Junior celebrates Mr. Bar-B-Q's 40th year

Marc Zemel says he will always be Mr. Bar-B-Q Jr. His father, Al Zemel, he says, is Mr. Bar-B-Q.

Al Zemel died in March 2011, at age 74. It was he who started the business in Old Bethpage that has become the country's largest supplier of barbecue accessories.

"Everything but the grill," the company's website says.

As spring begins, Mr. Bar-B-Q is celebrating its 40th year in business. That's something to cheer about, and Zemel, 42, is happy.

Has the slow economy hurt the privately held company? He says it's been doing well even during the depths of the recession, with sales of about $40 million a year. People stopped going to restaurants as much as they used to and did more backyard barbecuing than ever, Zemel said.

"I love this" business, he said. "It became a passion."

Mr. Bar-B-Q's products -- spatulas, basting brushes, tongs, skewers and all the other items you need to grill -- are made in Asia and sold at The Home Depot, Lowe's, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Costco, Walmart and other national chains.

Zemel runs the company from Old Bethpage, where about 30 employees work. There are about 100 employees around the world. Zemel likes to work with his design team on new accessories.

His closest competitor, he said, is Charcoal Companion, in Emeryville, Calif.

Mr. Bar-B-Q began in 1972, when his father sold charcoal to regional chains like Rickle Home Centers. Marc Zemel came into the business 20 years ago. About 15 years ago, he said, their products went national.

As the grilling season begins, Zemel said he is working on accessories that take up less space on grills. His ideas, he said, come from listening to the owners of the mom and pop hardware stores and other retailers he visits.

"Their knowledge made me what I am today," Zemel said.