Sweeping Magazine- June 2018

Sweeping June 2018 VOLUME 42 #5

The Journal of Chimney and Venting Technology

2018 Convention Wrap-Up

A Vendor Perspective & Highlights of the Portland NCSG 2018 Convention 2018 Award Winners What A Difference Five Years Makes.

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Departments President’s Letter 3 Editor’s Letter 5 Coach’s Corner 24 Technical Q&A 28 Dates and Events 30 New Members 32 Progressive Perks 33 Around the Tech Center 38 Classifieds 39 Darwin Award 40 On the Cover: NCSG and CSIA Board and staff with NCSG President Jasper Drengler (Hint: Open the magazine, the image wraps around the back!)

A huge thank you goes to Joe Sauter who won the cover of Sweeping Magazine at this year’s CSIA Auction and chose to put the staff on the cover!

Table of Contents Sweeping June 2018 Volume 42 Issue 5

Features A Vendor Perspective & Highlights of the Portland NCSG 2018 Convention

2018 Convention Wrap-Up

What A Difference Five Years Makes.

2018 Award Winners

6 10 18 22 June 2018

Smoke Chambers and Cast in Place Liner Installation (866) 283-8667 Ext. 706

Factory Built Fireplace Installation and Replacement (866) 283-8667 Ext. 701

Dryer Vents (866) 283-8667 Ext. 707

Gas Appliance Venting, Gas Logs and NFPA 54 (866) 283-8667 Ext. 702 Oil Appliance Venting and NFPA 31 (866) 283-8667 Ext. 703 Chimney Inspection, Documentation and NFPA 211 (Levels of Inspection) (866) 283-8667 Ext. 704

Installation and Venting of Pellet Stoves (866) 283-8667 Ext. 708 IRC and NFPA 211 (Code Questions) (866) 283-8667 Ext. 709 Customer Service and Customer Communication (866) 283-8667 Ext. 710 General Sweeping and Repair (866) 283-8667 Ext. 711

NATIONAL CHIMNEY SWEEP GUILD BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2017-2018

TECHNICAL ADVISORY COUNCIL

Masonry Fireplace Construction and Restoration (866) 283-8667 Ext. 700

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STAFF

Resources 2155 Commercial Drive Plainfield, IN 46168 (317) 837-1500 Fax: (317) 837-5365

Megan McMahon Association Manager mmcmahon@ncsg.org

Donna Lee Kasmer CSIA Certification Coordinator dkasmer@csia.org

Darcy Marlett Director of Communications and Marketing dmarlett@ncsg.org

Penny Seals Program Coordinator pseals@ncsg.org

Zach Zagar CSIA Marketing Director zzagar@csia.org

Sara Sichting Systems and Records Coordinator ssichting@ncsg.org

Russell Dimmitt Education Director rdimmitt@ncsg.org

Annemarie Stockton Membership Coordinator astockton@ncsg.org

Charissa Benge Mahaffey Office Coordinator cmahaffey@ncsg.org

June 2018

COMMITTEE CHAIRS and TASK FORCES 2018 – 2019

Be advised that advice given by NCSG’s Technical Advisory Council (TAC) reflects best practices of the chimney sweeping industry. However, we are unable to account for any particular type of situation since regional variations in construction practices and additional environmental, physical and geographical factors necessarily vary the level of service appropriate for a particular fireplace and/or chimney.

Additionally, local laws and ordinances may govern and/ or supersede the information and any recommendations provided. Final determinations are the responsibility of a local professional with firsthand knowledge of the situation, and the local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ). Neither NCSG nor any member of TAC will be held liable for any damages whatsoever resulting from the use of or reliance on information provided by anyone associated with TAC. By your use of this member benefit you acknowledge acceptance of these terms.

Region 6 Bob Ferrari (530) 941-5818 bob@flueseason.com

Vice President, Region 4 Jeff Keefer 513-248-9600 info@chimneycareco.com

At-Large Director Gregg Boss (636) 391-2226 englishsweep@att.net

Treasurer, Region 3 Ron Rust (803) 730-5858 tophatswp@aol.com

At-Large Director Jeff Peterson (703) 444-5155 jeff@potomacservices.net

Secretary, Region 1 Matt Mair (603) 525-7905 matt@blackmoosechimney. com

Supplier Representative Stuart Karanovich (765) 966-5084 stuartk@saversystems.com

Region 2 Bill Thornton (215) 540-9787 wissahickonvalleysweep@ yahoo.com

Stainless Steel Liner Installation (866) 283-8667 Ext. 705 To contact any member of the Technical Advisory Council, please call (866) 283-8667 and select the extension for the person who is best qualified to answer your question:

President, Region 5 Jasper Drengler (715) 304-8934 drengler01@gmail.com

Bylaws Jeff Keefer 513-248-9600 info@chimneycareco.com

NFPA 211 Representative Jim Brewer (757) 523-2400 jbrewer@magic-sweep.com

Ethics Andy Raycroft (703) 836-7858 andy@rooftopchimneysweeps.con

NFPA 31 Representative John Pilger (631) 863-2460 chimneyman@aol.com

Governance Tom Hunkele (641) 774-8056 topnotchchimney@gmail.com

NFPA 54 Jim Brewer (757) 523-2400 jbrewer@magic-sweep.com

Government Affairs Jeff Keefer 513-248-9600 info@chimneycareco.com

Technical Advisory Council Michael Segerstrom (908) 253-9190 chimneysweeps@optonline.net

International Relations John Pilger (631) 863-2460 chimneyman@aol.com

Scholarship Committee Gregg Boss (636) 391-2226 englishsweep@att.net

Membership Bob Ferrari (530) 221-3331 bob@flueseason.com

ADVERTISING RATES for Sweeping: The Journal of Chimney & Venting Technology may be obtained by contacting Malisa Minetree at (317) 815-4688 or sweepingads@me.com Layout and design by David Bruce, Red2 Design Bureau NCSG encourages industry partners to submit press releases and articles to editor Darcy Marlett at dmarlett@ncsg.org. Submissions should contain items of interest or importance to the chimney and venting industry. Submissions should not contain direct solicitations, prices, or a call to action on the part of our readers. Submissions may contain images or artwork attached in a .jpg format.

In all cases, NCSG reserves the right to edit submissions to fit space limitations, keep the release and publish at a later date, or refuse to publish the release for any reason. Neither publishing, nor refusing to publish the submission should be considered a statement of NCSG’s opinion regarding the release.

NCSG further reserves the right to reject at any time any advertising determined not to be in keeping with the publication’s standards.

Acceptance of advertising by Sweeping magazine does not necessarily constitute endorsement of products or services advertised. NCSG does not make any effort to review or substantiate claims made by advertisers. © 2018 National Chimney Sweep Guild, 2155 Commercial Drive, Plainfield, IN 46168. (317) 837-1500

M

otivated, refreshed and ready to tackle another busy season.

It’s how I feel every year leaving convention. This year in Portland didn't disappoint.

I met a ton of new people and made some new memories.

