Don McAllister started in the tree care business to make a little extra money while working full time for a metal company.
Now, 28 years later, he runs McAllister Tree Service, a northeast Georgia company with 11 crews and a strong client base of residential and commercial accounts that focuses on tree removal, trimming and risk assessments.
McAllister says this success stems from fostering a company culture that emphasizes having high moral standards, strong work ethic and integrity.
“By far most of our business comes from word of mouth, not advertising, so we are depending on these characteristics to generate our future business,” says McAllister, a certified arborist, utility specialist and climber specialist.
One example of how those values have helped the company grow is the commercial work it’s getting with electric membership corporations, which are a type of utility cooperative sometimes called EMCs. McAllister Tree Service maintains the rights of way for about 9,000 miles (14,484 km) of power lines for two EMCs, and its annual contracts keep getting not only renewed but also expanded.
“They’re very pleased, and we’ve replaced numerous other contractors because of our production,” McAllister says. “We are so much more productive that the EMCs have less people working on maintenance now because they’re getting more mileage from us.”
McAllister also knows the power of production within his own operation. A few years ago he switched to Vermeer brush chippers. McAllister Tree Service now has one BC1800XL, three BC1500s and five BC1000XL brush chippers.
Each of the brush chippers can chip up to twice as much per day as any of the brands the company previously used. And McAllister estimates that one brush chipper reduces his labor needs by one or two employees. That adds up fast when you consider that one of his entry level employees costs about $40,000 a year. He says finding employees who will work hard and want to learn is one of his biggest challenges.
“If I was running the brand of brush chipper that I was running before, I would have to hire about nine more people to have the same production, if I could meet the production,” McAllister says.
McAllister also said he can count on his Vermeer equipment to be durable and, when service is needed, for his local dealer to complete the job quickly.
He returns to those principles that have made McAllister Tree Service a thriving business: high morals, strong work ethic and integrity.
“By partnering with Vermeer, we know we are using equipment from a company that shares those same values and has a commitment to excellence,” he says.
This article contains third-party observations and experiences, which may vary. Opinions expressed by third parties do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Vermeer Corporation, its dealers or its affiliates.