The original idea for Eco Firebox began years ago, when creator and founder, Les Veilleux, was traveling in Europe. As a fourth generation mason, he immediately took notice of how commonly masonry heat was being used in households. At the time, he was an executive within the software industry, where he had worked his way up from a systems engineer to vice president of market development for companies ranging from Oracle, Netscape, Sun Microsystems, and Winternals. Amazed that the U.S. hadn’t readily adopted such a clean and efficient burning technique, he dreamed of one day creating his own version of a masonry heater that would not only be efficient, it would be aesthetically designed to suit American tastes. In addition, he wanted to make it modular, making it simple to install and add modern enhancements.
After his fundamental role in helping a company get acquired by Microsoft, Les returned to his roots in masonry figuratively and literally. Having owned and operated Old World Masonry years prior, and growing up in a family of masons, this was hardly new territory. However, creating a product from the ground up was no small endeavor. Though residing in Boston, he decided to set up an additional workspace and test lab in his birthplace of French Island, Maine. Here, he could get the input of a community born of the lumber industry and still using wood for heat today, as well as the insight from his father, Norman Veilleux (N. G. Veilleux Masonry & Sons) a masonry contractor for almost 60 years and older brother, John Veilleux (one of Maine’s finest master craftsman).
In early 2010, after consulting some of the world’s top experts in masonry heat, doing additional training, and endless hours of research and development, Les created a completely modular green fireplace that he’s named, the eco firebox. Testing of his final product not only passed with flying colors, it exceeded expectations, burning a fraction of the wood used in traditional fireplaces and wood stoves, as well as virtually eliminating toxic gases emitted into indoor and outdoor air. Today, Eco Firebox offers an array of products, including two easy-to-assemble, modular stand-alone models, to options completely customized to your space and personal style. Addons range from boot and mitten warmers, benches, and bake ovens to water heaters. All, saving time, money and the planet at the same time.
Thank you for taking the time to check in on us.
Peace and joy.
Les Veilleux
Founder & President
207-752-4546