Tuesdays board meetings where interesting, as members of the guild you should know that your representatives do listen and do bring your concerns to the board. As a member organization if it is important to the membership it's important to me. I love this industry and I’m not a fan of drama, this is the reason Wednesday morning started out as it did. By the time the NCSG meeting started I could feel tension leave the room and when I took the Presidential oath I had a lump in my throat. Those words hit me (maybe it was because I was standing in front of a projector) for the first time the depth

of responsibility was clear. I thank each and every one of you for all the comments and encouragement all week.

Bill Stanton, wow. Bill was great, he was picked to be the keynote because of the amount of effort he put into his proposal and it showed in his presentation. In fact, other than some language barriers, all sessions had great reviews.

While I know some people are just killing time collecting CEUs I really hope you have begun to act of a couple key points back in your business to really make a difference in your business or personal life.

President’s

Letter Jasper Drengler

President

Raving reviews from the vendors at the trade show! With all of the first time attendees and a lot of them being from the west coast they got to see a ton of new faces and had a fantastic show.

The 2018 Chimney Chase was longer than I ever ran

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before but I will admit that if it wasn’t for the draw bridge, trains, red lights and cars slowing everyone else up I wouldn’t have done so well.

Congrats to Brandi Biswell on her win.

I loved seeing all the outfits at the auction, but the banquet was when everyone really shined.

Congrats to Anderson's on the sweep away cancer award, Brandi Biswell on her friendship award, Joe Sauter as the unsung hero, Rich Rue educational award, Mark and Katie Maynard for their president’s award , and the man of the night Ashley Eldridge who will need to clear his mantel for all his new hardware including the lifetime achievement award.

As always the many volunteers really make this possible and the amazing staff which included a number of newbies. Thank you all for working together and really

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making Portland a great convention.

Now don’t for get to plan ahead for NCSG 2019 in Norfolk Virginia!

NCSG President Jasper Drengler

W

elcome to the convention recap issue of Sweeping Magazine!

First off I would like to extend a huge thank you to Blume for the photography in this issue and Justin Bailey for the convention reporting. This issue would not be possible without them volunteering their time and talents at convention each year.

I would also like to thank Joe Sauter, who in addition to volunteering to assist staff the full week of convention, won the front cover of Sweeping Magazine at the CSIA Annual Auction and choose to put a picture of the NCSG and CSIA staff on this year’s cover. It’s no wonder he won this year’s CSIA Unsung Hero Award.

In addition to all of the convention coverage be sure to stop by page 33 to read up on three new member benefits that are now part of your membership.

Editor’s

Letter Darcy Marlett

We hope you enjoy the convention recap issue and make plans to join us in Norfolk, VA in 2019!

Editor

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A Vendor Perspective & Highlights of the Portland NCSG 2018 Convention

Taylor Hill and Carter Hawkins Spark Marketer

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A

fantastic show. My hope is that sweeps from the west coast signed up to be members of NCSG and/ or CSIA, so that the associations stay strong, and continue to serve such a great group of people.

First, we met a bunch of new sweeps we never would have met had the convention not been held on the west coast. We had heard that the numbers might be down this year and we were concerned that the ROI on this trip would be less than it had been in the past, but that was not the case. And it wasn’t only us. We heard from a number of vendors who said they had a

Second, we launched a brand new app designed to help businesses follow up on open estimates. We had a great turnout for our presentation and the response was fantastic! We could never have done this without the input and help from our current client base. It was this industry that alerted us to the issue, and it was this industry that helped do the alpha and beta testing we needed so we could bring the best app forward. Thank you! We are so blessed to be a part of the sweeping industry and we really appreciate every single one of you.

s supplier members of NCSG, when it comes to the conventions, I am sure we have a somewhat different viewpoint than members who have a chimney, venting, or hearth company. With that in mind, the 2018 NCSG convention was fantastic for more reasons than one!

June 2018

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The third reason is Portland. What a great city to host an event! We discovered some very strange places to visit and interesting people to talk to.

Our favorite place was an Egyptian coffee shop on a purple double decker bus! And the coffee was great, of course. As we drove through the city, our favorite thing to say became, “That's Portland!” It so reminded us of East Nashville everywhere we went, so maybe we just felt like we were at home.

The fourth reason was actually our favorite.

Our new app that I mentioned above, Closing Commander, won the Pete Luter Innovation Award for “Best New Product for Chimney Professionals”! We were so excited when Jim Gillam of The Chimney Sweep News announced us as the recipient, because we were up against some really good entries, AND, we never thought software would win. So thanks to Jim and this year’s judges for this award, and also to all the companies and sweeps who see beyond what is, in order to think of what’s possible.

You guys are the future, so keep it up!

not found this to be true in the chimney and venting industry. In fact, we have found the opposite to be true. To be embraced as a part of the industry is an honor we never saw coming.

I only hope all of you know how much we care for and love you for what you do, what you aspire to build for your families and communities, and who you guys and gals are as people. The “sweeps luck” has rubbed off on us and we are proud to support you in every way we can.

We are already looking forward to Norfolk in 2019!

Taylor Hill and Carter Harkins are the co-founders of Spark Marketer, a Nashville-based digital marketing company that works primarily with service businesses. They’re also the co-hosts of the Blue Collar Proud (BCP) Show, the podcast that’s all about having and living the blue collar dream, and the co-authors of the book, Blue Collar Proud: 10 Principles for Building a Kickass Business You Love. Both regularly speak at service industry trade shows and conferences across the nation. @sparkmarketer, @bcpshow, @taylorkhill, @ carterharkins, facebook.com/sparkmarketer, facebook.com/ bcpshow/, facebook.com/groups/bluecollarproudnation/

The fifth reason is a bit selfish; it’s that we were able to see so many people who have become friends over the years. Vendors are often kept at arm's length in many industries, but we have

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2018 Convention Wrap-Up

By Justin Bailey Drama at the start: The 2018 convention in Portland, Oregon was the 5th NCSG Expo I’ve attended. There were a record 142 new attendees there, many of them from the Oregon Chimney Sweep’s Association. One reasons why there were so many new attendees was because the convention was on the west coast, however quite a few newcomers journeyed all the way to Portland from the east coast.

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I was tempted to skip the first two events (the NCSG Annual Meeting and the CSIA Informational meeting) to ride the train around Portland instead. In the conventions I’d attended in the past nothing exciting had ever happened at either of those meetings. But before jumping on the train, I decided to pop in just to make sure I wasn’t missing anything.

My reporting duties would be derelict if I neglect to make a few notes of what I saw and heard there.

It turns out there was a big controversy being aired out at the CSIA meeting. I sat down and watched the drama unfold. One of the board members described it as “like showing up for the big family thanksgiving dinner and the whole family having a huge fight as soon as everybody arrives.”

The controversy involved the new online training platform being utilized by CSIA in partnership with a company called SureFire training academy,

June 2018

which is partly owned by former CSIA President Mark Stoner. There were some members of the chimney sweep community who felt that it might not be appropriate for former leadership to exploit their position to make money. Also, certain folks did not like the fact that some vendors in the chimney sweep industry were featured on the Surefire site.

It was a bit uncomfortable for a while, but NCSG President Jasper Drengler was able to take control of the meeting and assuage all of the parties who had issues with the organization. It came to light that all the major vendors had been offered sponsorship opportunities to help defray the cost of the training platform, and only certain vendors took advantage of that opportunity.

