With cooler weather in recent weeks, many families find themselves congregating around the fireplace in the evenings. But for Clarksville native Mike Rainwater, fireplaces are more than a cozy meeting place in a home — they are his business.
Coastal Point • RYAN SAXTON
Mike Rainwater stands beside a fireplace in his Clarksville showroom. His company, CCI Fireplaces Ltd., has been heating homes since 2003.
Rainwater started in the business in 1997, when he was only 19, with a Berlin, Md., company, Fireplace Specialties.
“A friend had called me and asked if I could give him a hand breaking down a fireplace at a home show,” he said. “I hustled when I got in there, and the owner offered me a job.”
By October of 2003, with the arrival of his and wife Christie’s first child, Rainwater decided to branch off with his own business. When he first started, Rainwater’s experience was restricted to gas fireplace service work, using nothing but $40 worth of tools he had purchased.
“From there, I built it up to a full-fledged fireplace company,” he said. “It was tough starting out at the bottom, but now that it’s established, it’s a lot easier.”
Now, from gas (both unvented and direct-vent styles) to wood-burning and electric fireplaces, there’s virtually nothing that his company, CCI Fireplaces Ltd., can’t do for anyone trying to stay a little warmer in their home, or just wishing to add a little more style and comfort to a room.
Rainwater even builds custom mantles, although 80 percent of his work comes from retrofitting. Installation of a new fireplace takes only an hour or two, and replacing one entirely takes right around three hours.
“Most people don’t realize how quick the process is,” said Rainwater. “Usually, people spend more time deciding on the fireplace than the whole installation takes.”
A quick turnaround time seems to work best for Rainwater and his company, too.
“When you’re the owner, the installer, the service guy and the secretary,” he said, “you have got to keep on your toes. If you don’t, you’ll get backed up real fast. That’s a quality I’ve acquired. Nobody wants to be waiting a week for a fireplace that takes a few hours to set up.”
His showcase behind his Clarksville home offers a variety of designs and makes. The Napoleon 42-inch and 36-inch gas fireplaces are among the more popular styles that Rainwater can install. Slim designs are available, taking up less wall space in a room.
“We are the fastest-growing Napoleon company in the area,” he said. “They’re a real good quality, too.”
CCI can not only introduce a new fireplace to the home, but they can replace an existing one with a new style. “Some people want to switch from wood-burning to gas because they like the atmosphere it creates,” he said. “Others want something other than gas because they don’t want to continue paying a gas bill. We can switch whatever you want.”
In addition to the joy and fulfillment the trade brings him, Rainwater admitted that a big part of what he does is in loving support for his family. Although wife Christie can have her hands full just keeping an eye on their 3-and-a-half-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son, she also helps out with installations and retrofitting right on site.
CCI, Rainwater said, actually drew its name from her mannerisms, standing for “Crazy Christie Ingram.” Working together in the business has been nothing short of a joy for the two.
“I’ve taught her what she knows about fireplaces,” he said, “and now she’s got it down pat.” Although things may have been crazy at one point, the happy couple will celebrate their fourth year of marriage this March.
When you’ve been in a specific line of work for as long as Mike Rainwater has, the process itself becomes second nature, bringing with it gratification to each project he completes.
“I love the satisfaction of a job well done,” he said. “It comes naturally to me now. Repeat business is a big part of it, too. A lot of people I do work for call me up for additional jobs at their homes [outside of the area].”
Rainwater will even travel up to 200 miles away to customize a fireplace and ensure customer service. He’s even installed as many as nine fireplaces in a single home.
He may run an independent business, but Rainwater attributes much of his work to those with whom he works closely.
“CCI does work for all the big builders in the area,” he said. Two months ago, Rainwater teamed up with Mike McCarthy, who runs a stone business off Route 26, for assistance with stone fireplaces.
“I’ll frame it up, and he’ll have a blank palate to come in and work with. A lot of people in the area know him and like his work.”
The fireplace business is strong throughout the year, and Rainwater is sure to make the best of it. But, understandably, the fireplace business has its peak season during cooler weather.
“The strongest times are from September to May, but there’s still a good market year-round,” he noted. During the cooler months, he will turn around five jobs a week, while finishing off custom-built cabinetry for entertainment centers on weekends. At January’s midpoint, CCI had already sold 11 fireplaces for the month, a promising number for the new year.
“With development in the area, the potential for work is unlimited,” he said.
Residential projects are typically the norm for CCI, although he has worked in the past with restaurants and other owners. During a previous stint in a partnership business, Rainwater helped install the fireplace system in Millville’s Steakhouse 26.
Other local customers, such as Joan Gordon, are pleased with the work CCI provides.
“My husband and I had been considering a gas fireplace for about three years,” she said. The wood-burning one they had, although comforting, was getting to be too much work. “[Rainwater] was very knowledgeable. He inspires confidence and is very professional.”
With prompt arrival and proficient service, Gordon’s new fireplace was installed in three hours.
“It’s really nice to see someone so young out there with a strong, operational work ethic,” she said.
For more information about CCI Fireplaces, contact Mike or Christie Rainwater at (302) 249-2881 or (302) 539-0438.