Monday, March 23, 2009

President's Report

Happy Spring to All,


Well, I can only hope that things get better in 2009. Last year, like many of you, we had a surge of business when the oil prices skyrocketed, only to stop just as quickly when they went down. My busy season was good, but it dropped off as well as soon as the end of the year came. Like most of you (I hope) I put away a few bucks to help us get through the dry times, and I'm happy to say that since my company is incorporated, Dan is an employee of the company and entitled to unemployment benefits. If anyone has had any thoughts about incorporating, there are a lot of pros to this and I highly recommend it, but I know it's not for everyone.
But on to 2009. As of today, I have only one more Board of Directors meeting and then the final General Membership meeting in June before my 5 years as President of this Guild comes to an end. Elections are once again around the corner. We have two people running for President. David O'Shea, of All About Chimneys was first to take a nomination right from the beginning, and then we received a last minute nomination for Charles Koubek of Eurosweep Chimney. Good luck to both of you. The Treasurer's position is unopposed, but we received 6 nominations for 3 Board seats. It was really great to see a little bit more enthusiasm in regard to positions on the Board. As I have said many times in the past (and probably not for the last time either), since I have been a member of this Guild I have seen the same faces on the Board and as Directors. All we seem to do is rotate. From time to time a new face comes along, but they haven't taken the commitment to the position seriously and have left.
You need to take the position seriously if you accept a nomination. We have several Board meetings a year, and four General Membership meetings. These meetings are held every couple of months and require only a few hours of your time. This Guild is a non-profit organization that runs with the help of volunteers and we can always use help. Even if you do not take a position on the Board, you can come to a meeting and see if there's a committee you can help with. Anything you can do is greatly appreciated.
Since my last report, Dan and I did attend the National Convention in Winston-Salem NC. Despite a pretty bumpy ride home due to the storm, we had a great time and a specific report is forthcoming in this newsletter. Dan also attended a great ladder safety seminar at Lynn Ladder on March 7th. Other than that it's been a pretty quiet winter, and with SPRING only hours away as I speak, I am about to send out my Forward Scheduling reminder cards in hopes to jump start the second quarter of the year.
So here are a few things that you need to SAVE THE DATE for;


Wednesday, May 20th is the next Board of Directors meeting here at my house in Kingston.


Saturday, June 20th is when the Annual Meeting AND Summer Picnic will take place. It will be held here at my home as it has been in previous years. I requested this due to fact that it will be my last day as President and we usually have a pretty good turn out when they are held here by the pool. I am hoping to have a clam bake, but I am only in the preliminary stages.


But once again, I highly recommend you attend Sweepsfest in Newmarket NH. This is being held the last weekend in June. The Sootprints will be playing again, and from the looks of the agenda I see that we are in for some great seminars! The following month, again in the last weekend of July, will be the New York State Guild Annual Workshop. I will bring you more details as they become available, but please SAVE THESE DATES so you don't miss out!!! Also, we are developing some really great seminars so look for those notices in the mail as well on the website/blog.


Until then, have a wonderful Easter and Happy Spring to All!!


Jean Jacobson, President

It’s time for the Massachusetts Chimney Sweep Guild’s CSIA Certification and Review

When: June 6, 2009
Time: 10am (lunch will be provided)
Where: Taunton Holiday Inn, Taunton, MA

To sign up:
1. Please fill out the bottom portion of this form and mail it, along with a $50.00 registration fee (per person) made payable to the Massachusetts Chimney Sweep Guild, to A Traditional Sweep 72 Viking Drive Portsmouth, RI 02871. Deadline for registration is Friday May 29, 2009.

Certification Review and Exam

Submitted by Richard Rua

An unofficial review session will take place on Saturday June 6, 2009 in Taunton, MA. Following the review will be the certification exam. Please note that the certification exam will be changing soon and I encourage anyone who is ready to take the exam to do so now before the changes take place. In order to sit for the exam you must contact the National Chimney Sweep Guild to register for a proctored exam a minimum of 30 days before the exam.

National Convention Report

Our trip down was uneventful and we arrived Tuesday afternoon at the Embassy Suites in Winston-Salem NC. Once we were settled in our room, we met up with George & Kim Stroup (George is our Regional director) at what turned out to be a nightly reception the hotel gave each evening where persons staying at the hotel received a couple of free drinks and appetizers. Also with us were John & Lisa Podreca who are past Guild members who migrated down to No. Carolina a few years ago and it was great to see them again. We took someone's advise and went next door to the Mellow Mushroom for pizza. Kim's choice was "The Magical Mystery Tour" and I'm still trying to figure out what kind of mushrooms were on that pizza and why she was smiling all night!!!