Current CSIA President Chuck Hall said, in response to the allegations of corruption, that the CSIA needed to do a better job of communicating what happened during its board meetings, and he said that in the future the minutes of those meetings would be made available to the community.

Former President Stoner took the microphone and explained how Surefire came to be, how the partnership with CSIA developed, and how that partnership benefited the small but passionate community of CSIA certified chimney sweeps.

By the end of the meeting ruffled feathers had

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2) Buttkicker.

3) A veteran (somebody who has been there before, who has accomplished successfully what you are trying to do.)

4) A guy who knows a guy (somebody with connections, who knows who to call to get things done.)

5) A “wacky neighbor” (an unconventional thinker that comes up with ideas that would never occur to you.)

been smoothed and everyone had a chance to speak up about their resentments. Grievances were forgiven, and gauntlets were dropped.

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Good news is that the first time attendees were able to get an understanding of how much the chimney sweep community cares about the state of the trade, and all of the veteran NCSG die-hard sweeps I spoke with afterwards agreed that it was healthy to air out that stuff during the meeting, and that the end result would be positive for the industry and its trade organizations.

Keynote Speaker: The keynote speaker was former television producer Bill Stainton, who shared stories and lessons about what he had learned about leadership and performing under pressure during his career in television.

Stainton said there are three main questions to ask when trying to build, maintain and grow a successful enterprise

June 2018

(Warning: the questions are metaphorical.)

1) What’s the show?

2) Who’s the cast?

3) What’s the script?

Asking and answering the first question (What’s the show?) allows us to determine what we are trying to do with our business; we decide what our goal is. It should go without saying that unless we know what our objective is, it will not be possible to accomplish that objective. The first step to getting what you want is to determine what you want.

The second question (Who’s the cast?) is also a critical part of the puzzle: who do we have on the team to help accomplish the goal? Stainton said every team will ideally have five types of people on the team. If you don’t have these types on your team, you might want to look around to see who can fill these roles: 1) Smart person who disagrees with you, to challenge your thinking.

(In my own business, I myself serve as the wacky neighbor and the guy who knows a guy.

Years ago I was lucky enough to hire a lady, Doreenda Martinez (the GM) who is the buttkicker.

I like to reach out to successful business owners I’ve met over the years at the NCSG conferences, and they serve as the “veteran.” And I have a little brother who is way smarter than me, who serves the role of the smart person who disagrees with me. He’s a lawyer and advises me for free on the phone.)

The third question (What’s the script?”) is the plan for how utilize your team (the cast) to accomplish the goal (put on the show.) The “script” consists of checklists, plans, procedures, processes, stated core values, and systems that allow your business to accomplish its goals.

Stainton shared some funny anecdotes from his career as a television producer in Seattle, WA. He described the first episode of a talk show he was working on, where the main guest, the governor of Washington at the time, didn’t seem to be able to show up for his scheduled interview.

Minutes before shooting was to

begin, Stainton was sweating bullets and freaking out, when he bumped smack into Jerry Seinfeld (another guest on the show,) who was at that time the most popular comedian in the US. Seinfeld asked how he was doing, Stainton

blubbered on about the looming disaster of the no-show governor.

Seinfeld responded with a bit of wisdom that Stainton will never forget: “Bill, you’re the producer.

Dress rehearsal is over. It’s showtime.”

As business owners and chimney professionals, we’ve all been in the kind of situation we would refer to as a looming train wreck, where we have to pull it together and deal with the situation the best way we know how. It’s up to us to summon the

13 S W E E P I N G June 2018

words (dog, desk, umbrella, toothpaste tube, baby, airplane, whistle.) The task was to find ways that at least four of these words had something in common, based on a common thread or abstract pattern. For example, an obvious one is that, five of the words end in vowels.

Four of them make noise. They are all nouns. That is something they have in common. But the process of straining our brains trying to come up with things at least four of the words had in common was interesting.

Sometimes we would hit a snag, and nobody would have an idea for a few minutes. Then ideas would suddenly come rushing out in a torrent.

Another exercise was to apply the concept of an egg, (anything having to do with an egg) to a business problem, such as attracting new employees, educating people about the industry, or designing/growing your business.

presence of mind to make the decisions that need to be made to best deal with the situation.

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Stainton also did another presentation afterwards, dealing with the creative process and how to stimulate our minds to come up with good ideas. “What a great idea! Unlocking your innovative smarts” was a useful presentation during which we broke up into small groups to do exercises designed to stimulate the part of our brain that can come up with creative ideas.

There have been studies done about the difference between creative people and non-creative people, Stainton said. And after

June 2018

all the questions were asked and the numbers were crunched, “There is only one difference,” he said. And that difference is that “creative people believe they are creative.”

Creativity is important for any business owner or entrepreneur, because it allows us to come up with ways to solve problems and overcome challenges. The exercises we engaged in were fun ways to stimulate creativity.

“Creativity is about making connections, connecting the dots,” said Stainton.

The first exercise involved a small group of people with a list of seven seemingly unrelated

The idea behind these exercises was to get the brain into the flow of making connections between seemingly unrelated things.

One idea that came out of the 2nd exercise was a video that featured an egg being cracked open. “This is your brain,” says the narrator (alluding to the old “this is your brain on drugs ad campaign.” Then suddenly the egg starts frying and burning and the camera pans back to show that the egg is on top of a chimney cap, and there is a chimney fire going on under the chimney fire. “This is a chimney fire,” says the narrator.

I’m not an expert in the area of creativity, and I pretty much never have a good creative idea.

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But I know a good one when I see one, and that egg/brain on chimney fires is the start to a good public info campaign message.

Stainton recommended using these exercises with your team before tackling actual business problems, to get the creative juices flowing for when you

really need them.

If You’re Not Out Selling, You Are Being Out Sold CSIA President Chuck Hall’s presentation on the sales process his business has developed over the years was packed full of good tools, techniques and processes for selling chimney repair jobs and tracking the information on those sales.

He explored various myths about selling and proceeded to debunk the myths. For example:

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Myth: Sell the sizzle (features, advantages, benefits)

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Wrong: Sell the pain (after you discover what it is) of what happens if they don’t fix it.

June 2018

He also explored what he called “Truths” about selling: for example, being the listener and having empathy is a key to making sales. Only by active listening can we listen for emotional drivers that fuel decisions.

Hall shared various spreadsheets his company uses to track sales data and productivity of sales staff. The specificity of the data was impressive, and hidden within the data were some important lessons. For example: 80 percent of the chimney repair jobs his company makes are closed within one week of the original service call. That means follow up calls need to happen for all repair proposals, and they need to happen quickly. If you let the ball drop for more than a week, your chances of making the sale decrease exponentially. He pointed out that the best person to make the follow up call is the tech who was at the house and met the homeowner. However, if that person is not able to make the call, somebody from the office can do it. Most importantly is that the follow up happens quickly.

I was really grateful to President Hall for sharing that bit of info. I know that my company hasn’t been very good with following up, and now I have the incentive to implementing a system to make sure all of my company’s proposals are followed up on quickly.

