Building a Service-First Business: An Interview With Bart Ogden
- FTJ PREVIEW
Building a Service-First Business: An Interview With Bart Ogden
Featuring Bart Ogden
With Tim Reed
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Tim Reed
Joining me from Wichita, Kansas, is Bart Ogden, the owner of Home Safe Hearth and Chimney. Bart, every time we get the chance to chat, it’s a pleasure. Thanks a ton for doing this interview today.
Bart Ogden
I appreciate you having me, Tim.
TR
Of course. I think you have one of the best understandings of how service fits into a hearth business. On the retail side, I don’t think I’ve met anyone who gets it like you. Given that, I’d love to hear how your company approaches service work in general.
BO
We’ve always seen service work as a necessity—something we had to do, not something we had a choice about. When I started in 1979, I was a chimney sweep. That was my entire job. I didn’t have a showroom or anything like that—I was a chimney mechanic, fixing things.
Early on, I realized I had to learn to fix everything because I didn’t have the luxury of only servicing what I sold. In fact, I didn’t sell anything at all. I started my business in a rural town of 600 people, with the nearest city 60 miles away. So we did whatever we had to do to make it work.
TR
You’ve mentioned before that your company services everything, whether you sold it or not. A lot of businesses put up barriers—only servicing what they sell or install. Why did you decide to service everything, and how does that work?
BO
For a long time, we didn’t have a showroom. We’ve had one for about 25 or 27 years now, but from the start, our approach was simple—if someone called and needed help, we helped them. That mindset still drives us today.
A lot of businesses take a different approach, saying, “We don’t service that,” or, “We only work on what we sell.” Some won’t even touch a fireplace over 15 years old—they just recommend replacing it. I don’t think that’s right.
I see plenty of fireplaces that are 15, 20, or even 40 years old, and they work just fine. Some have been well-maintained, some barely used. If all a unit needs is a new valve, we’ll install the right one. If it needs a new pilot assembly, we’ll make sure it’s the correct part.
What’s troubling is how common the “just replace it” mindset has become. I’m not against replacement when it makes sense, but customers should make that call. If someone wants to put $1,500 into a 30-year-old fireplace, that’s up to them. Replacing a unit isn’t cheap, and in this industry, we hear “rip and replace” thrown around a lot. Honestly, I think that term is a little harsh. There are better ways to frame it.
That said, if a fireplace truly can’t be brought back to life, we won’t pretend otherwise. If we can fix it, we will. If we can’t, we’ll be upfront about it.
TR
That seems like such a straightforward approach—service everything. If you can fix it, you do. If you can’t, you offer the option to replace it. It’s pretty cut and dry.
BO
Exactly. And here’s the deal, Tim—at some point, those old units will need to be replaced. And when they do, who do you think customers will trust? The company that’s been servicing their fireplaces for 25 or 30 years.
Maybe they don’t call us every year—maybe it’s every three. We always encourage annual service, just like manufacturers recommend, but in the end, we take care of clients at the level they want.
TR
That leads right into something I’d love your take on: service after the sale. In retail, the focus is often just “sell, sell, sell.” Early in my career, I was told service is just a necessary evil—something retailers do because we have to, not because it adds real value. But I get the sense you see it differently. Why is service after the sale so important?
BO
Let’s start with that phrase: “necessary evil.” I don’t buy it.
You know, this is a male-dominated industry, though more and more women are getting involved, which is great. But in general, most guys take pride in fixing things. There’s real satisfaction in standing back and saying, “I fixed that.” Or driving past a home, pointing at a chimney, and thinking, “I did that.” That’s what service is about. It’s not an obligation—it’s something we enjoy.
TR
That’s right.
BO
And look, service has to be done right. That means using the right parts—no cutting corners with cheap knockoffs. We have a responsibility to our customers to say, “Yes, it’s safe to light a fire in your living room—because we made sure it stays where it belongs.”
But companies that treat service like a hassle? They’re missing the boat. A strong service department keeps customers coming back year after year. And in my market—and plenty of others—we make more in the long run from service than the original installer did selling the unit.
Think about it. A contractor might spend a few hours installing a unit and never see that customer again. Meanwhile, we’re servicing that unit every year, or every few years, for decades. And if you run your service business right, you don’t just keep that customer—you’re already positioned to serve the next one. When people move, we track it. If we know a home we’ve serviced is being sold, we try to find out who the new owner is. Sometimes that’s easy, sometimes it’s not, but we have a system.
It all comes back to this: the lifetime value of customers—and, just as importantly, the next customers who move in after them.
TR
That’s so true. But what would you say to companies that struggle to make service profitable?
BO
Well, the number one reason service isn’t profitable for some companies is that they don’t know their numbers. A lot of business owners don’t actually understand what profit looks like in their company because they haven’t taken the time to figure it out.
