Franchisee Success Stories
The owners who do well with Hearthstone aren’t looking for a side hustle. They’re people who want to build something local, something that lasts, with their own hands in the work and their own name on the door. They tend to be former tradespeople, military veterans, or folks who spent years in corporate jobs and got tired of making money for someone else’s retirement. What they share is a preference for plain talk, a square deal, and showing up when they say they will.
Meet Our Owners
Elena R., Columbus, Ohio
Before Hearthstone, Elena spent fourteen years as a project manager for a regional homebuilder in central Ohio. She knew the trades inside and out, but she was done with office politics and quarterly layoffs. A friend of a friend mentioned Hearthstone was looking for someone in the Columbus market, and Elena drove to Indianapolis to meet Russell Haines in person. She wanted to see if the “Keystone Standard” was real or just another slogan.
“Russell spent three hours with me,” Elena said. “Showed me how the level-2 camera inspection works, walked me through the K.E.Y.S. values code, explained why we use HeatShield for relining instead of whatever’s cheapest that week. No flash, no pressure. That sold me.”
Elena opened her territory in 2019. She runs three trucks now, hires local apprentices through the county vocational program, and sponsors the Westerville Fourth of July parade. “I’m not going anywhere,” she said. “My customers know it. That’s why they call.”
Rana K., Greenville, South Carolina
Rana came to Hearthstone after eight years as an HVAC technician in the Upstate. He’d built a solid reputation, but he was working for a company that kept changing ownership, each new group more interested in upselling than in doing the job right. When his wife saw a Hearthstone truck on a trip to Charlotte, she wrote down the number.
“The thing that got me was the 90-Day Done Right Promise,” Rana said. “In HVAC, I’d seen companies promise the moon and disappear. Here, it’s in writing. No arguing. If it’s not right, we come back. I wanted to be able to look a customer in the eye and mean what I said.”
Rana’s Greenville operation opened in 2021. He specializes in historic homes in the Augusta Road and North Main neighborhoods, where clay flue tiles from the 1920s need careful handling. “These houses have been here a hundred years,” he said. “We’re not the cheapest option, and we’re not trying to be. We’re the ones who’ll be here in thirty years when the next owner needs us.”
Javier M., Wichita, Kansas
Javier spent twenty-two years in the Army, retiring as a sergeant first class. He grew up in Dodge City, learned to weld from his father, and knew he wanted to work with his hands again. A fellow veteran in the Kansas Guard had opened a Hearthstone in Topeka and told Javier the franchise was serious about hiring veterans and training them properly.
“The military teaches you to do it right the first time,” Javier said. “Krafted right, Every time - that’s the K.E.Y.S. code. It clicked with me immediately. No shortcuts, no excuses.”
Javier launched in Wichita in 2020, right as homeowners were using their fireplaces more than ever. He leaned into the community angle hard: hiring local, sponsoring the Sedgwick County Fair, contributing to his church’s building fund. His technicians are background-checked and uniformed, and he answers the phone himself when the office line rings after hours. “A live person, 24/7,” he said. “That’s not a gimmick. That’s how you build trust in a town like this.”
Lisa T., Fort Wayne, Indiana
Lisa was a dental hygienist for nineteen years before a repetitive strain injury ended that career. She’d always been handy - grew up helping her father maintain their century-old home in the Lakeside neighborhood - and she started doing small repairs for neighbors on the side. When she learned Hearthstone was expanding into northeast Indiana, she was skeptical. A chimney sweep? Her?
“Russell didn’t try to turn me into something I’m not,” Lisa said. “He showed me the systems, the training, the supplier relationships with DuraFlex and Olympia Chimney. He made clear that I’d be learning a trade, not buying a turn-key fantasy. I respected that honesty.”
Lisa opened in 2022 and focuses on the older neighborhoods around Fort Wayne - Spy Run, Bloomingdale, the historic districts where masonry work requires actual skill, not caulk and hope. She’s become known for level-2 inspections that end with photos her customers can understand. “Documented like an engineer, explained like a craftsman,” she said. “That’s the Hearthstone way. I explain what I found, what it means, and what it’ll cost. No surprises on the bill.”
Lisa’s son, a recent high school graduate, is apprenticing with her. “The hearthstone is the stone the whole home gathered around,” she said. “That’s not just a name. That’s what we’re protecting for these families. I want my son to understand that.”
Your Story Starts Here
If you’re the kind of person who’d rather build something real than climb another corporate ladder, call us. A live person answers day or night at (844) 803-1545. We’ll send you the franchise information kit, no pressure, no obligation - just the facts, plain and direct. When you’re ready, we’ll be here.
Written by Russell Haines, Owner & Master Sweep, Hearthstone Chimney Co., serving local communities since 1984.