If we can implement that one system, it’s worth the price of admission to the NCSG conference many times over.

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What A Difference Five Years Makes.

By Justin Bailey

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hat a difference five years makes.

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Five years ago I attended my first NCSG convention in Columbus, OH. Since then, everything has changed in my life. But I remember being impressed with all the guys with their company logos on the backs of their jackets.

I remember sitting in some of the seminars, wondering how could I ever get to the point where I could start doing some of the stuff the presenters were talking about. I remember walking around the trade show and telling the folks at the CSIA table, “This is awesome!”

The sweeps who seemed like they had aligned themselves with certain vendors or specialties in the trade, you’d see them around the convention, maybe even get to know them a bit, and then on the day of the trade show they were in a booth, representing a company. They seemed like they’d found a place where they fit in perfectly to this odd little community called the National Chimney Sweep Guild. I wasn’t sure how that happened.

I had one employee at the time, and I couldn’t seem to keep him busy enough to survive in slow season. I was taking the occasional chimney

June 2018

phone call (they were few and far between) during the convention, scheduling jobs myself. My office at the time was in the guest bedroom, and the warehouse area was a total of about 300 square feet, an unfinished room.

But what a difference five years makes. As soon as I got home from that first convention, I started making changes to incorporate the things I’d learned. It was scary. I didn’t know if it would work. Where would the money come from to make the changes I needed to make? I took more trips for coaching, consulting, factory training for products. Within a year we had all new processes, equipment, staff and location.

The new sales process generated the cash flow to fund the changes. That first year saw 60 percent growth, and the short term loans we took out to fund things were paid off at the end of the year.

The growth continued the following year and every year after that, and I kept attending the NCSG conventions. I kept implementing more improvements and changes, and volunteered to write articles about the convention for Sweeping Magazine.

Five years later, the convention is on the west coast. Revenue for my business has more than quadrupled since that convention five years ago in Columbus, OH. I’m soaking everything up. I have a staff of 6 even though its slow season; (what we call the skeleton crew) and we will add muscle-laborers and helpers--in the fall when we will mushroom to 10 or 11 staff. Wood stoves sit on my showroom floor, next to an office with two desks. Each desk has two computer monitors on it. Phones ring all year long. Paperless scheduling, invoicing, and proposals are generated from each technician’s company supplied iPad. Freshly signed dealer

19 S W E E P I N G June 2018

agreements with top quality hearth products manufacturers sit in files. A 2,500 square foot warehouse in the other town where we operate is filled with caps, liners, chimney pipe, trucks, equipment. Office staff is finalizing the mailing list and email list for the Spring Into Summer postcard mailing/email blast. The designer is finishing the postcard design; the web guy is working on the Mailchimp blast. Our chimney guys are out doing chimney work and doing it as well or better than I used to do it when I was a one-man show. Phones get answered more professionally than when I was the only one to answer them, and my main goal was to get people off the phone because I was too busy to spend time on the phone with them. The bills

20 S W E E P I N G June 2018

get paid, payroll gets processed, proposals get written, parts get ordered, and all of that happens with me a thousand miles away, focusing my attention of my reportorial duties for Sweeping and new developments in the trade.

competitors.

Yes, what a difference five years makes. Because this year I was one of those guys in a booth at the NCSG trade show, standing with legendary mason Chris Prior, representing the Masonry Heater Association. At that convention five years ago I learned about MHA, became a member, and now I am a masonry heater builder. This adds big value to my chimney business, because it sets my company apart in a way that is completely unattainable for my

So there I stood in front of a couple hundred people, telling the story. Not an official presenter, but with the opportunity to share a bit of my growth and evolution with a great group of chimney professionals.

Meanwhile, during the trade show Chris heard me tell my story about how I got involved with masonry heaters, and the next day he asked me to tell it as a part of one of the big MHA presentations.

I hope all of this year’s 142 first time attendees get as much out of their first convention as I got out of mine, five years ago.

If they see as much growth in their businesses as I’ve seen since I first attended, a lot of

new wealth and jobs will be created, the quality of chimney service will go up in many areas, and the chimney industry will benefit from added professionalism.

In my first personal essay for sweeping, which I wrote after attending my second convention, my message was simple: If you attend an NCSG convention and implement the things you learn there, your life and your business will get a lot better.

It’s the truth. But my message now has grown.

Attending one convention can make a huge difference. But the real payoff happens when you attend every year.

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I’m grateful to all the CSIA and NCSG board members and staff and volunteers. I also owe a debt of gratitude to the vendors who sponsor the events and show their wares in the trade show, and develop new products to help us do a better job in the field, and help us to make our businesses more successful.

But most of all, I want to thank all those veteran attendees who welcomed me into the fold five years ago and took me under their wing.

Which brings me to my final point. All the classes and seminars and conversations with successful chimney business owners will help us only if we are willing to listen and willing to change. Change is scary, but the industry (like everything else in the universe) is changing.

If we can embrace change, and are willing to accept it as reality, it becomes possible to break through the fear and find the willingness to change ourselves. And when we change and grow as men and women we can change and improve the way we do things in our businesses and our lives.

This industry is at a tipping point, it’s about to take off like never before. Those of us who are able to embrace constant changes are in a unique position to grow and prosper beyond our wildest dreams.

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Congratulations to our 2018 Award Winners!

Ashley Eldridge NCSG Lifetime Achievement Award

Mark and Katie Maynard President’s Award

Brandi Biswell NCSG Friendship Award

Rich Rua CSIA Don Leavitt Education Award

Joe Sauter CSIA Unsung Hero Award

Anderson’s Chimney and Masonry Services Sweep Away Breast Cancer Award Award accepted on their behalf by Darin Bibeau

22 S W E E P I N G

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Coach’s

Corner Jerry Isenhour

Your Education Strategy

A

s the title says, what is your education strategy?

Or the question may be, do you have an education strategy? You see one of the requirements to move to a higher level in a business is to absorb as much education and training as possible, to raise the level of expertise of each member of your team (including yourself).

But just like a person who goes to any school of higher learning assembles more knowledge, so do blue collar service trades.

The thought process starts with the description of each position in your company and the educational requirements for expertise in that position.

Now of course, in the free enterprise system and the world of no licensing, let’s get real, your education plans are a personal decision. But don’t you market your expertise, your knowledge and your skills?

While on the job training, and trial and error may accomplish this, the need for higher levels of industry education are quite plainly evident.

As I review the history of the industry there has been a gradual transition from limited training to today’s world where there is a wealth of information available. Education of the industry in its infancy was often from state guilds and the NCSG. From there people like Pete Luter, Cindy Tomain and Brenda Saunders traveling with their Sweeps View Weekend programs.

The NCSG started presenting 2-day certification programs around the country. These were later reduced to a 1-day

24 S W E E P I N G June 2018

training due to the demand of the market. Getting people to attend a 2 day became difficult to sell and the change to a 1-day review certification became the offering. In my opinion, was this a step backwards?

And it grew from there, I traveled the USA presenting Diagnosis & Documentation (D&D) courses to many industry members. And then education grew to presenting a chimney sweep school, first in Baltimore and from there progressed to the present school in Indianapolis that many industry supporters (maybe you are one) made possible through our donations and from auction proceeds.

