After 35 years of bringing hotter, easier-to-start fires into homes all over America, the physicist behind the “Physicist’s Fire” has retired at age 93. But his company and his invention are in good hands; his daughter, Nicole Cranberg, an ardent advocate of the Texas Fireframe® grate, is now running the family business.
From his home in Austin, TX, Dr. Lawrence Cranberg expressed confidence in his daughter’s stewardship of the company that he started in 1975. “With her experience as a veteran marketing professional, she supplies the skills and knowledge to introduce the Texas Fireframe grate to many more families. I know our friends past and future will be well served.”
Relaunching her father’s business with a new website and the Texas Fireframe blog you’re reading now, Nicole writes:
As I reflect on the 35 years since my dad’s invention was first reported in Time, Money, NY Times, USA Today and many others, I feel very proud to carry on his message, his product and his commitment to wood burning as a renewable, eco-friendly, and very valid source of alternative energy for the 40 million homes with fireplaces in the U.S. The Texas Fireframe grate holds logs in a unique arrangement that increases the efficiency of the fireplace, bringing much more heat into the room. As a bonus, it makes a beautiful, slow-burning fire that maximizes the heat output of every log.
With extensive consumer goods experience, I’m thrilled to be marketing a product that will never go out of style, never be technologically obsolete, never need service, never burden the environment (we ship it unboxed with no packing material, and at the end of its very long life, it’s recyclable). And of course, I’m especially proud to market a product that was invented by my father. I still remember him experimenting with log formations to try to generate more heat in our fireplace. It was December of 1974 – the Arab oil embargo – proving necessity truly is the mother (and father) of invention.
Thank you for reading our very first blog post! I’d be happy to answer your questions, post your comments, or just tell my dad you said “hi.” (And Mom too. If you’re already a customer, you’ve probably talked to her on the phone. We’re a true Mom and Pop company, but Mom and Pop need a well deserved rest.)
Please visit our new website at http://www.texasfireframe.com, read the Texas Fireframe story, check out our press clippings and see the raves from our wonderful customers. I hope you’ll become one of them. While you’re visiting there, click on the Facebook and Twitter icons to spread the word about the best fireplace grates to your friends and followers.
p.s. Don’t you love the great photograph of the live oak tree above? That’s on our gift card. The Texas Fireframe grate is very popular at holiday time, so get your order in early!
I’ve owned a Texas Fireframe for two years and it really works! I look forward to the weather getting cold so I can start having fires in my fireplace…nothing is cozier!
Thank you for the nice comments! Our sales really heat up around the holidays, so please remember that the post office needs our orders in by December 12 for Christmas delivery. Plan now for holiday giving.
The U-17 is “small but mighty.” Our Living Room has 24 ft. ceilings and the Texas Fire Frame fills it with an abundance of heat.
This is one cool, or should I say, hot item for anyone looking to conserve on fuel and electricity costs.