Three brothers, one chimney crew
Rick Lee started sweeping chimneys in 2007. His brothers Jack and Andy joined him, and the three of them have run Zenith out of Geneva ever since. That is the whole company.
- Rick, Jack and Andy Lee
- 19 years in the trade
- Insured & Bonded
- Based in Geneva, IL
Smoke coming into the room, flames or roaring in the flue, or a carbon monoxide alarm sounding? Get everyone out and call the fire service first, then call us. We put these calls to the front of the queue.
Who you actually get
When you ring Zenith, one of three people answers, and that person will be on your roof. There is no dispatcher, no call centre and no commission-paid salesman who never touches a chimney.
Rick Lee is the owner and runs the crew. Nineteen years in the trade, most of it in Kane County, and he still does the camera inspections himself because that is where the judgement calls are.
Jack Lee does most of the masonry — crowns, tuckpointing, rebuilds, flashing. He is the one who will tell you a repair can wait a season when it can.
Andy Lee handles the sweeping and vent side, and the gas appliance service. He is usually the one who finds the thing nobody was looking for.
How we work
We work to NFPA 211. NFPA 211 is the National Fire Protection Association’s Standard for Chimneys, Fireplaces, Vents, and Solid Fuel–Burning Appliances. It defines the inspection levels, sets the annual interval, and specifies the liner and clearance requirements. It is the reference behind what we recommend, and we will point you to it rather than ask you to take our word.
We look before we quote. Nothing gets priced from a phone description. We put a camera up the flue, photograph what is there, and show you the screen. If the chimney is fine, we say so.
We publish our prices. Every service has a starting price on the pricing page, and those numbers sit below the going rate for the western suburbs. Repair work gets quoted after an inspection, because pricing masonry blind is guesswork.
We sort by urgency. The written findings you get are split into what is a safety problem now and what can reasonably wait. Most findings can wait, and we would rather tell you that than manufacture a winter emergency.
We do not upsell certifications we do not hold. We are insured and bonded and we will show you the paperwork. We are not going to print a badge on a van and hope you do not check it.
Where we work
Geneva is home. From here we cover fifteen towns across Kane County and western DuPage — St. Charles and Batavia either side of us, out west to Elburn and Sugar Grove, north to Elgin and South Elgin, and east through West Chicago and Winfield to Wheaton and Carol Stream.
That radius is deliberate. It is close enough that we can be at an emergency the same day, and small enough that we know the housing. The Fox Valley is not one kind of building — a Victorian stack in Elgin, limestone in Batavia, a prefabricated chase in Carol Stream and a farmhouse flue past Elburn are four different jobs, and we have done all four this month.
About the business
How long have you been doing this?
Rick started in 2007, so 19 years. His brothers have worked alongside him for most of that.
Is Zenith really just three people?
Yes. Rick, Jack and Andy. That is a deliberate size — it means the person who quotes your job is the person who does it.
Are you insured?
Insured and bonded, on every job. Ask and we will show you the certificate before anyone gets on your roof.
Do you hold trade certifications?
We will tell you exactly what we hold if you ask, and we will not claim anything we do not. What we would suggest checking on any company is insurance, a verifiable local address, and whether they can explain their findings in language that makes sense.
Do you subcontract any of the work?
No. The masonry, the roof work and the sweeping are all done by the three of us.
What area are you based in?
Geneva, Illinois — 602 Commons Dr. The full service area runs across Kane County and western DuPage.
Why should I trust your inspection over another company?
Because you see the camera footage yourself and keep the photographs. You do not have to take our word for what is up there.
What happens if a repair goes wrong?
You call us and we come back. Being a three-person local business means we cannot afford to leave a job unfinished — we live in the same towns as our customers.
Written by Rick Lee, owner of Zenith Chimney Service, Geneva IL. Published September 4, 2026 · Last updated September 22, 2026.
Top local service provider for chimney sweeping, inspection, and repair, Zenith Chimney Service serves homeowners across the communities we cover with careful, code-conscious workmanship.