Meet the Team - Kindling Chimney Tampa

Meet the Tampa Team Behind Kindling Chimney Tampa

Most chimney companies in Tampa send whoever’s available. We don’t. Every technician who walks through your door works under Danny Cortes, follows the same training, and answers to the same standard: the 365-Day Done Right Promise. Our crew is small on purpose. It means we know each other’s work, we know our customers by name, and nobody gets lost in a dispatch queue. These are the people who’ll actually be in your home, putting down shoe covers before anything else.

Call (850) 290-0897

Our People

Marcus T. – Lead Technician

Marcus has been sweeping chimneys in the Tampa Bay area for over a decade, and he’s seen just about everything a Florida fireplace can throw at him. He holds his CSIA certification and specializes in creosote removal from older masonry chimneys, the kind you’ll find all through Seminole Heights and Hyde Park. Marcus is the guy who walks a homeowner through camera footage and explains what actually needs attention versus what can wait another season. He’s also the crew’s unofficial weather watcher, and he’ll happily tell you that Tampa’s mild winters are great for the beach and terrible for reminding anyone to schedule a chimney cleaning. On weekends, he’s out on the water with his two sons.

Elena R. – Senior Installer

Elena joined Kindling Chimney Tampa after years running repair and relining jobs across central Florida. Her specialty is stainless steel liner installation, and she’s certified to work with DuraFlex, HeatShield, and Olympia Chimney systems. When a repair calls for metal work, Elena handles the fabrication and fit so the liner seats correctly the first time. That’s the difference between a patch job and a repair that lasts. She’s also fluent in Spanish and often helps walk Tampa homeowners through the process when English isn’t their first language. Elena keeps container gardens on her apartment balcony, though she admits the Tampa summer heat wins more rounds than she does.

James W. – Service Coordinator

James is the person you’ll likely speak with when you call (850) 290-0897. He’s been coordinating chimney service in Florida since Cedarwell’s early days, which means he can tell you within a minute or two whether your situation needs a standard sweep, a Level 2 inspection, or a repair visit from Marcus or Elena. James is the reason jobs get scheduled without double-booking and why you’ll always get a courtesy reminder before we arrive. He’s a Tampa native who knows the neighborhoods well, and he’ll ask about your fireplace setup in a way that doesn’t feel like a script. Outside of work, James coaches youth basketball at a rec center in Town ‘N Country.

Daniel S. – Apprentice Technician

Daniel is the newest member of the team, training under Marcus and Elena on every service call. He joined Kindling Chimney Tampa after completing his chimney service training, and he’s currently working toward his CSIA certification while learning the full sweep and inspection process in real homes. Daniel handles the detail work on every job: laying drop cloths, protecting furniture placement, and making sure the photo of the clean-up is taken before the crew leaves. He’s also the one who double-checks that we’re using pet-safe products where there is a choice, since a lot of Tampa families ask about their dogs and cats. Daniel is a competitive cyclist, which he says keeps him sharp for ladder work and attic access.

One Standard, Every Job

The crew in Tampa doesn’t work off a franchise playbook. Each Kindling Chimney location is independently owned and operated, and Danny sets the bar for what happens in the field. That bar is written into two things. First, the Cedarwell Care Promise: shoe covers and drop cloths go down on arrival, nothing is moved without asking, a written price is delivered before any work starts, and a photo of the clean-up is taken before the crew leaves. Second, the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the work isn’t right, Kindling makes it right. No fine print, no runaround. Every technician on this page follows the C.A.R.E. values on every visit, whether it’s a quick sweep in Carrollwood or a full fireplace repair in Ybor City. Nobody gets to skip the process because it’s a small job or a busy week. That consistency is why Tampa homeowners trust the same crew year after year.

Written by Danny Cortes, Owner at Kindling Chimney Tampa, serving Tampa since 2003.