Mark Damon

Victor Imgarten

Ex-NCSG and CSIA President

Gary Hart

Certified Heater Mason

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Over the Top Service Equals Sales: .Quality service is what everyone expects. No one needs your service or anything you sell. In today's world, it's all about me world, over the top service is how a company grows . One simple mistake and a homeowner lets  the world know before you make it out of the driveway. By providing quality service second to none  and going beyond expectations will put you ahead any other company. From a one person company to a multi million dollar company simple easy touches add up to easy sales. This seminar will cover the basic ways that we have found to work which have given us a complaint free history and yearly growth. Instructor:Victor Imgarten, Clean Sweep Chimney Service, Ex-President of the NCSG.
Course #6067 Business 1, C&L 1 CEU's CSIA 

Bio: Victor is a Missouri native and has  been in the chimney industry for close to 40 years.He is an ex-president of the NCSG. Growing up in a home surrounded by business owners from his  Grandparents and a father quality service was always a way of life. He attended Washington University and other collages as well as many years of continuing training in the field of business, sales and customer relations. He  have served on all industry related boards in some capacity. Currently he still enjoys field work and the challenges of meeting new and existing costumers demands, for over the top service.Quality service is what everyone expects. 
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If you’re not Selling, You’re Being Outsold: with Chuck Hall (CSIA President). This class will cover methods to properly set up the sale with your client, and techniques to use during the sales process.  Chuck will also discuss sales from the perspective as the owner with technicians and salespeople in his employ. Course Number 6044 C&L 1 CEU  Business 1.5 CEUs from CSIA

Bio: Chuck was born in Washington, DC and graduated from the University of Kansas with a BA in Advertising and Communications.  He sold advertising time for a DC radio station for 2 years after college. Chuck  started a home service business that included a chimney service 2 years later.  Today in year 28, Winston's Chimney Service specializes in fireplaces and chimneys only; both residential and commercial.  The company ran 11 trucks last fall and employed 29 people.  They have one technician/salesperson who sold $1 million worth of services in 2016 and another person sold just below $700 k.  We  grossed $3.3 million in sales last year and plan to hit $4 million in 2017. Chuck has been married for 25 years and has a 21 year old daughter and an 18 year old son. 

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Lessons Learned From Fire Investigations: Find out what the most common mistakes are that chimney inspectors, builders, or contractors make that have caused structural fires and learn what to look for during inspections. See actual photos of house fires and how the cause was identified. Find out what the procedures are for fire investigations. Learn what not to do when building or rebuilding a chimney, or installing hearth appliances, and what to watch out for with other tradespeople. Instructor: Marge Padgitt, Padgitt Forensic Investigations  Course number 6069  C&L 1.5 CEUs from CSIA

Bio: Marge studied music, acting, and business at CMSU, UMC, and UMKC. She has two daughters and seven grandchildren. Marge and her husband, Gene, have been married for 30 years, and have worked together in the chimney business for 32 years. Marge is a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep and NFI Woodburning Specialist and trainer. Marge wrote the book The Chimney and Hearth Pro's Resource Book and the CD Presentation set Presentations for Chimney Professionals. has two more books and instructional films in the works. She has served on the board of directors for the National Chimney Sweep Guild, Masonry Heater Association of North America, the Midwest HPBA, and the Midwest Chimney Safety Council. She is a founding member of the MCSC.
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Introduction to Masonry Heaters: Find out what masonry heaters are, how they work, and how to do maintenance on heaters.These are special appliances that are completely different than any other type of wood-burning heating appliance. Instructor: Gary Hart, Certified Heater Mason, Aaron’s Ltd  Course number 6071 Technical 1.5 CEU's CSIA
Bio: Gary began a chimney sweeping business in 1979 and has since become a mason, masonry heater builder, and wood/gas stove store owner.  While pursuing a living in the solid fuel industry for 35 years, Gary received certifications through ISO and WHERF, Certification #1348 through CSIA/NCSG and Certification #10 through the Masonry Heater Association.
In the early 1990s, Gary was involved with developing a description of Masonry Heaters for submission to the ASTM standards and helped review a certification Program for Masonry Heater Builders. He was involved with developing an advanced certification for chimney sweeps through the CSIA/NCSG.As a Certified Masonry Heater Builder, he has built masonry heaters in New Hampshire, Vermont, North Carolina, Illinois, Arkansas, Missouri, Ohio, Kansas, Missouri and Japan. He currently holds the distinction of being the 1st Platinum Member with the Masonry Heater Association of North America. debngary@swbell.net 