The second issue is pricing. MSRP is just a suggested price—nothing more. If your margins aren’t high enough, you’re already losing. We’ve all seen the Blueprint for Success, which has been around for years, and we know a 40% margin is the bare minimum for any hearth business to survive. But in specialty service, my numbers show you need at least 60% margin—or higher. Anything above that, and you’re not just surviving—you’re thriving. To get there, you have to dial in your supply chain and know exactly where your parts are coming from. If you’re like us—servicing all kinds of units—you have to go even deeper. Where do we source parts for these older models?
Take today, for example. A customer walked into our showroom looking for a remote for a Honeywell valve on a particular stove.
TR
No way.
BO
TR
That’s a great example. It really highlights how small efforts—like taking the time to research a part—can build trust and keep customers coming back. And that trust isn’t just about fixing what’s broken today—it’s about being the company they turn to when a replacement is inevitable.
That makes me curious about your team. Clearly, they need to be well-trained to handle such a wide range of service work. How do you approach hiring and training technicians?
BO
We have a detailed training process at Home Safe. When platforms like SureFire and CVC became available, we built a structured curriculum so that every technician—whether brand new or experienced—goes through the same process.
We have multiple entry points into the hearth industry, depending on how people learn. But no matter where they start, the goal is to get everyone to the same level.
For most new hires, we start with maintenance and chimney sweeping. Their first step is earning a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep certification. Then, they move on to become a CSIA Dryer Exhaust Technician, followed by NFI Gas and eventually the other NFI disciplines.
If folks have HVAC backgrounds, we adjust their path. They start with NFI Gas, then move through NFI Core, followed by CSIA Dryer Exhaust Technician and CSIA Chimney Sweep. Both paths lead to the same level—we just tailor the process to their skills so they get there faster.
Either way, the first step takes 100 days.
And here’s the key: We pay them to train. We pay them to study—by the video hour—for the courses they take. Because everyone learns at a different pace. A guy like you, Tim, might speed-read and fly through training. But other people might need to read the same material three or four times to really absorb it. That’s why we use video hours as the baseline—it keeps training consistent and fair for everyone.
TR
I love how your training is structured day by day—it means you’re not reinventing the wheel with every new hire. Do you find there’s a certain type of person who naturally fits the technician role, or can you train almost anyone?
BO
Technicians don’t have to come in knowing everything, but they need at least some mechanical ability—because everything we do is hands-on.
Beyond that, the best technicians are three-dimensional thinkers. Because in the hearth industry—especially in chimney service and repair—every great job starts with a great inspection. That’s non-negotiable.
The first thing we teach new hires is safety. Before they even crack open a book on chimney systems, it’s safety, safety, safety.
Once they have that foundation, we move into inspections—teaching them how to properly assess a system so the homeowner knows exactly what condition it’s in before we leave. This applies to everything—whether it’s a gas fireplace, pellet stove, wood-burning installation, masonry fireplace, or a factory-built unit.
A good friend of mine, Bill Ryan, has a saying: “Every good job starts with a great inspection.”
That’s exactly how we approach it. So when we talk to a customer—Mrs. Smith, for example—we tell her, “Before we do anything, we want you to fully understand the condition of your system. That way, you can make the best decision for your home.” After that, the choice is hers.
TR
That’s terrific. As you mentioned before, you started as a chimney sweep and eventually built a successful retail business—that’s nothing new for you. But why did you choose to offer service on both the appliance and chimney sides instead of sticking with chimney work?
BO
The opportunity was there. If we’re going to sell units, they need service—every one of them should have annual maintenance. Early on, we saw that by supporting the products we installed, we could build a strong service department. Over time, that allowed us to grow a fleet of technicians.
That said, we’re not a big-box retailer. Wichita is an interesting market—not quite a huge metro area, but not a small town either. We’re not Kansas City, Houston, Dallas, or Denver. We’re far enough south that we get moderate winters, so we don’t have the snow advantage of places just 90 miles north of us. At the same time, we don’t have the Texas disadvantage, where fireplaces are almost irrelevant for much of the year.
So we took a practical approach—whatever we had to do to make it work, we did.
TR
That totally makes sense. Along the lines of doing what it takes to make things work, how do you handle the seasonal ebbs and flows of service work?
BO
If we hit a slow period, we use that time to train or cross-train.
For example, today was a light day for two of our trucks. One of our guys was floating between jobs, helping in the warehouse. But instead of calling it a day, once he finished there, we moved him to another truck for a ride-along so he could see firsthand how to install a set of gas logs.
There are always opportunities for training. There’s never a reason to say, “We don’t have much going on—just take the day off.” That goes back to our training system. If we’re short on work, our team knows they can use that time to study for another certification. There’s always a way to advance your skill set.
TR
That’s a great approach.
Listening to you, Bart, it’s clear you’ve built this business with intentionality and long-term stability—not just relying on appliance sales, but also making service a pillar of your success.
That’s a huge advantage. Sales can spike one year and slow the next, but service keeps customers coming back year after year. And the way you approach it—not just fixing problems, but building relationships—truly sets you apart.
Thanks for taking the time to share your insights today, Bart. I really appreciate it.
BO
Glad to be here, Tim. Thanks again for having me.