George & Kim Stroup


The next morning Dan and I attended the Annual General Membership meeting as well as the CSIA informational meeting. I was ironic to see the National Guild having the same problems as we do trying to get enough voting members to a meeting for a quorum, but they finally did it. There was no quorum in Reno last year, so we went over two reports. It was there that Randy Brooks, current President of National, announced that next year the National convention will be held in Indianapolis. The highlight of the CSIA informational meeting was that CSIA has paid it's debt off to National for money they borrowed.
"Sooty" Bob Daniels was the Keynote Speaker this year and the address this year was "The Building Business Hall of Fame". In this address, Bob mentioned a number of people who's ideas helped build this industry. Mentioned was Fred Toldo, who the Mass. Guild has had an educational award named, that was given in past years. Also mentioned was Roland Robideaux, a former Mass. Guild member who's idea of "Forward Scheduling" is used by many sweeps now.
After the annual Group Photo was taken, I was able to round up all but one of the Mass. Guild members who attended.


Back Row: George & Kim Stroup, Erin Biscoe, Bob Searles, Judd Berg, Tom Biscoe, Mike Dhembe, Rich Buffone, Maureen Buffone
Front Row: Rich Rua, Billy Sweet, Jean Jacobson, Dan Jacobson, Mike Elliott (missing is Dave Bancroft)

Later that afternoon I attended the State Presidents Forum. I believe that due to some glitch, announcements of this meeting were never sent out and therefore the meeting was poorly attended. However it did give those who did attend a lot more time with Randy Brooks to talk about what's going on in our respective Guilds.
In the evening I attended the Presidents Reception. This years reception was combined with the "Meet and Greet" for the foreign attendees. It also had something that's never been there before and that's our own Sootprints who played acoustically. However the highlight of the evening was a Barney Fife & Gomer Pyle impersonators. The had a lot of fun joking with the attendees as well as the band. A few tables had also been set up for Pass the Pigs, which is traditionally played at conventions.




The Sootprints at the Presidents Reception


"Barney Fife" had a few words to say about the band.


Judd Berg & friends also played a rousing round of Pass the Pigs!!

The next day I was fortunate to attend one of the seminars in the morning before the opening session of the Tradeshow. It was finally time to see and talk to the people that you only get to see but once or twice a year.




Sooty Bob Daniels and Cathy Rocque of Copperfield Chimney Supply



Richard Payton of ICP




Jim Gillam of SNEWS Magazine & Russ Moore



Chuck Philips of Lindemann Chimney Supply doing what he does best
















Pierre Simard of National Chimney Supply

















Edmund Popolowski of Olympia Chimney Supply




Later that evening, Dan and I plus 6 others were treated to a fabulous meal at the Camel City Cafe by Chuck Phillips of Lindemann Chimney Supply. We want to thank him again for another memorable evening of food, friends and family!


When we got back to the hotel, Dan and I found that the rest of the band had set up in the Piano Lounge so he went and got his "drums". Then the band, and any other person who had an instrument or the nerve to sing, played and sang well after midnight.





The next morning was the closing session of the Trade Show where we had to say quick good-byes to a lot of the vendors who travel home right after the show. Once the trade show floor was broken down, it was time to set up for the Auction. The auction "theme" was NASCAR, and the "pit crews" wasted no time setting up for the event.



This year Judd Berg ran the auction. We tried something different this year, and Dan & I ran a small "silent auction" while the regular auction was running. Since Randy Atkinson, who has been our auctioneer for many years, no long "sweeps" and therefore doesn't attend conventions, this year we had 3 auctioneers. Our "head" auctioneer was John Pilger. The fact that John had just gotten out of the hospital after having quadruple by-pass surgery, speaks of his dedication and commitment to this industry. Great job John!





Auctioneer #2 who graciously let John take a few breaks was Ashley Eldridge.



The next morning I slept in a bit and got caught up with a little paperwork. Then it was time for the Sootprints to set up and do sound checks. A great big thank you goes out to Chuck & Cindy Phillips and Adam Chapman who were their sound and light technicians.



Adam Chapman, Chuck & Cindy Phillips



Here are Dan and I ready for the evening festivities.
While the band played an instrumental of Pink Floyd's "The Wall", the evening begin with a procession line that ended with Randy & Traci Brooks.


Here Mike Elliott, who was lucky enough to be on the crew of "Sweep the White House" last August, watches as an American Flag is presented to the National Guild.


Below are highlights of the evening



Billy Sweet and friends







Michelle & Adam Chapman







Me with Yvette Aube' from Canada

Enjoying the evening was Judd Berg

Rich Buffone, Bob Searles, Dan Jacobson, Rick Vollmer, Erin Biscoe & Tom Biscoe AKA "The Sootprints"

Treasurers Report

Lindemann Seminar


Click to see full size flier.