This has now moved to an even higher level. Education is now available from all kinds of sources and there are even multiple certifications that industry members can avail themselves of. Today one can get education from live classroom presentations, hand-on presentations, livestreaming presentations and even E-Learning platforms that delivers education 24/7 and on demand.

Along the way the industry wanted recognition for the classes they attended and a way to avoid taking the test every three years. A Continuing Education Program was implemented and put into use and the industry set the bar at a certain level of CEUs on a 3-year period to qualify for the renewal of their individual certification without having to take a written test again.

So today, when someone enters the industry, there are a multitude of avenues for

them to get the education they need to excel. Today, when recruiting and hiring new members for their team, the education is there to take them to the highest level, and the education continues to develop.

The questions for you are, how are you building the skills and expertise of your work force?

Have you formulated your education strategy for success?

Do you have a clear and concise plan for the education of the new people you recruit and hire?

Perhaps you have started your own business and are trying to build your skills, but money is tight. You simply cannot find the time to get the education you need to fulfill your customer promise of a skilled, competent and educated provider of services that can provide the care of their

chimney and venting systems in regards safety, performance and maintenance. And then there is the matter of your experienced team members. Do you have an education strategy to build on their skills and take them to a higher level?

There are some industry members that are grabbing education at every opportunity, you know these guys and gals, you see them at conventions, and you see them whenever there is a training session. You may even see their team members there. They are fulfilling their education needs to the extent that budget and time allows.

But there are restrictions to this thinking that I feel may be crippling many in the pursuit of higher education. There are other outlooks and views in the industry. The new business

owner who enters the industry and alarmingly he gets his education from social media discussions groups. Now don’t get me wrong, networking with your peers is an excellent thing to do, but there is also a need for formal education. If you have recently entered the industry, I implore you, take advantage of the available education, there is simply too much to know and in today’s competitive educational market your choices are huge.

Another outlook is the individual who has attained the level of certification and thinks he is now an expert. I am sad to let you know there is a vast amount of information that is not routinely covered that you need to command to be at the expert level that your customer expects.

And another outlook is the person who gets education

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simply to amass the required amount of CEUs to maintain their certification through the next cycle and says, I don’t need any classes, I already have enough CEUs. Is this the industry’s fault? Did setting the bar for recertification at 48 CEUs give the false impression that this fulfilled the education need for an industry member? Have we promoted certification as the platinum level, when it fact, it is a minimum standard and should be the launch pad to higher education, just like when we complete high school and we go attend a college, a trade school, a university or whatever our choice of higher education to build our expertise to the level we want to be at?

that is right for you, your customers and one that provides the education and training you need to fulfill your customer promise.

Do this and likely you will see your business dreams become your realities.

And wasn’t that why you started.

Jerry Isenhour is an industry consultant, educator and coach who authors a monthly article in Sweeping as a service to the industry. For more information about Jerry and how his team can assist you individually and your business in your quest for success and your ascent to the next level, take a look at his web site www.cvccoaching.com He can be contacted at jerry@cvccoaching.com or by phone at (704) 425-0217.

You can also obtain great business tips from his Facebook page CVC Coaching and Youtube channel CVCCoaching.

This article may seem harsh to some, that is not the intent. Rather it is intended to open a dialogue and put together strategies for the members of this industry to grow an industry with higher consumer acceptance, and with more customers wanting your services as we build to a higher and higher level.

As such I offer this article as food for thought for each of you. Choose an education path

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Technical

Q&A

Michael Segerstrom

NCSG Technical Advisory Chair

Question

I was not able to make the NCSG National Convention this year.

What did I miss?

Answer: Many great things that we consistently find at the NCSG National Convention!

After convention we sometimes take a month off from our regular technical Q&A, to recap highlights from convention. This year is no exception. Returning to Portland for the first time in many years, we found the city to be full of friendly people and very accessible. And those who were able to schedule an extra day or two, found lots of adventure in the surrounding areas in the hiking trails, waterfalls and mountains. A few were even able to enjoy an afternoon on the coast!

Education at this year's convention featured variety of subjects from business to technical, including a hands on masonry heater class, and even a class where a drone hovered in the room while sharing a live feed on Facebook!

The trade show floor was packed and busy, with our regular industry supporting distributors, suppliers and manufacturers having booths, and a few new vendors on the floor. These included a company’s offering sweeping and servicing tools, small business services, dryer vent tools, a company offering chimney inspection the data collection software designed just for our trade, and much more!

28 S W E E P I N G

This year also saw both the NCSG and CSIA boards working and meeting together, to tackle some tough industry concerns and strengthen the industry and solidify our bonds.

Many convention veterans were in attendance and this year

June 2018

saw a record-setting number of first-time attendees! In addition to the first-time attendee chimney sweeps, several of our hard-working staff members were also first time attendees and had a front-row seat to the camaraderie over industry the convention brings together!

Mark your calendars now, for next year's convention in Norfolk, Virginia April 17- 21, 2019. Hope to see everyone there!

29 S W E E P I N G June 2018

Dates and

Events June 2018

30 S W E E P I N G

June 1, 2018 CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep® Review & Exams CSIA Technology Center For more information, please call (317) 837-5362 or visit www.CSIA.org June 4-8, 2018 Installing & Troubleshooting Gas Hearth Appliances w/ NFI Exam CSIA Technology Center For more information, please call (317) 837-5362 or visit www.CSIA.org June 4-10, 2018 CSIA (online) – Must be registered by Noon June 1st - Chimney Physics - CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep Review - CSIA Certified Dryer Exhaust Technician Review - Lining Masonry Chimneys with Stainless Steel For more information, please call (317) 837-5362 or visit www.CSIA.org June 11-17, 2018 CSIA (online) – Must be registered by Noon June 8th - Chimney Physics - CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep Review - CSIA Certified Dryer Exhaust Technician Review - Lining Masonry Chimneys with Stainless Steel For more information, please call (317) 837-5362 or visit www.CSIA.org June 11-15 Sweeps Week’s CSIA Technology Center For more information, visit the Sweeps Week Page on Facebook CSIASweepsWeek June 13-16, 2018 Midwest Chimney Safety Council Annual Conference ILake of the Ozarks Camdenton, MO For more information, please call Marge Padgitt at (816) 461-3665 or visit www.mcsc-net.org June 18-24, 2018 CSIA (online) – Must be registered by Noon June 15th - Chimney Physics - CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep Review - CSIA Certified Dryer Exhaust Technician Review - Lining Masonry Chimneys with Stainless Steel

June 2018

For more information, please call (317) 837-5362 or visit www.CSIA.org June 23-24, 2018 Sweepfest 2018 New Hampshire For more information, please contact Phil Mitchell at sootski@aol.com June 25 – July 1, 2018 CSIA (online) – Must be registered

by Noon June 22rd - Chimney Physics - CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep Review - CSIA Certified Dryer Exhaust Technician Review - Lining Masonry Chimneys with Stainless Steel For more information, please call (317) 837-5362 or visit www.CSIA.org

