News

The Gift and Home Trade Association (GHTA), the industry’s non-profit trade association, is pleased to announce that Ryan Lanzel, vice president and Creative Director of Fire and Pine, has been named as the winner of the first Chad Corzine Young Gift and Home Executive Award.

Lanzel, learning the art of woodworking from scratch, designed the proprietary process that Fire and Pine uses to create images that are eventually burned into wood. Working alongside Fire and Pine’s owner, he analyzes and decides on the types of raw materials used as well as the manufacturing process from start to finish. The digital artwork library now has 1000+ images.

At the very beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic, and during the PPE shortage on the frontlines, Lanzel took the lead on sourcing raw material suppliers to create face shields. He designed the parameters of the face shields and was instrumental in the manufacturing process given limited resources.  Lanzel and the Fire and Pine team also received the South Carolina Manufacturing Excellence Award from the Governor of South Carolina for these efforts.

Ryan’s achievements embody the entrepreneurial, philanthropic, and conservation efforts that Chat stood for and what made Chad so successful in our industry.  To honor Chad’s name is special to me and I feel great knowing we have such a large group of young executives in our industry that will be a force for years to come” said Michael Nieves, president of GHTA.

Lanzel has also placed emphasis on sustainability and sustainable practices including adding solar panels to the roof of Fire and Pine’s manufacturing facility and only using wood species that are sustainability sourced to eliminate unnecessary waste. Fire and Pine’s goal to be energy neutral by 2026 and continue to work with the One Tree Planted Foundation to replenish significantly more trees than are used for the company’s artwork.  The ideals

The Chad Corzine Young Gift & Home Executive Award, in honor of the industry’s dear friend Chad Corzine who passed away in May, recognizes an up and coming executive in the industry who is under the age of 35 with a passion for this industry and their business. Ryan Lanzel was announced as the winner during the 2021 GHTA Annual Conference Nov. 3-4, 2021 after voting closed on Oct. 25, 2021.

About Fire and Pine

Fire and Pine creates one-of-a-kind gifts and home decor that are 100% American made based in the small town of Ridgeland, South Carolina. The tall, skinny pine trees and the sprawling live oaks with Spanish moss from the picturesque Lowcountry helped inspire the Fire and Pine brand. Fire and Pine is best known for signature heirloom-quality, wood-engraved maps for the home, office, or organization. Fire and Pine’s one-of-a-kind burnt wood process ensures that customers have truly unique artwork that can’t be found anywhere else, and every piece is made to order using natural, untreated pine wood ethically sourced in the United States that is milled, ripped, sanded and joined by Fire and Pine’s skilled craftsmen. Fore more information, visit www.fireandpine.com.

About GHTA

The Gift and Home Trade Association (GHTA) was formed in 2000, as the gift and home industry’s non-profit professional trade association. The Association was designed to help and encourage vendors, sales agencies, industry affiliates and retailers to work together, improving relationships and making business better by providing members with the opportunity to exchange ideas and network with industry leaders. For more information, visit www.giftandhome.org.