ARTICLE from The Star Ledger, December 10, 2001. By Dan Weissman

Ho, ho, ho meets chim-chim cher-roo

Santa Claus is coming to town, but first, you better make sure the chimney is clean so St. Nick can slide down with all those gifts.

Enter Kevin Richart, owner and operator of Elite Chimney and Maintenance Co. of Whippany. Just voted No. 1 chimney service in Morris County by a consumer survey. The 44-year-old Richart has been in the business since his father brought him into when he was 16.

Richart wears a familiar-looking service uniform. But he says people still ask him why he's not wearing the top hat and talls the way chimney sweeps were popularized in the movie "Mary Poppins" some 30 years ago.

"It's not 'Mary Poppins.'" he said of the business that is growing "by the leaps and bounds." Growth has been so robust that by October, he was scheduling business for himself and his eight employees into mid-January. The cleaning side of the business represents only 10 percent of the operation. The rest is restoring and making sure old chimneys meet building codes.

Q. In the years you've been in the business, has it become more complex?

A. By all means. The National Fire Protection Association states a chimney should be cleaned or inspected annually, depending on the fuel because when it reaches a certain amount of dirtiness it will ignite.

The way both building and fire codes are concerned, you don't just go into a house with a flashlight and say everything is fine. There's a list of procedures to make sure there is proper clearance and all the interior components are rights. There is so much fear of liability, and no one wants to be liable. So, the requirements are much more stringent.

Q. What about competition?

A. There's quite a bit. Unfortunately, there's too much bad competition out there. Like all trades and business, whether it's a plumber or an electrician, there are people out ripping people off.

The homeowner can't see what has to be done, so he or she relies on the person they hire to do the work. What's happening is the bad companies, if you want to call them that, send out these coupons for ridiculously low prices to do the work, like $19.95 to clean the chimney with a whole bunch of free inspections. Common sense has to make you stop and wonder how these two people can come to your house and perform a service that usually takes an hour for twenty bucks.

Q. How do you get customers? How do you keep them?

A. Advertising, but I would say a good 50 percent of our business comes through referrals.

You have to build a trust to keep customers. In some cases we have a series of cameras that we put in the chimney so the customer can watch what we do.

Q. What is a fair price for chimney cleaning?

A. It depends on the market. Right now we charge in the range of $145 to $185, barring complications. What's reasonable to most people is what you consider fair to pay for getting two people in your house for an hour, providing you with full service and inspection. And they are fully insured.