July 2018 July 2-8, 2018 CSIA (online) – Must be registered by Noon June 29th - Chimney Physics - CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep Review - CSIA Certified Dryer Exhaust Technician Review - Lining Masonry Chimneys with Stainless Steel For more information, please call (317) 837-5362 or visit www.CSIA.org July 9 – July 14, 2018 CSIA National Chimney Sweep Training School CSIA Technology Center For more information, please call (317) 837-5362 or visit www.CSIA.org July 9-15, 2018 CSIA (online) – Must be registered by Noon July 6th - Chimney Physics - CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep Review - CSIA Certified Dryer Exhaust Technician Review - Lining Masonry Chimneys with Stainless Steel For more information, please call (317) 837-5362 or visit www.CSIA.org July 16-22, 2018 CSIA (online) – Must be registered by Noon July 13th - Chimney Physics - CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep Review - CSIA Certified Dryer Exhaust Technician Review - Lining Masonry Chimneys with Stainless Steel For more information, please call (317) 837-5362 or visit www.CSIA.org July 23-29, 2018 CSIA (online) – Must be registered by Noon July 20st

- Chimney Physics - CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep Review - CSIA Certified Dryer Exhaust Technician Review - Lining Masonry Chimneys with Stainless Steel For more information, please call (317) 837-5362 or visit www.CSIA.org July 23-24, 2018 NFI Gas Review & Exam CSIA Technology Center For more information, please call (317) 837-5362 or visit www.CSIA.org July 25-26, 2018NFI Wood Review & Exam CSIA Technology Center For more information, please call (317) 837-5362 or visit www.CSIA.org July 27-28, 2018 NFI Pellet Review & Exam CSIA Technology Center For more information, please call (317) 837-5362 or visit www.CSIA.org July 27-29, 2018 NYSCSG Annual Summer Workshop -Engaging hands on seminars with CEU's -Large trade show tent -Gigantic Auction -Golf outing on Thursday July 26, 2018 -Fun activities for the whole family -Plenty of onsite camping and lots of food For more information, please call (518) 882-6091 or visit www.nychimneysweepguild.org July 30 – August 5, 2018 CSIA (online) – Must be registered by Noon July 27th - Chimney Physics

- CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep Review - CSIA Certified Dryer Exhaust Technician Review - Lining Masonry Chimneys with Stainless Steel For more information, please call (317) 837-5362 or visit www.CSIA.org

August 2018 August 6-11, 2018 CSIA National Chimney Sweep Training School CSIA Technology Center For more information, please call (317) 837-5362 or visit www.CSIA.org August 6-12, 2018 CSIA (online) – Must be registered by Noon August 3rd - Chimney Physics - CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep Review - CSIA Certified Dryer Exhaust Technician Review - Lining Masonry Chimneys with Stainless Steel For more information, please call (317) 837-5362 or visit www.CSIA.org August 10, 2018 CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep® Review & Exams Richmond, VA For more information, please call (317) 837-5362 or visit www.CSIA.org August 13-14, 2018 2 Day Masonry Richmond, IN For more information, please call (317) 837-5362 or visit www.CSIA.org

31 S W E E P I N G June 2018

New

Members

DELAWARE Byler’s Stove Shoppe • Tim Christ • Dover

MARYLAND HomePro Chesapeake Home Inspections • Cory Inman • Centreville J&J Fireplace Repair LLC • Joseph Pilat • Lothian

PENNSYLVANIA Harry’s Lawn & Garden Center • Curvin Berholtzer • Millmont

KENTUCKY Louisville Chimney Sweep and Repair • John Silliman • Louisville

MICHIGAN Sackett’s Fireplace, LLC • John Sackett • Kalamazoo

ARIZONA Roof Dancers, Inc. • David Gerhard • Flagstaff

TEXAS ASAP Operations • Brooke Thompson • Houston Tri-State Chimney Services and Restoration • Benny Garcia • Amarillo United Home Services • Christina Shiachi • Richardson

CALIFORNIA Father and Sons Dryer Vent Cleaning • Joseph Blue • Carona HB Air Duct & Dryer Vent • Kevin Blue • Midway City

REGION

REGION

REGION

REGION

REGION

4 45 56 6 NEW JERSEY Diego, Arden • Arden Diego • Newark Jason Manning On the Level • Jason Manning • Pemberton ProClean NJ, Inc. • Alexander Benjanyan • Monmouth Junction

OHIO Safehouse Residential and Business Services • James Hall • Zanesville

MONTANA Big Sky Chimney • Peter Richardson • Gallatin Gateway OREGON Sandoz Construction • Mike Sandoz • The Dalles WASHINGTON South Sound Sweeps, Inc. • Nick Arthun •

International ALBERTA, CANADA 1981851 Alberta Ltd (Able Sweeps) • John Shaw • Calgary

32 S W E E P I N G June 2018

REGION

NEW YORK Alpine Chimney Sweeps • Joseph Casey • Mount Sinai

REGION REGION REGION REGION

REGION REGION REGION REGION REGION REGION REGION REGION

1 142425435365

N

ow that we have the 2018 Convention under our (tool) belts, I can confidently say what an amazing time we had in Portland! It was so great to meet all of you wonderful people and celebrate the industry and the hard work you all do year round.

I especially had a ton of fun

during the CSIA Auction seeing everyone dressed up in their best 1920s flapper gowns and gangster soots. I am eager to see what happens at next year’s convention in Norfolk, Virginia.

Maybe I’ll pick up some better chimney puns between now and then.

Progressive

Perks

By Annemarie Stockton

Exciting things are happening with membership!

NCSG has partnered with three new companies to offer you some pretty awesome member benefits.

Rise Concepts is a payment technology company that specializes in payment processing and point of sale systems. They take a consultative approach with all of our customers. They provide 24/7 support and a free virtual terminal and Apple app! They offer NCSG members tiered volume based discounts, match or beat guarantee on rates, and no contracts.

CVC Coaching provides on outreach online training platform marketed as the CVC Base Camp Learning Platform. This platform contains a large selection of training courses with many accredited for CEUs

by CSIA & NFI and allow the user to keep their certifications valid and renewed with an online source.

The platform can be accessed via computer, by tablet or by smartphone. The service is provided through a subscription based service or individual course purchases can also be made. NCSG members receive a 10 percent discount on monthly subscriptions.

33

The Sweeps App allows you to manage your calendar, bookkeeping, payments and more! Plus it works on desktop, smart phones and tablets. Members of the NCSG save 10% on subscriptions.

S W E E P I N G June 2018

CSIA UPDATE June 2018 Report

www.CSIA.org new Successful Chimney Sweeping edition soon. The current rollout is that that tests at the NCSG Norfolk convention will be based on the new manual.

CSIA Board of Directors Update

by Chuck Hall In late May, the CSIA Board of Directors conducted an in-person meeting and strategy planning session at the CSIA Tech Center, much like it does every May following the annual National Chimney Sweep Guild convention. Before, during, and after convention, we received a great deal of feedback. As leaders in this industry, we a very thankful to represent such a passionate group of people that care just as much for the future of our industry as we do.