Chatham family treated for carbon monoxide

Chatham family treated for carbon monoxide poisoning Officials
discovered an object stuck in a home's flue was the cause of four cases
of carbon monoxide poisoning.

story

Ladder Safety and Scaffolding Safety Courses

March 7, 2009

By Billy Sweet
Billy Sweet Chimney Sweep
billy@billysweetchimneysweep.com
Vice-President
Massachusetts Chimney Sweep Guild

The Massachusetts Chimney Sweep Guild sponsored a Ladder Safety and a Scaffolding Safety Course today. Kudos to Jeannie Jacobson, our president for thinking of providing courses for the members of the Guild, as a way of providing value to our members. Usually this course costs $25, but thanks to her foresight and Alan’s generosity, we are able to give you this benefit for no cost. This is a great deal!



Alan Kline and the Massachusetts Chimney Sweep Guild. Billy Sweet photo.

I also thank Alan Kline, president of Lynn Ladder Corp. of Lynn, Massachusetts. Alan generously contributed his time and resources to the Guild.



Alan Kline, of Lynn-Ladder Corp. Billy Sweet photo.

I mean to say Alan was very generous. Not only did he give us his knowledge and his good humor, he gave T-shirts, hats, a ladder-offset, a step ladder, and a chicken ladder away in a raffle for all attending. A big shout-out to Alan Kline and Lynn-Ladder!

Lynn Ladder is the most innovative and forward thinking of five ladder and scaffolding corporations in the United States. They combine technical competence and careful regard for the technician’s safety with the best customer service. I repeat: the best customer service. I personally have used Lynn Ladder products since 1980. They are a class act. Get to know them. Use them.

Twenty Massachusetts Chimney Sweep Guild members and two new member applicants attended the Ladder Safety Course and the Scaffolding Safety Course. David O’Shea, who is running unopposed, and will be our next president, and his business partner Ken Testa attended, as did Tim Martinson, our secretary.

Dan Jacobson, our treasurer, and certified guild rock star paid his dues.

Jeff Ludlow, a member of the Board of Directors and three of his employees, Steven Drew, Evan Parke, and Peter Spears were there.



Jeff Ludlow and crew. Billy Sweet photo.

Anthony Glew and Charissa Ray, and Derek Hanna, a Guild Director, and Chris Pervier showed. John and Justin O’Donnell came.

Billy Sweet Chimney Sweep had six employees and five Chimney Safety Institute of America Certified Chimney Sweeps attending. The CSIA certified sweeps were Ed Harrigan, Jon White, Eric Hanson, Josh Jordan, and Billy Sweet. Sean McGillecuddy attended and is working on his CSIA certification.


Left to right: Eric Hanson, Joe Briggs, Peter Chretien, David O’Shea, Sean McGillecuddy, Derek Hannah, Ken Testa, Josh Jordan, and Ed Harrigan. Billy Sweet photo.

Two new member applicants attended as well, Pat Hart and Joe Briggs. Welcome!

The Ladder User Safety and Hazard Awareness Course is for employees that perform work while using portable of fixed ladders. This program covers the proper selection, care, and use of both portable and fixed ladders, with respect to both the OSHA laws and ANSI standards. The Scaffold User Safety and Hazard Awareness Course is for employees that perform work while on a scaffold. The program covers scaffold safety with regard to falls, falling objects, electrocution, unsafe access, and collapse. The emphasis is on hazard identification and accident prevention.

CEU’s were available for CSIA certification and for NFI certification. If you work on ladders, OSHA expects you and your employees to attend the Ladder Safety Course. If you work on scaffolding, OSHA expects you and your employees to have attended this Scaffolding Safety Course. Contact Billy, at Billy Sweet Chimney Sweep, 617-469-4528, or billy@billysweetchimneysweep.com, for more information about when the next Ladder Safety and Scaffolding Safety Courses are held.

Furthermore, if you erect scaffolding, know OSHA expects you or whoever erects scaffolding in your company to have attended a Scaffold Competent Person Safety Training. This course is for employees, supervisors, and foremen who erect scaffolds and oversee scaffold erection. It centers around frame scaffolds, while including sections on system scaffolds, tube and coupler scaffolds, as well as a section on carpenter’s scaffolds. This course covers all the safety aspects regarding scaffold components, foundation requirements, regulations, fall protection systems, access methods, estimating, and erection and dismantling techniques. Emphasis is placed on a hands-on experience. It is a 6-7 hour course.

The Massachusetts Chimney Sweep Guild will be sponsoring a Scaffold Competent Person Safety Training soon. Contact Billy, at Billy Sweet Chimney Sweep, 617-469-4528, or billy@billysweetchimneysweep.com, for more information about the Scaffold Competent Person Safety Training Course.

I challenge you to align with the Massachusetts Chimney Sweep Guild. Have for yourself, and provide for your employees the best in safety and competence training. After all, for the success of your chimney business, who is more important than you and your techs?

Register for Massachusetts Chimney Sweep Guild sponsored OSHA and ANSI approved safety courses. Contact Billy, at Billy Sweet Chimney Sweep, 617-469-4528, or info@billysweetchimneysweep.com, for more information.