Chimney firm’s business catches a spark
BY LINDA BLASER lblaser@pioneerlocal.com September 13, 2012 3:36PM
Lindemann Chimney Co.president Mike Boudart in front of the new building in Lake Bluff. | Joel Lerner~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: October 15, 2012 9:18AM
LAKE BLUFF — Lindemann Chimney Co. has increased its business, nearly doubled its staff and moved to a larger location to accommodate the growth.
Division President Mike Boudart is not surprised about the changes at the 43-year-old chimney service and supply company located in Lake Bluff since the 1980s.
“We’re aggressively trying to grow,” Boudart said.
From a service area that formerly extended between Arlington Heights and Evanston, Lindemann Chimney technicians now can be found on service calls from the Wisconsin border to Barrington and Aurora.
“We went further south, further north and further west, and it’s paid off,” Boudart said. An Internet presence and a company reputation built over four decades has made the difference, he said.
Lindemann’s new 25,000- square-foot office and warehouse, located at 110 Albrecht Drive in Lake Bluff, is three times the size of the chimney and fireplace service company’s former location on Herky Drive.
The larger warehouse is filled with inventory for its wholesale business. The Lindemann Chimney Supply division is a national wholesale distributor of chimney supplies, fireplace and hearth products, masonry tools and more. Besides its Lake Bluff location, the company operates distribution centers in Marietta, Ga., and Albany, N.Y.
The bulk of Lindemann’s business locally is sweeping and repairing chimneys, whether it’s to vent a fireplace or a furnace. The company also provides fireplace service and repairs.
Lindemann chimney sweeps are nationally certified, a distinction Boudart believes worth noting.
“It’s a valuable industry credential to have,” Boudart said.