After considering your feedback, we have the made an important decision to get more information out to you, the chimney and venting industry, regarding the work of our board and the CSIA at large. We feel much of the discord towards the CSIA board is rooted in communication, or a lack thereof. That is

on me and it is our pledge to you, going forward, to be more transparent and forthcoming as changes are being considered or occurring.

For instance, one of the things we are reevaluating, is the awarding of Continuing Education Credits (CEU’s) for events that we have done so in the past, and even presenting our classes at those events.

We need to be where sweeps are, and we will continue adjusting our calendar to see you at state and regional events in the coming months. By all means, if there is an event you would like to see CSIA education presented or representation in attendance, do not hesitate to let the board, the education and marketing team, or myself know.

In the spirit of being transparent, we will also begin posting our board meeting minutes to the CSIA blog, website, and social media.

Our board’s Code of Ethics will also be posted to our website, and I will be sending you regular updates in Sweeping, our social media, website, and blog.

By way of upcoming news, the big ticket item is we expect to see the ADVERTISEMENT

Speaking of education efforts, I’d also like to let you know that Russ Dimmitt continues to make updates to our CSIA eLearning courses and we will ensure you are kept up-to-date on improvements to the platform.

CSIA wants to continue being your go-to destination for all chimney and venting education: in-person or online. Please do let me know if there are courses you need created to make you a better technician or if you need courses brought to your area with the CSIA Road Show.

Let me reaffirm the board’s commitment to being approachable. As most of you know, I am more than happy to take a call or email (president@csia.org) about any topic from any person in our industry.

We may not always agree with the final decision made by myself, the board, or the staff, but you have a right to be heard and to know why a decision was made.

Thank You Chuck Hall CSIA President

June 2018 Report

New Certifications

Michigan

Jim Wills Superior Chimney Services Lombard Andrew Little Maine Chimney Sweep Belleville Bernado Tijerina Fireplace & Chimney Authority Elmhurst

Mark Garner Chimney Pro Fort Payne Arkansas Justin Prodell Ozarks Chimney Solutions Midway California Shalom Noormand The Chimney Sweeper Van Nuys Gerson Alvarez Fiddler On The Roof Chimney Service Van Nuys

Bryan Shaffer SaverSystems Richmond

Andre Spencer STL Chimney St. Charles

Matthew Brister Seth Shrader The Cinder Box Zionsville

New Hampshire

Storm Robinson Smalling Masonry Indianpolis Cody Baker Jesse Lockerbie Bone Dry Masonry Zionsville Kansas

Colorado

Joseph Wealot Full Service Chimney Olathe Donovan Blanks Home Safe Hearth & Chimney Wichita Massachusetts

Jesse Pogue Clean Sweep Chimney Sweep Colorado Springs

Vicente Chappuzeau Eurosweep Chimney Service Braintree

Florida

Dave Leavitt Pisey Leavitt Dave’s Chimney Service Methuen

Jason Tierney Fireplace & Gas Services Orlando Georgia Kyle Hagen Chimney Solutions Alpharetta Illinois

Minnesota

Scott Diockenson Chimney & Masonry Outfitters Indianapolis

Rylan Smith De Olde Tyme Chimney Sweep Ulysses

Brandyn Crider Ashes Away Durango

Daniel Fisher U.P. Chimney Gladstone

Missouri

Ron Tuvi United Home Services Woodland Hills Dylan Benner Mountain Man Fireplace & Chimney Evergreen

Bradley Butts C.J.W. & Associates Holly

Brian Snow Chimney Doctors Apple Valley

Indiana

Alabama

Briana Braden Safety Sweeps Painesdale

Kristopher Moran The Chimney Chap Hanson Scott Popovich Rimkus Consulting Group Hopkinton

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Maximillian Lockwood Rick Montgomery Noah Prunier Ceaser Chimney Service Manchester Jason Choate Fireside Hearth & Leisure Lisbon New York Anthony Czech John Kusisto Austin Luczak Brenda Peck Elisha VanKampen Northeastern Masonry & Chimney Selkirk Kelly Slocum Hudson Valley Chimney Service Poughkeepsie Eric Felgemacher Lisa Felgemacher Felgemacher Masonry Amherst Ohio Wayne Staszel Aqua Force Cleaning Services Montpelier Justin VanBuskirk Chim-Cheroo Chimney Service Greenwich Pennsylvania Jeffrey Staub Petro Home Services Southampton

www.CSIA.org Lorraine Jensen Lou Curley’s Chimney Service Drexel Hill Curvin Oberholtz Harry’s Lawn & Garden Center Millmont Courtney Hershey Dee Karsten Smokestack Masonry Lancaster Andrew Passonetti Passonetti’s Remodeling & Landscaping West Milton

Butler Chimneys Dousman Rick Stoll All Seasons Roofing & Chimney Service Lake Geneva

CERTIFIED

DRYER EXHAUST

TECHNICIAN

Daniel Rogers Chimney Cricket Norristown Daniel Rush Washington John Sekella Blue Mountain Chimney Sweep Kutztown Tennessee Timothy Weaver Abbey Road Chimney Sweep Memphis Richard Deleon Clarksville Texas Brooke Thompson ASAP Operations Houston Vermont Tyler Cottrell Chimney Savers Randolph Virginia Benjamin Agrali JCS Home Services Sterling Matthew Blackmon William Stickney Black Goose Chimney Sweep Thaxton Washington Ryann Blake Jason Gooch Chimney Techniques Aberdeen Joshua Huff A-1 Rooftop Chimney Sweep Deer Park Wisconsin

North Carolina Bryon Timberlake Smoke Alert Garner Pennsylvania Michael Carrer Lehigh Valley Dryer Vent Solutions Orefield Donald Matthews, Sr. D and G Chimney Sweeps Pittsburgh Texas Jerry Manning Cease Fire Grand Prarie Vermont

California Kevin Blue HB Air Duct & Dryer Vent Midway City

Benjamin Provencher Nicholas Shepard Brickliners Willston

Georgia

Washington

Joe Hodges Chimney Solutions Alpharetta

Ronald Bardwell Tyler Bardwell Daniel James A-1 Rooftop Chimney Sweep Deer Park

Indiana Charles Jolliffe Wellman Exteriors Indianapolis Maryland Willis Kurtz AJ Wells Clean Sweep of A.A. Co. Millersville

Wisconsin Jack Hodges Chimney Mechanix Shawano Justin Higgins Ablaze Technologies Neenah

Ken Arata Dryer Vent Services Olney Montana Thomas Rendle Pro-Vac Chimney Sweeps Bozeman

MASTER

New Jersey Luis Alvarado Andy Khamdamov James Scalera Apex Appliance Repair & Air Duct Cleaning Monroe Township Sergio Yushkevich A Plus Horizon Lawnside Alexander Bedjanyan ProClean NJ Monmouth Junction

Corey Butler ADVERTISEMENT

No new CSIA Master Sweeps this month.

Requirements for application can be found at: www.csia.org/mastersweep.

