Black Goose Chimney and Duct was started in 1984 by Jim Suttie and Peg Apka. Originally, Black Goose only inspected and cleaned chimneys serving wood and oil appliances. Today, Black Goose is a full-service chimney company. We service all flues; wood, oil, and gas. This includes inspections, sweeping, repairing, rebuilding, and relining of these flues. We also install stoves and fireplaces and sell a variety of chimney and fireplace accessories. Another service that we provide, is the cleaning of residential and commercial air duct systems and dryer vents.
Black Goose’s primary objective is to provide the most complete chimney, air duct, and dryer vent service in this area.
Over the years, people used what they had to clean chimneys. They didn’t have the modern brushes, vacuums or tools we now have.
The old Irish chimney sweeps used a live goose to clean a chimney. They tied a rope around his neck and tossed him down the chimney. (Chimneys back then were much larger than they are today!) The goose flew back up the chimney knocking the soot off the walls of the chimney. By the time he got to the top of the chimney, he was fairly soot-covered.
The saying was, “The blacker the bird, the cleaner the chimney!”
Peg suggested our company name. We saw an old poster showing an Irish chimney sweep holding a goose. After we had been in business for a few years, we were told by an old Hungarian lady that when she was a youngster, they used a “very durable” goose wing for a hearth broom!
That durability has helped us. We have served the Twin Ports, Ne MN and NW WI since 1984!
Synergy is the concept that when we all work together, the end result is greater than if each of us works independently. There is a great deal to be learned from the teamwork shown in Lessons From the Geese.
Fact 1
As each goose flaps its wings, it creates an “uplift” for the next bird. Flying in a ‘V’, the whole flock adds 71% more flying range than if each bird flew alone.
Lesson: People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the ‘thrust’ of one another.
Fact 2
Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of flying alone. It quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the ‘lifting’ power of the bird immediately in front.
Lesson: If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those who are headed where we want to go.
Fact 3
When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies up to the point position.
Lesson: It pays to take turns doing the harder tasks and share leadership. People, as with geese, are interdependent with each other.
Fact 4
The geese in formation honk from behind to encourage those in front to keep up their speed.
Lesson: We need to make sure our ‘honking’ is encouraging, not something less helpful.
Fact 5
When a goose is sick, wounded, or shot down, two geese drop out of formation to follow him down to help and protect him. They stay with him until he is either able to fly again or dies. Then they launch out on their own with another formation or catch up with their flock.
Lesson: If we have as much sense as the geese we will stand together.
