Meet The Team
Record Searchlight Article on Bob Ferrari
By Paul Heath / Special to the Record Searchlight
Bob Ferrari owns Flue Season, a chimney sweep service.
Services offered: Chimney and venting service and installation, wood, gas, pellet stoves service, sales, repair, installation, dryer vent cleaning, evaporative cooler service, certified inspections, fire investigation. Established: August 1977; Ferrari began Feb. 12, 1985
What prompted you to start your own business? In the mid-1980s my kids were entering adolescence and I could see that I was going to need a lot more money to get them through the teen years. My daughter was becoming a high-level gymnast (that means it costs a bunch of money).
Also, I was hoping to have a business that allowed me to leave the country once in a while to travel. It has - we have traveled in Russia, Central Asia, Georgia, Turkey, Italy, Switzerland, England, Scotland, and been on chimneys in many of those places. I've been gone as long as seven weeks from my business and it still functions at a high level.
As a company we once went to an international gathering of chimney sweeps in northern Italy. There were 1,000 sweeps from 27 countries and we were among those representing the USA. I am so glad for this business.
What is your educational and career background? Essentially I was kicked out of high school though I did finish. I have a smattering of college. I've been a mountain guide, wood and steel mill worker, pastor, drug dealer, delinquent youth counselor, landscaper, white-water guide, handyman, and had many other jobs over the years. Plus I bummed around hitchhiking for almost three years.
My wife of 39 years, who was 5 months pregnant at the time, and I hitchhiked out of the Trinity Alps into Redding, the closest place with a doctor, in 1973 - this was the time of the first oil embargo, no jobs, no rentals. I had no job skills. But I knew how to find resources, I had hustle, and I always found work. The benefit for me was that I learned how to do a lot of different and seemingly unrelated things.
How much research did you do before starting your business? A friend, who had moved to Grass Valley from Whitmore, where we lived at the time, called and said he had the business I ought to be in - he was sweeping chimneys. I worked for him for one day, came back and hung out a shingle.
I had a garage sale vacuum which, it turned out, had no filter, two used brushes, and I bought a new ladder. I guess you could say I didn't do any research.
My one choice was whether I should get a contractor's license for landscaping or chimney work. I chose chimneys because it seemed that everyone with a lawn mower was a landscaper but only one guy had a chimney installation license.
What were the most helpful sources, including websites? Chimney suppliers offered free seminars, the National Chimney Sweep Guild (ncsg.org) and the hearth retailers association - educational branch is now nficertified.org - also had seminars and classes. There was no Web back then; there were barely computers. I went to every seminar, meeting or chimney event I could find, and still do. Everyone at Flue Season is committed to keep learning.
When were you the most discouraged? I was devastated when I doubled my business in 1989, the fourth year of a five-year plan, and when the dust settled I'd lost $10,000. It was pretty normal small-business man errors, the biggest of which was not charging more than it cost to be in business. Duh! Then I tore my ACL a couple times, the kids started college, and I never seemed to get out of the hole. The early 1990s were rough.
What company or individual do you admire? Clif Bar and Patagonia are two of my favorite businesses. I love the quality of research that goes into their products, the fantastic culture they create with and for their employees, their commitment to environmental concerns, the top-shelf quality of their products, and that they built their business on all these qualities instead of a cheap price point. You can trust companies like that.
I also love Oliver Ma, founder of Treasure Garden, the largest manufacturer of shade umbrellas in the world. His immigrant story is absolutely inspiring. Oliver Ma once spent $85,000 to deliver a $16,000 order on time, a problem caused by a supplier. It wasn't Oliver's fault. Now that's a man you can trust! Wouldn't you want to do business with a guy like that?
What will make your business stand out from competitors? Flue Season stands for a warm, secure hearth in the home. We hold certifications as wood, gas and pellet technicians - (nficertified.org) there are no others between Sacramento and the Oregon border. We are certified inspectors (f-i-r-e-service.com) - there are no others certified in the north state. There are four CSIA certified chimney sweeps (csia.org) north of Sacramento - three of them are at Flue Season.
We like to say, "Our 'experience' is tested." We have proven that we know what we are doing. Since we deal with products with a byproduct which, if it gets in the home, can cause carbon monoxide poisoning or burn a home down, we have done our best to make sure we are educated, skilled and still fun to be with. No other chimney company has done cause- and origin-fire investigation.
We've also been on chimneys in Russia, the former Soviet republic of Georgia, a castle in Scotland, and in Italy - and we have great stories from these places.
We don't take shortcuts, we're not trying to save a person money by cutting corners. We are honest, educated professionals. We are nice - just ask our customers. We show up on time, we are really clean in the home, and we are great communicators who speak in a language our customers understand. We are also licensed contractors.
Who is your target client/customer base? Our primary market is homeowners and homebuyers, or those who own rental properties in Shasta, south Siskiyou, and northern Tehama counties, and either heat with a hearth appliance or enjoy one for ambience, and/or who own a clothes dryer.
We also service homes and businesses with evaporative coolers.
Our targets are homeowners who care about who comes into their home, who value great service, and who want convenience.
We work well with single women who aren't sure who they can trust.
We serve, or are a resource for, associated businesses such as home inspectors, Realtors, firemen, news services, appliance repairmen, trade or business associations, insurance companies with their legal counsel, adjusters, investigative fire professionals, other chimney sweeps, and stove shops.
Our retail market is anyone needing a hearth product who doesn't care about particular looks and who doesn't want to shop - such as rental owners and real estate transactions where a hearth product needs replacing.
Hosh Ferrari
Hosh came on full time to Flue Season in 1999. He is a CSIA certified chimney sweep, a FIRE certified inspector, NFI certified as a gas technician, and C-det certified for dryer ducting. He brings extensive building, mechanical, and installation knowledge to our company. He and his wife Lisa have three children. They live in Millville, CA.
Bernard Helms
When you call you will usually be greeted by the cheerful voice of our office manager, Bernard. Bernard has managed the office since 1999. Although he doesn't work in the field he has been a CSIA certified chimney sweep and a FIRE certified inspector. He brings a paralegal background to Flue Season. Bernard and his wife Barbara have three grown children and a pile of grandchildren. They live in Whitmore, CA.
Phil McCarthy
Phil began his career with us in 2010. He has proven himself as a caring and conscientious person and a competent chimney professional. He is CSIA certified as well as being an ace student in our training program. You will find him a good listener, honest with you regarding your needs, and an all around happy guy.
He lives with his wife and two children in Anderson.
