Mr. Bar-B-Q Products LLC

Mr. Bar-B-Q is a leading brand of innovative, premier barbecue accessories and outdoor lifestyle tools at an excellent value. Al Zemel or Mr. Z, as he was affectionately known, started Mr. Bar-B-Q in 1972 with five employees. Originally, the company sold charcoal briquettes and lighter fluid, as well as ice melting products such as rock salt and calcium chloride, to regional home centers, as well as local garden centers and hardware stores. Mr. Bar-B-Q grew in the 1980s during the spike in oil prices by selling kerosene heaters and wood burning stoves. Mr. Zs son, Marc, joined Mr. Bar-B-Q in 1991, and helped start the specialty division to sell to independent furniture and home, hearth and garden centers across the U.S. He also helped launch an expansion to a new customer base, including Bed Bath & Beyond, TJ Maxx, The Home Depot, Lowes, etc. Next, he established a Hong Kong showroom/office in 1995, which led to increased international sales. Until the day he died (in 2011), my f...