca Corporation, The Granite Group, WinWholesale, Watsco, ABC Supply Co., Ferguson Enterprises and Johnstone Supply.
Does Empire Distributing have an API?
No public API is recorded for Empire Distributing.