Meet the Team - Hearthstone Chimney Co.

Meet the Roanoke Team Behind Hearthstone Chimney Co.

We’ve got a crew in Roanoke that actually likes going up on roofs. Not in a reckless way - they just know what they’re doing, and they know why it matters. Every one of them was background-checked before they ever touched a ladder, and every one of them wears the uniform because they earned it. What unites this group is simple: they’d rather do it right once than come back twice. That, and Russell Haines won’t have it any other way.

Call (540) 787-3302

Our People

Russell Haines, Owner

I’ve been climbing into chimneys since 1984, and I still find something new most weeks. Started this company because I got tired of watching homeowners get sold work they didn’t need by guys who never showed them the inside of their own flue. These days I run the Roanoke operation, still carry a tool bag when we’re short-handed, and personally review every Level-2 camera inspection before it goes to the homeowner. My wife says I talk about creosote at dinner parties. She’s not wrong.

Marcus T., Lead Technician

Marcus has been with us eight years, and he’s the reason we can promise most jobs in a single visit. He’s CSIA-certified and specializes in masonry rebuilds on older Roanoke homes, the kind with hand-laid brick you can’t match from a big-box yard. He grew up in Vinton, so he knows which neighborhoods have clay flue liners from the seventies and which have the steel ones that started showing up in the nineties. Off the clock, he restores vintage motorcycles and brings the same patience to both jobs. Homeowners ask for him by name. We don’t blame them.

Darlene K., Senior Installer

Darlene handles our liner and cap installations, and she’s particular about brands the way some people are particular about coffee. She works exclusively with DuraFlex, HeatShield, and Gelco - no exceptions, no “this one’s just as good.” Before she joined us, she spent six years in commercial HVAC, so she thinks in systems, not just parts. She lives in Grandin Village and walks her dog past houses she’s worked on, pointing out her chimneys like they’re her kids’ art on a refrigerator. She’s installed liners in hundred-year-old farmhouses and new builds in South County, and she’ll tell you the old ones are more fun.

James R., Service Coordinator

James is the voice you get when you call (540) 787-3302 at 11 PM on a Saturday. He’s not reading from a script, and he’s not punching your number into a callback queue. He’s been with us four years, knows every technician’s schedule and specialty, and can tell you whether your issue sounds like a cap problem or a liner problem before we ever roll a truck. He grew up in Salem, went to Roanoke College, and genuinely likes the puzzle of routing three crews across the valley when everyone’s fireplace quits on the first cold night. He keeps a whiteboard with every active job, updated by hand, because he doesn’t trust software to catch what his eye does.

Trevon W., Apprentice

Trevon’s in his second year with us, which means he’s past the “drop the flashlight down the flue” stage and into the “Marcus lets him lead the sweep” stage. He’s working toward his CSIA certification and already handles standard cleanings on his own. What stands out is how he talks to homeowners - he explains what he found without making you feel dumb for not knowing what a smoke shelf is. He grew up in Northwest Roanoke and lives with his grandmother, who inspects his uniform every morning and has opinions about ladder safety. We met her once. She’s not wrong about the ladder.

One Standard, Every Job

The 90-Day Done Right Promise isn’t a desk sign in our office. It’s how Marcus checks his mortar joints, how Darlene tests every liner connection, how James confirms the appointment window, how Trevon bags every bit of soot before he carries it through your living room. Russell put it in writing in 1984, and the language hasn’t changed because the standard hasn’t changed. Krafted right, Every time, Your home first, Standing behind it. That’s the K.E.Y.S. code, and every person on this page carries it.

We’re not a franchise that swaps crews every season. We’ve been in Roanoke for over 42 years, and we plan to be here thirty more. That changes how you treat a customer when you know you’ll see them at the grocery store. No-hassle upfront pricing means the number on the estimate is the number on the invoice. Background-checked, uniformed technicians mean you know who’s on your roof. Photos you can see, a plain-English verdict means you’re never taking our word for something you can’t verify yourself.

Done right - and we stand behind it.

Written by Russell Haines, Owner at Hearthstone Chimney Co., serving Roanoke since 1984.