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The Labor Problem, Recruiting and Retaining Great People: Instructor: Jake Cromwell.
​Bio: President and owner of Top Hat Chimney & Roofing Inc. in Northwest Arkansas since 2010.  Chimney Sweep since 1998.  Performed consultations for chimney, roofing, hearth, security, protection, bar/restaurant, health club industries, specializing in Sales Direction, Recruiting, and field operations system design and implementation.  Since February 2017 currently providing chimney and roofing consultations as an Customer Development Consultant and Account Manager for National Chimney.
This short seminar will be on the development of a recruiting strategy and why it is essential to having the control your business needs to thrive and deliver excellence. C&L 1, Business 1 CEUs from CSIA

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​How to Apply Stucco and Plaster: These skills are needed when doing masonry or manufactured chimney restoration. Students will prep walls, install wire mesh, install a scratch coat and final coat of stucco, and learn how to plaster interior walls. Get practice using these methods hands-on. Bring your masonry tools. Instructor: Gene Padgitt, HearthMasters Masonry School.
​ 4 Elective CEU's from NFI Course number 6063 Technical 4 CEUs from CSIA 

​Bio: Gene has worked in the chimney industry for 35 years. He is an award-winning master mason, CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep, NFI Certified Gas Specialist, Licensed Mechanical Contractor, Certified Heater Mason, State Certified Fire Investigator, and has a degree in HVACR.Technology. Gene has taught numerous classes in the industry. Gene is an expert mason so you'll be learning from one of the best. 

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Managing Metal: How to Build Chase Covers: Learn how to fabricate a chase cover using standard metal fabrication equipment. This course will cover proper PPE for metal work, tools used, measuring for the job, possible design changes for better longevity of the structure, and completion of a chase cover on a mock up chase with chimney.  Instructor: Michael Matthews, Assisting: David Steward, and Joshua Simmons 1.5 CEUs from NFI, CSIA Technical 1.25, Health and Safety 0.25

Bio: Michael is a Colorado native now living in Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri where he owns and operates Dr. Soot Chimney Sweep LLC. His company is currently a two truck operation with three employees. He has been in the industry for 8 years. Prior to moving to Missouri, Michael was a real estate appraiser in Western Colorado. He has also been involved in industrial engineering projects in the wallboard industry. This took Michael to several countries including Canada and Honduras where he supervised the setup of production plants and the training of the local workforce. Michael has been a CSIA certified sweep for over 5 years and is a proud member of the National Chimney Sweep Guild. Michael currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Midwest Chimney Safety Council. ​

Bio:David Steward Owner of Copper Ridge LLC, Chimney & Fireplace in Northeast Oklahoma.
David is a Claremore, Oklahoma native, and a proud combat veteran. David got his start in the construction industry at 13 years old as a finish carpenter’s helper, progressing to a journeyman by 16 continuing to perfect his skills until graduating high school. After graduating high school he went to work on ranches throughout the SouthWest as a professional cowboy. In 2006 David enlisted in the Air Force as a Civil Engineer/Rapid Runway Repairman, serving 5 tours in Southwest Asia and multiple operations in over 27 countries. David served 10 years in the USAF and was Honorably Discharged in 2016, at which time he moved back to Oklahoma to start Copper Ridge Chimney & Fireplace. David is a CSIA certified Sweep and a proud member of the National Chimney Sweep Guild. He enjoys volunteering as Cubmaster of a local Cub Scout pack and is a publicly elected official of the Rogers County Fairboard. David also performs private security and protection details and works on local counter-drug task forces.
David’s notable achievements include earning Eagle Scout, three Meritorious Lifesaving Action awards through the Boy Scouts of America, earning the Oklahoma Star Agribusinessman award and the State FFA Degree, the Army Commendation medal, the Air Force Achievement medal, NATO Medal - ISAF, Armed Forces Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal (5), Afghanistan Campaign medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal, and other military achievements. 

How to Build a Cricket: Hands-on practice building a chimney cricket. A "must know" for chimney contractors. Crickets are required for all chimneys measuring 30" wide and are built on the back side of the chimney on the high side of the roof. In the field, crickets are often too short or missing altogether. This can cause rain water to destroy masonry and wood on the back side of the chimney and cause leaking on the interior of the home. If you're going to be a "We Fix Leaky Chimneys" company, this class is a "must do."  Instructor:Gregg Boss, English Sweep. Greg is the Region 4 Director for the National Chimney Sweep Guild.
Class #5889 Technical 1, Codes and Standards.5 from CSIA

​​Chimney Sweeping Methods and Equipment: Learn how to sweep a chimney to remove creosote, find out what different types of equipment are available, and watch a chimney inspection using the Chim Scan camera system. Outdoors at our location. Janie Rickord, Alpine Chimney Service and Tom Urban with Estoban Corp. and Chim-Scan.
Bio: Janie Rickord is the owner and operator of Alpine Chimney Serivice and and the Vice- President of the Midwest Chimney Safety Council. She also has her certification in Fire Investigation, Research & Education. Chimney is a family owned company. The company was started by my parents, Ray and Pat Fraser in Omaha, NE 25 years ago. We pride ourselves on expertise. Our technicians are to solve the most difficult chimney and fireplace problems. 

