BBQGuys has shown that the “Spirit of Louisiana” is still alive and well.
The nation’s leading online retailer of BBQ grills and smokers has donated $10,000 toward helping the Louisiana State Fire Marshal’s Office build a permanent home for the “Spirit of Louisiana” fire truck. The storied fire engine, which recently visited BBQGuys headquarters, will become a tribute to those who served in the aftermath of 9/11 and recent natural disasters.
“(The ‘Spirit of Louisiana’) is a hero,” said BBQGuys CEO Mike Hackley. “It helped a lot of people, just like the people driving it. Now it’s time to find a home for it. … It’s time that we tell the story and how it helped people outside Louisiana, but then it came back to help Louisianans.”
Originally funded by Louisiana citizens as a replacement fire truck for one of the many the New York City Fire Department lost in 9/11, the “Spirit of Louisiana” returned home as part of the relief efforts following Hurricane Katrina. The fire engine spent several months back in New York in 2012 after Hurricane Sandy, and it will now become an educational tool to inform future generations about the tragedies that called it into action.
Hackley has encouraged other Louisiana business owners to match the donation from BBQGuys to honor those who served with the “Spirit of Louisiana.”
BBQGuys (https://www.bbqguys.com) is an e-commerce company based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, that has provided top-quality grilling and outdoor living products like patio furniture, outdoor kitchens, and more since 1998. BBQGuys was named one of Baton Rouge’s top 100 private companies by the Baton Rouge Business Report, and it recently landed on the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing private businesses for the 12th consecutive year. Additionally, the company has also earned a place on the Internet Retailer 500 ranking of the fastest-growing online retailers for 11 straight years, and it also carries an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. In April, the United States Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship recognized BBQGuys as a national Small Business of the Week.
