Meet the Team - Ashby Chimney San Jose

Meet the San Jose Team Behind Ashby Chimney San Jose

Most chimney companies send whoever’s available. We don’t work that way. The crew at Ashby Chimney San Jose is small on purpose, four people who’ve spent years crawling through attics, running camera lines up flues, and standing on roofs across Santa Clara County. Nathan Corliss built this team around a simple idea: the person who shows up at your door should be the same person who can answer your questions, explain what the camera sees, and stand behind the work. No sales reps. No subcontractors. Just us.

Call (669) 266-5073

Our People

Nathan Corliss, Owner and Lead Technician

Nathan founded Ashby Chimney San Jose in 2002 after spending his early years in the trade learning what happens when chimney work is rushed or skipped entirely. He’s the one who answers the phone at odd hours, quotes the job himself, and still runs the camera on most inspections. Nathan grew up in the Bay Area and understands what coastal fog and valley heat do to mortar and flashing over time. He’s known for a dry observation or two about creosote buildup and a refusal to recommend work that doesn’t show up clearly on the camera. “If I can’t show you the problem,” he says, “there isn’t one.” Nathan’s the final word on every repair estimate and the reason the Kingswell Guarantee gets written into every job.

Marco R., Senior Installer

Marco has been installing and repairing chimney systems for over a decade, and he’s the person Nathan calls when a flue liner replacement turns complicated. He’s certified in HeatShield and DuraFlex installation and has rebuilt more fireboxes in San Jose’s older Eichler and rancher homes than he can count. Marco’s specialty is the tricky retrofit, the house where the original clay liner has cracked in a spot that isn’t easy to reach. He’s also the team’s code stickler, the guy who double-checks clearances and connector specs before anything gets buttoned up. On weekends, Marco restores old motorcycles and will absolutely talk your ear off about carburetors if you let him.

Leah S., Service Coordinator

Leah is the voice on the phone when you call Ashby Chimney San Jose, and she’s been with the company since 2016. She handles scheduling, walks homeowners through what to expect on service day, and makes sure the written price gets emailed before anyone rolls a truck. Leah grew up in the Rose Garden neighborhood and knows the streets, the traffic patterns, and exactly how long it takes to get from Willow Glen to Almaden Valley at 4 p.m. She’s the reason nobody waits until Monday for an answer, the phones are staffed around the clock, and every job gets logged with the details our techs need before they arrive. If you’ve ever called with a question about creosote and felt like you actually got a straight answer, that was probably Leah.

Devon T., Apprentice Technician

Devon joined the team two years ago as an apprentice and has already earned his place on every sweep and inspection run. He’s working toward his own installer certification and spends most days learning directly from Nathan and Marco, which means he’s being trained the slow, careful way rather than thrown into jobs he isn’t ready for. Devon handles a lot of the cleaning work, the roof access, and the setup and teardown that keeps your yard and living room clean while we work. He genuinely likes the physical challenge of the job and has been known to keep a running mental list of the best taquerias near every neighborhood we serve. Ask him about the one on Story Road.

One Standard, Every Job

Every Ashby location is independently owned and operated under the Kingswell Guarantee, which means our San Jose crew works to a standard we didn’t write and can’t lower. When we say we follow The Kingswell Way, it’s five things: say the price, show up in the window, leave it cleaner, put the guarantee in writing, and come back if it fails. Nathan has been holding the team to that since 2002. Marco doesn’t skip a step because the Kingswell Way is the whole point. Leah documents everything so there’s a record. Devon is learning to treat that standard as the baseline, not the ceiling. The result is consistent work across every job we touch in San Jose, and a promise that carries weight because it’s written down, every time.

Why the Team Matters

Chimney work isn’t a solo job done right. A proper sweep and inspection takes at least two people: one on the roof, one at the firebox, radios on, eyes on the flue from both ends. A liner repair takes a lead installer who’s done it a hundred times and an apprentice who’s learning to see what the lead sees. Our crew is built for that. When you book with Ashby Chimney San Jose, we send the people you just read about, uniformed and background-checked, and we put a written price in your hands before anything starts. We think that’s how it should work. Call (669) 266-5073 and you’ll get me or Leah on the line, not a machine.

Written by Nathan Corliss, Owner at Ashby Chimney San Jose, serving San Jose since 2002.