June 2018 Report

Upcoming Classes & Events

2018 Education Calendar National Chimney Sweep Training School CSIA Technology Center | Jul 9–14 Aug 6–11 Sep 17–22

CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep® Review & Exam CSIA Technology Center (Plainfield, IN) | Aug 24, Oct 12 Natick, MA | Jun 29 (Master Chimney Sweepers) Reno, NV | Jul 9 (Golden State Chimney Sweep Guild Convention) Richmond, VA | Aug 10 Atlantic City, NJ | Sep 14 Albany, NY | Oct 19

Sweeps Week 2018 CSIA Technology Center | Jun 11–15

Chimney Physics CSIA Technology Center | Aug 22-23

Installing and Troubleshooting Gas Hearth Appliances CSIA Technology Center | Jun 4–8

Masonry Repair for Chimney Professionals Richmond, IN | Aug 13–14 (SaverSystems)

Advanced Masonry Repair Richmond, IN | Aug 15–17 (SaverSystems)

CSIA Certified Dryer Exhaust Technician® CSIA Technology Center | Oct 10-11* (incl. hands-on instruction)

Contact Us:

Pittsburgh, PA | Sep 13* (one day workshop/exam) National Air Duct Cleaners Association Fall Tech Conference

Mailing Address

NFI Review/Exams at the CSIA Tech Center

2155 Commercial Drive Plainfield, IN 46168 Telephone

NFI Gas Review/Exam | Jul 23–24 NFI Wood Review/Exam | Jul 25-26 NFI Pellet Review/Exam | Jul 27-28

(317) 837-5362 MASTER

Email: Office@CSIA.org

TECHNICIAN

Twitter: @Chimney_Safety Facebook: /ChimneySafety

CERTIFIED

DRYER EXHAUST

For additional course details, please visit www.csia.org/education.

ADVERTISEMENT

Around the

Tech Center.

Megan McMahon Association Manager

38 S W E E P I N G June 2018

Hello all and welcome back from Portland!

Wow. What a wonderful convention.

Portland had a record number of first time attendees, fabulous volunteers, and many generous sponsors. I would like to thank everyone that was able to attend and gave the staff helpful feedback in the postconvention survey. We hope you gained useful knowledge, spent time with old friends, made some new and had a great time! If you were not able to attend, hopefully you can make it to Norfolk, VA April 17-20th 2019.

Thanks again to our 2018 convention sponsors:

• Chim-Scan • Copperfield • National Chimney • Olympia Chimney Supply • Spark Marketer • Visit Norfolk • Z-Flex • Keller & Heckman LLP • Veracity Insurance • Rasmussen Gas Logs & Grills • SaverSystems • Midwest Chimney Safety Council • New York State Chimney Sweep Guild • Northeast Association of Chimney and Hearth Professionals The NCSG Board of Directors and staff look forward to seeing you in 2019!

GasVent Software for Sizing Chimneys only $195 Call 1-800-648-9523 for more info and visit www.elitesoft. com to download a free trial version.

Classifieds

Work for a Growing Company!

Chimney Solutions, based in Atlanta, GA, is looking for Salespeople and Installers with the desire to move up within our company. A $1000-$2000 signing bonus is available, depending on certifications. Pay will be commensurate with experience. Relocation is available for the individual that meets our needs and qualifications. Send resumes to dpace@chimneysolutions.com or visit our website at www. chimneysolutions.com.

Chimney business, primarily sweeping.

Northeast PA. 20+ years, 380+ appts/year, $60K cash flow 2017. Immediate revenue increase possible with added services. All equipment ($40k), incl 2016 van, 1400+ customer database, stair climber lift. $120,000. mmccarthy@vrmarathon.com/866-416-4376 Hearth and patio retail service store in central Virginia seeking General Manager to expand annual sales from current $800K to $1.5M. Potential ownership stake as the current owner seeks to wind down his career. (434) 260-1313 CLASSIFIED ADS FREE FOR NCSG MEMBERS Members can run one 35-word classified free each year!

Regular classified ads are $2/word or $1/word for NCSG members. Classified ads are non-commissionable and must be pre-paid. To place a classified ad, please contact Charissa Mahaffey at cmahaffey@ncsg.org or 317-837-1500.

39 S W E E P I N G June 2018

Darwin

Award

“As a fireplace salesman, I tend to notice chimneys as I drive to my sales calls. I am surprised there are not more fires relate to fireplaces.”

-Spotted in Grand Rapids, MI by Dave Cambell of Monsma Marketing Corporation

See a chimney in your area that had you scratching your head? Send it to the editor, Darcy Marlett at dmarlett@ncsg.org for publication in Sweeping. Include a few words about the scene and location.

Ad Index 40 S W E E P I N G

Ahrens Chimney Technique 800-843-4417 ahrenschimney@qwestoffice.net 19 Approved Industries 866-439-0069 www.chimneyspray.com 23 Copperfield 800-247-3305 www.copperfield.com 7 CVC www.cvccoaching.com 4 ENERVEX 770-587-3238 www.enervex.com 8 Firesafe Industries, Inc. 800-545-6607 www.firesafeinc.com 5 ICP 508-695-7000 www.chimneycaps.com 25 Lindemann Chimney Company 866-629-8006 www.lindemannsupply.com 9 Lock-Top www.gllchimneyproducts.com 21 National Chimney 800-897-8481 www.nationalchimney.com Inside front cover New England Chimney Supply 888-900-8106 www.newenglandchimneysupply.com 27 Olympia Chimney Supply 800-569-1425 www.olympiachimney.com 15 Roydhouse Effect Inc 410-863-0157 www.roydhouseeffect.com 31 Sand Hill Wholesale & Mfg., Inc 800-258-5496 www.sandhillwholesale.com 20 SaverSystems, Inc 800-860-6327 www.saversystems.com 13 ServicePal 650-394-5484 www.servicepal.com/sweeping 26 SnapLok Rotary Sweep Systems 702-790-4197 www.snaploksystems.com 29 Spark Marketer 855-646-3538 sales@sparkmarketer.com 11 Z-Flex 800-654-5600 sales@z-flex.com 3

June 2018

FIREWOOD FOR HOME HEATING 419 bundles of

57%

firewood were purchased in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.

Live insects emerged from

of all homeowners have some type of fireplace in their home.

47% of firewood

bundles over 18 months.

37%

use firewood for camping

FIREWOOD ISN’T DEAD

1045 pieces of firewood

were surrendered at a bridge quarantining the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Scientist found live wood

23%

38%

of boring beetles in firewood pieces and another

41% had evidence of

use a fireplace or a chiminea at home

previous infestation.

OUTREACH WORKS MILE

2

With proactive outreach and education, firewood sources for home heating in Wisconsin went from averaging 55 miles away in 2006 to

22 miles in 2014 38% 96%

YOU CAN HELP

BUY LOCAL FIREWOOD

Properly covered and seasoned moisture content can drop to

On average, 38% of people are aware that invasive insects could move in firewood.

With consistent outreach, that number jumps to 96%.

BUY IT WHERE YOU BURN IT

17%

When first cut down, live trees have a

45-55%

moisture content

LEARN MORE AT

Jacobi 2012, HPBA.org, Haack 2010, The Nature Conservancy 2010, Diss-Torrance 2015, EPA.gov/burnwise For complete sources, visit: dontmovefirewood.org/homeheatinginfographic