New portable gas grill isn’t keeping up with demand, says Weber CEO

New portable gas grill isn't keeping up with demand, says Weber CEO

September 17, 2021: -On Wednesday, Weber CEO Chris Scherzinger told CNBC the company’s new portable gas grill is off to a “rock-star start” since its launch earlier this year, predicting more sales success this fall as football tailgates and other gatherings pick up.

“It’s perfect for tailgating. It’s perfect for camping. You could think of it as a post-pandemic kind of play because it’s all about people coming back to parking lots outside of stadiums and going to campsites and getting together with groups,” Scherzinger said.

The grill officially named the Weber Traveler sells for $325 on the company’s website. Its legs collapse, allowing for more accessible storage in the trunk of a car, for example.

Online reviews for the Traveler grill have been “stellar,” Scherzinger added. “We’re barely keeping up with the demand, and that should be a big play for the fall here.”

After Weber issued its inaugural quarterly results as a public company, Scherzinger comments, following its IPO on August 5, fiscal third-quarter revenue rose 19% year over year to $669 million. Weber also projected full-year sales to be up between 28% to 29%. Weber shares rose more than 7% in Wednesday’s session.

In general, Scherzinger said he was optimistic about the company and grilling industry’s future for a few reasons. One is that 40 million millennials will be turning age 35 in the next decade, he said, and around that age is when people often buy their first house and, in turn, become interested in purchasing a grill.

A second reason is that, for many people, Covid-era flexible work policies will outlast the pandemic. Scherzinger said Weber benefits from that, even if it’s in hybrid form with employees spending a few days in the office and a few days working at home.

“Even if you add a Friday at home to the mix, you’ve now increased your weeknights for grilling by 50% versus where we were pre-pandemic, so there’s a lot of runway for the whole category,” he said.

Weber’s stock closed Wednesday at $14.93 per share. In its August IPO, it priced shares at $14 apiece and ended its first trading day at $16.50.

About Us

We provide the insights on leaders who are responsible for taking their organization to new heights, all the while bringing together a group of talented individuals.

Recent Posts

Campagna Academy | Changing Young Lives, Daily | Elena Dwyre

Society calls them “at-risk,” “delinquent,” or “troubled.” At Campagna Academy, they have always been called by name. Founded over 70 years ago as Hoosier Boys’ Town, Campagna Academy today restores the hopes and dreams of over 500 youths and families per year. Campagna is a 501c3, non-profit, social services agency licensed by the Indiana Department of Child Services and accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Services for Families and Children, Inc (COA) and CARF International accredits their residential programs. Campagna Academy’s life-changing programs strengthen and reunite families, allowing young men and women to make positive life changes that lead to social responsibility and personal success.

The Saint John Region Chamber of Commerce | Supporting Businesses with Powerful Advocacy | David Duplisea

David Duplisea took the reins at the Saint John Board of Trade just about ten years ago. Previous boards of Directors had discussed the possibility of partnering with the region’s Chambers and business associations to create a single organization. David’s first task as the CEO was to rebrand the legacy institution as a regional Chamber and merge four organizations into one from financial, by-laws, membership, and brand perspectives. The new organization, now known as The Saint John Region Chamber of Commerce, has successfully reinvented itself and serves the region and the province with an expanded membership and cohesive voice that speaks as one. They have added power to the business voices and not diluted them as was feared with the merger.

Urban League of Greater Chattanooga | A Driver of Change | Candy C. Johnson

Before taking on the helm of the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga as its first female President and CEO, Candy Johnson served in a variety of leadership roles. Ranging from being the youngest-ever elected City Council member in her hometown at the age of 25 years old, to running a successful non-profit education foundation, serving as policy director at a Chamber of Commerce, to senior advisor to the Mayor of Chattanooga, and as an independent consultant for non-profits and business organizations. She has remained consistent and masterful at integrating past knowledge and experiences to solve present problems. She is what some in academia would consider a “boundary spanner,” civic ‘entrepreneurs of power’ who understand coupling, interdependencies and strategically utilizing networking skills and judgments with an emphasis on the importance of cultivating interpersonal relationships, communication, political skills, and an appreciation of the interdependencies around the structure of problems and their potential solutions. Other research around the notion of boundary spanners would suggest someone with Candy’s attributes as ‘catalysts who bring together problems and solutions that otherwise would bubble chaotically in the conventional currents of modern policy streams’ (deLeon 1996, p. 508).

Tridon Communications | The Transformative Solution Provider | Ben Thompson

Tridon Communications, founded in 1981 and currently led by Ben Thompson, CEO, Chad Tomachefski, CGO, and Greg Tolson, COO, is western Canada’s leading Telecommunications System Integrator (TSI). Tridon aims to address all aspects of telecommunication system requirements, including PTT land mobile radio, fiber optics, structured cable, access control, PTP wireless and microwave, tower construction and maintenance, cyber security, and more. Tridon can take any telecom project from inception to completion, including design and engineering, project management, construction, installation and maintenance, repair, and maintenance, successfully providing organizations with end-to-end solutions as a single point of contact for wired or wireless communications.

Igniting Success® | Enhancing Human Potential | Angela Cusack

Angela Cusack, Founder & CEO of Igniting Success®, is understated and patient. She moves quickly as she partners with executive leaders in shaping cultures that produce deeper connections, higher engagement, and overall well-being and prosperity for all involved. Angela is an impact player. Someone whom many refer to as their “organization’s secret weapon.”

Commonwealth Charter Academy | Building A Great Future Generation | Thomas D. Longenecker

Innovation is a crucial aspect of leadership. Innovative leaders can think creatively, identify opportunities, and develop new ideas to help their organizations grow and stay relevant in a constantly changing world. They can inspire their teams to think outside the box and create new solutions to problems. Thomas D. Longenecker is an innovative leader with the unique ability to strategize at the micro and macro levels. His leadership style, complemented by his extensive finance and operations experience, fosters collaboration among the senior leadership team, which ultimately is spread throughout all verticals of the organization.