About Us

White Glove is a comprehensive chimney sweep service that was established in August 1977. It is owned and operated by Bob Ferrari.  At White Glove, we offer a variety of services, including: installation, certified inspection, repair, and cleaning of stoves, fireplaces, and chimneys, dryer vent cleaning and repair, evaporative cooler maintenance, and fire investigation services. We also sell wood, gas, and pellet stoves.

Discover Why We Think You’ll Like Us

Record Searchlight Article on Bob Ferrari, Owner
By Paul Heath / Special to the Record Searchlight

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 have been on chimneys in many of those places. I’ve been gone for 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 and the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Education Foundation 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 White Glove is committed to keep learning. White Glove stands for a warm, secure, and healthy home. Our field supervisor, Phil McCarthy,  holds an NFI gas certification . Two of us are F.I.R.E. certified inspectors –There are eight CSIA certified chimney sweeps north of Sacramento – four of them are at White Glove.

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?  White Glove stands for a warm, secure, and healthy home. We are clean, safe to be with, nice, and professionally trained. Our technicians learn their job in our classroom and training center – 56 hours of training before they go out as a helper on a truck. Then ongoing continuing education throughout the year.

There is a CSIA certified sweep on every job: We like to say, “Our ‘experience’ is tested.” Our guys don’t learn their job at your home. While a lack of certification doesn’t mean a person is without knowledge – It simply means we have proven that we know at least the minimum to be a venting professional. We have done our best to make sure we are educated, skilled and still fun to be with.

Bob on top of a chimney in Italy.

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, and we’re not trying to save someone 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 home buyers, 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 ambiance, 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 White Glove 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.

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.

Colby Jacobs

Colby is a CSIA Certified Sweep. He has completed the apprentice program and is a Junior technician working toward his Senior tech level. Colby is competent and nice. He is generally as happy as he looks in this photo.

Our Certifications

“Certified” means the technician has studied and gone through an examination process to prove he or she knows the industry standards, building codes, and technical information required for chimney and venting professionals in the area for which they are certified (This is in addition to White Glove’s proprietary training). We don’t pretend that our “experience” has taught us all we need to know. Our experience is tested by masters in the industry not by our own limits.

Bob has 27 years of experience and has or has held certifications in:

• CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep #1481
• FIRE Certified Inspector #FP032
• NFI Certified Gas Technician
• NFI Certified Pellet Technician
• NFI Certified Wood Technician
• Heat-Shield Installer
• Air Care Certified Air Duct Decontamination
• PTCS Air Duct Sealing Certified
• Ca. Contractor License #510706
• Toastmasters competent communicator
• Certified BPI Building Analyst

Bob has also been a presenter at national conventions and trade shows, and serves on the Ethics Committee for the National Chimney Sweep Guild.

We are the only chimney sweep business in Redding and Northern California certified by or members of the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), National Fireplace Institute (NFI), National Chimney Sweep Guild (NCSG), Fireplace Investigation Research & Education Service (F.I.R.E.) and Building Performance Institute (BPI).

Call around and ask other companies if our expertise is credentialed or if we are self-proclaimed “experts”.

Call us today at 530-924-3164 or click here to schedule your appointment online!

Contact the trained technicians at White Glove for prompt and professional service. You’ll be glad you did!