Creating a Thorough Inspection Program: Instructor, Tom Urban, Estoban Corporation. In-depth inspections for professional chimney inspectors.  Class #6078 Codes and Standards .75,  C&L .75 from CSIA (possibly more CEUs coming)
Bio: Keeping the technological edge is pertinent to being in business. Tom Urban,founder and president of Estoban Corporation is the leading edge in chimney video scanning technology. As a 27-year veteran in the chimney and heating industries he is fully committed to providing the best equipment when it comes to photo and video documentation. Tom has been a speaker at regional and national conventions in the chimney industry, heating and fireplace industries consecutively for 20 years. He designs and provides training seminars on chimney relining, oil burner technology, chimney section procedures, photo documentation and interpretation training and seminars on computer generated reports. He has alsotaught at the CSIA in Indianapolis, IN since its opening in 2000. He is one of four in the teaching team who presentdiagnosis and documentation procedures to sweeps, engineers, and home inspectors. The 3-to-5 day course is also taken on the road twice a year. He alsodeveloped a multi-media course that includes power-point presentations and hands-on study.

​OSHA Authorized Person Fall Protection Training: Learn what you need to know about fall protection per OSHA guidelines and when you are finished with this class you will have the ability to be assigned as your Authorized Person per OSHA requirements at your place of business. This training will also be important for Worker's Comp insurance. ​See this flyer for more info. Instructor: Mark Damon from Ellis Fall Protection.  4-hour class.

Bio: Mark has been active in the safety industry since 1975. Mark graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a B.S. in Marketing in 1972, and received his MBA from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1976.Mark Damon has been directly involved in fall protection and fall protection training since 1975....that's over 40 years! Mark was trained in fall protection by Clarence Rose……the true pioneer in the fall protection safety industry. While with Rose, Mark served on the OSHA Committee responsible for the revision of fall protection standards, and worked with the United States Navy to develop their fall protection standards. He has served on an ANSI A10.24 subcommittee for fall protection standards and has taught at the OSHA training institute on fall protection. Mark has also served as an instructor for the OSHA 500 and 501 courses. He was a trainer for Capital Safety (DBI/Sala) for several years. Mark also produced a top selling fall protection training DVD entitled, "How Safe Is That Safety Belt?" and in 2015 published an updated version.He has worked with such great companies as: Rose Manufacturing Company, Miller Safety Products, Capital Safety (DBI Sala) ....All the leaders in the fall protection equipment and fall protection training industry.Mark has performed fall protection training for many companies, including: Boeing, Spirit Aerospace, Peter Kiewit, PepsiCo, Frito-Lay, NCRA Refinery, Raytheon, Kansas City Power and Light, OSHA, Harley Davidson, Western Resources, Schwan Foods, Georgia Pacific, Bartlett Grain, BP Amoco, Cargill, and 3M. Mark stays current on all the standard changes and proposed changes and teaches many classes throughout the year to maintain his edge in this unique field of expertise.  Mark is also the Senior Fall Protection Specialist for ELLIS Fall Safety Solutions in Wilmington, DE.  His unique style and sense of humor can easily reach your worker so they can better understand the fall hazards they are exposed to, and how. Instead of solely relying on OSHA or an ANSI standard; give your employees the effective training they can rely on.  
Damon, Inc
816.896.1849
DamonFallProtection.com 

Gene Padgitt
HearthMasters Education

Midwest Chimney Safety Council Education

MCSC Annual Conference
Sweeping the heartland

Hands-on Workshops and Business Classes with CEU's for all Classes!

June 21—24, 2017
Independence, Missouri

Marge Padgitt

MCSC President

Thanks for a great 2017 Conference! 

Watch here for 2018 conference details coming soon!

David Steward

Olympia Chimney Supply

Esther and Tom Urban

Thank you to all of our sponsors who donated products and money to cover expenses for the events. 
WE COULDN'T DO IT WITHOUT YOU!

Conference Schedule

Chuck Hall

CSIA President

Gregg Boss

NCSG Region 4 Director

Michael Matthews

MCSC Board Member

Jake Cromwell
Chimney Professional

Midwest Chimney
​Safety Council