My men and I found Wooden Sun to be a pleasure to work with — very professional, and responsive to all our needs. They sell top quality products.
Meet Our Team
Honest, reliable, polite, neat…we expect a lot of our employees. Each has to be someone we look forward to seeing every day. Someone who is a welcome presence in our house, because they have to be a welcome presence in your house. However, our standards do not stop there. We are responsible for the warmth of fire in your house, and our team must have the ability, knowledge, and caring attitude needed to ensure your family’s enjoyment and safety. We don’t just hand over our truck keys, send a person out, and say “see what you can do.” The first step for a new hire is training while assisting one of our seasoned, certified techs. For a skilled new employee – with strong analytical, tool, and people skills – we can instill our ethic in a matter of months. For younger, less experienced helpers, teaching to our standards may take years.
Although we can get a pretty good handle on employees’ skills and knowledge by working with them, we also require that our installers and sweeps study for and gain the appropriate certifications. The key industry certifications come from the National Fireplace Institute (NFI) and the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA). The NFI offers certification in Wood, Gas, and Pellet installation. The course covers code requirements and best safety practices for planning, installing, and maintaining hearth systems. Passing a rigorous final exam is required to achieve certification. Taking additional classes annually is a requirement for maintaining certification. We are currently the only hearth dealer in Virginia with a Master Hearth Professional – one who has been certified in all three areas.
The CSIA offers a week-long, hands-on course with a final exam to achieve certification. The candidates learn sweeping and inspection of chimney systems, equipment operation, health and safety considerations, and they receive step-by-step instruction in codes, clearances, standards and practices. At the end, an exam ensures the new sweep deserves certification.
Our employees: another key component to help you “Bask in the Warmth.”
Learn More About Wooden Sun
Kim Kepchar
Owner, NFI-Certified Master Hearth Professional, CSIA-Certified Sweep
Kim has over 25 years of experience in the chimney business, and is one of only two certified Master Hearth Professionals (NFI certification in wood, gas, and pellet appliances) in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Becca Reed
Company Manager
When she’s not scheduling service calls or keeping the office organized (no small task!), Becca likes to spend her free time enjoying the great outdoors. Boats, adventures, and long walks on the beach — there’s certainly never a dull moment!
Joe Brown
Warehouse Manager
Joe keeps the Wooden Sun warehouse organized and makes sure the service and installation teams have everything they need, from chimney pipe to thermocouples and firebrick. In his free time, he enjoys running, gardening and other home projects, and spending time with his fabulous wife and 2 grandchildren.
Forrest Walker
CSIA-Certified Lead Sweep
When he’s not up on a roof, keeping things ship-shape in the showroom, or studying to become an engineer, Forrest can often be found exploring with friends, whether it’s an old abandoned factory or a fantasy world they’ve created.