Who is Estoban? What is a Chim-Scan® Camera?

Esther and Tom Urban Caricature.

​Driving down a little highway amidst the rolling fields of corn and soybeans outside of Fairfield, Iowa, you might think of the movie “Field of Dreams.” You might be surprised to learn that a specialized, high-tech manufacturing facility is nestled amidst some pine trees with cows grazing in the fields just off the highway. What looks like a fancy, big red machine shed houses the manufacturing operation that built the first chimney camera in the world. As you move around the corner, you see a building attached to it that houses the office, with many lovely windows and an inviting porch. Next to it sits the home of the first man and the first woman to scan a chimney with a camera worldwide. But let’s start at the beginning.
Tom Urban met his wife Esther while he was working on a dairy farm in 1975, and they were married a year later, in 1976, after Tom graduated from college with a degree in Dairy Sciences. Being an adventurous couple, they set off to Swaziland, Africa, for a stint in the Peace Corps (who does that?). When they returned, they saw an ad and decided to open a chimney-sweeping business.
They swept chimneys and encountered glazed flues and flues damaged by chimney fires. They searched for a source of chimney liner pipe and began relining the damaged flues. “There weren’t any commercial liners available for chimney sweeps,” notes Esther. “We had to go to Chicago to buy liner!” Tom learned about wrapping a liner with a ceramic blanket from the Chicago Manufacturer, although it was not used for chimney liner applications. “I brought the concept of wrapping stainless liner with a ceramic blanket to our industry,” Tom states proudly.
Tom partnered up with an insurance adjustor with a masonry background and began to see the need for a better way to observe chimney interiors. In 1983, at the National Chimney Sweep Guild Show, he talked to other sweeps about his concern that they may not see all interior flue defects with a flashlight, but most sweeps thought they were catching everything. Tom recalls, “I’m thinking, I’ve got 20-20 vision, but I know I’m missing things! Coming out of the convention, crossing the bridge out of St. Louis, I vowed to have a chimney camera system before the next convention!”
After a year of research, Tom finalized a black-and-white chimney camera and monitor system. With the technology of the times, a system the size of a footlocker with wheels was required to move it in and out of the customer's home. In 1984, at the NCSG convention in Washington DC – Chim-Scan® was shown for the first time to a national audience. It was pronounced a showstopper by CNN News Channel, and many thought Tom was nuts for sticking a camera in a chimney, but time has shown he's an innovator.
Estoban stays current on new technology, but with the rise of disposable technology, they have become even pickier about what they put in their equipment. They only buy and work with commercial electronics, which tend to move slightly slower than consumer electronics. They use Commercial because it has to workday after day, with the option of repair. Shelley explained, "One would never trust a sewer company if they showed up with a teeny tiny camera hooked up to their phone. That stuff is cool and cheap but cannot withstand everyday abuse." For those who might not know, Estoban repairs and upgrades Chim-Scan® Units as long as the parts are available. Currently, they can upgrade most units built since 2010.
When you look at a Chim-Scan®, you are looking at a controller that Alicia or Shelley wired, a Case that Tom or other staff built, a reeler that Esther or Therese wired, and a camera that Tom or another employee built. Alicia and Shelley are small component assemblers who help keep the rest going.
In 2016, a new addition, or backroom, was added. The latest addition starts with a 9 ft ceiling and then jumps to a 16 ft ceiling, allowing us to build a mezzanine. The Back half of the 'Backroom' is Tom's Chimney Lab. There is a masonry fireplace, prefab insert, and a masonry thimble chimney; the mezzanine allows roof access to these chimneys just by climbing a set of stairs. Watching their videos, you'll see the Lab; they use it daily to test repairs, new units, and new products.
New technology has been implemented into the manufacturing operation, such as 3D printers, which are now used to print the stabilizers for the cameras, freeing up the CNC machines. This also allows continual parts improvements, and there is no waiting on parts, which some manufacturers had to do in 2020 and 2021. Shelly creates the 3D drawings and designs all 3D printed parts on her computer.
Tom's favorite tools are his four CNC machines; they have sped up production 100-fold. Parts are constructed in-house for the Chim-Scan® Units. Tom shares these tasks with other employees.
As stated before, Estoban also repairs the equipment it builds; this involves the oldest employee, Marvin, who does 80% of the repairs and many of the upgrades. Ray is the shipping and receiving guy. Every package that comes in gets unpacked and photographed by Ray, who then cleans it within an inch of its life and hands it over to Marvin. Esther, Alicia, and Tom pick up the other 20%. Once a Repair or Upgrade is complete, it gets reviewed, tested, and tested again by Ray or whoever is free. It is then cleaned again (as fine soot is worse than glitter to get rid of), photographed, boxed up, and shipped out.
Once new units are complete, they 'sit' for 8 hours, being turned on and off, running for a few minutes to hours, are taken to the Lab, and run up the chimneys to test every part of the unit. They are then photographed, packed, and shipped so we can see what they're talking about when a customer calls.
Some may ask, with the listed jobs above, who answers the phone? Shelley and Esther are the voices of Estoban; they cover customer service, sales, and tech support.
Estoban also has the benefit of being a pet-friendly workplace. If you stop by for a visit, you receive a greeting by the little booming voice of Bella the Wheaten terrier, and the dismissive glance of Binx, the cat, aka Inspector 12. Solomon and Bella oversee internal security, employee well-being, and occasional photo shoots. Max oversees everyone's work, sending random emails (touch screen computers) and the rare photoshoot.
Speaking of the past, you may ask, What about the future? Shelley will run Estoban if Tom and Esther retire.
She has grown up in the business and currently wears a lot of hats:

• She can build a camera and monitor system starting at zero.
• She troubleshoots camera issues.
• She designs all 3D printed parts on her computer and then tests and evaluates them.
• She manages all of the marketing at Estoban, including being the webmaster.
• She can step into any position within the company at any time to fill in as needed.
• She is a key decision-maker along with Tom and Esther.

Shelley is set to maintain the Chim-Scan® standard of excellence and keep growing the business along with leading-edge manufacturing concepts and the latest technology. Will Tom and Esther retire? They may eventually take more time off with shortened hours to fit in more recumbent bicycle rides or time off to hit some “bucket list” items, but they will likely continue to work in the business because when you love what you do, it’s not work. It’s a passion.

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Tom, Esther, and Shelley Urban