WICHITA — A part-time job that turned into a career is now Bart Ogden’s ticket to the White House.
He’ll be put to work when he gets there, though.
Ogden co-owns Home Safe Hearth and Chimney and has been selected to be part of a small team of volunteers to clean and inspect the more than 20 fireplaces and chimneys at the White House next month.
“It’s a pretty elite team that gets to go,” Ogden says.
He started in the business in 1979 as a way to make money while going to college. Ogden has a degree in radio, TV and film with minors in business administration and business management.
“I was always expecting to do something in business . . . but for sure didn’t look at doing this.”
He tried radio news but didn’t like it. When the opportunity came up for Ogden to buy Home Safe Hearth and Chimney, he took it.
Through the years, he’s been active in local charities and served on a number of committees and task forces with the National Chimney Sweep Guild and the Chimney Safety Institute of America. It’s part of what led to him being selected for the White House team.
Ogden is thrilled to help.
“As mundane as chimney sweeping sounds, when you’re in perhaps the Lincoln Bedroom or perhaps the Oval Office, there’s not many . . . people that actually even get to be in that room,” Ogden says.
“For us, it’s a big deal.”