Reasonable and reliable are the cornerstones for Duane Cornett’s tree-care business and the motivation for naming his business R&R Tree Service.
“Those principles are what made my company as prosperous as it is,” Cornett says. “We do big tree removals, emergency removals, tree and hedge trimming and uprooting.”
In order to achieve business success, the Salem, Oregon entrepreneur has surrounded himself with a well-equipped and knowledgeable team; one that includes multiple mechanics dedicated to making sure stump grinders, brush chippers and trucks are properly maintained.
“Our equipment and our upkeep set us apart from the competition. We put the best equipment on the road and spare no expenses in doing so,” Cornett says.
R&R Tree Service has nine crews working for a variety of customers. The three-man crews are trained in-house on jobsite safety and proper care for equipment. Mandatory training keeps all crew members on the same page and is crucial when R&R needs all hands on deck for a project.
A road-widening project for the Oregon Department of Transportation was just such a project. Cornett bid on the tree-clearing portion of the $44 million project and was chosen to remove all the trees and install a temporary fence for the general contractor.
The full R&R crew set to work with a sizeable fleet of Vermeer machines in tow: two BC1800XL, three BC1200XL and two BC1000XL brush chippers, and one SC352 and one SC60TX stump cutter.
After trying a number of other machines over the years, Cornett’s preference remains with Vermeer.
“I like the crushing feature on some of the brush chippers. They are able to process the material quicker and can handle branches that are otherwise tough to handle. I really like the drum feature more than any disc-type feeder,” Cornett says. “I like the EcoIdle™ electronic control system in the BC1800XLs; it just runs smooth and it’s quieter.”
The large number of reliable machines was needed to process the vast amount of material at the jobsite, including blue spruces, willows, firs, pine trees, mimosas, and sequoias. An estimated 100 truckloads of chips needed to be shipped, at 10,000 pounds (4535.9 kg) per truck. The processed material was recycled locally, with a majority of the trucks unloading in nearby horse pastures.
The project also included the unique challenge of a 10 day timeframe for completing the job in order to comply with the Migratory Bird Act, which protects against interference with the migration of bird species. Another concern were nearby power lines, which meant Cornett needed line-certified employees on site to effectively work in the area.
Even with the unusual jobsite demands, R&R Tree Service was able to complete the job. Through the use of highly maintained equipment and highly trained employees, the company accomplished the task at hand — reliably and reasonably.