“The stump grinders have come a long way since I first bought my Vermeer 630 back in 1984,” Rod Boley says.
He would know. Not unlike the Vermeer stump cutter product line, Rod has also come a long way in the 32 years since he founded Boley Tree & Landscape Care, Inc (Boley TLC).
When Boley TLC was founded in 1984, it primarily focused on landscape maintenance and tree pruning. Since then, the company has expanded its services and now offers tree removal, stump grinding, landscape management and snow removal.
Like his company, Rod has continued to grow throughout his career. In 1991, he became a certified arborist, and he is constantly looking for ways to set Boley TLC apart from other tree care companies.
In addition to working with his clients and trees, Rod says the freedom of running his own business is what drew him to the tree care market.
“I like being independent,” he says. “I enjoy being my own boss.”
Crews, equipment for every challenge
The company’s crew members support Rod in his mission to rise above the competition. Boley TLC has three tree pruning and removal crews, a shrub pruning crew and a stump removal crew. Additionally, Boley TLC has three landscape enhancement crews, five mowing crews and three dedicated plant health care technicians.
Having plant health care specialists on staff has been especially helpful in recent years. Boley TLC is often called on to remove trees that have been infested with the emerald ash borer. In addition to clearing away the afflicted trees, the company’s plant health care technicians are out in the field preventatively treating trees against the emerald ash borer.
“I think that’s unique — not only can we do the tree removal and the tree pruning, but we can also do the treatments,” says Rod. “The client only has to work with one company.”
The Boley TLC tree care crews run an all-Vermeer fleet that includes three BC1500 brush chippers, an SC852 stump cutter and an SC352 stump cutter. Rod appreciates the reliability of the equipment and its ability to handle tough jobs.
“We find that the Vermeer equipment is very well built and they are very dependable, so we’re able to keep our crews working,” says Rod.
If a machine does have an issue or if he needs to add to his fleet, Rod knows his Vermeer dealership will be ready to take his call.
“The Vermeer Wisconsin staff is very helpful,” he says. “When I’m looking for specific types of equipment, I have questions and they are able to answer them.”
That support has given Rod confidence in Vermeer throughout the years and in his future plans for Boley TLC.
“I haven’t had any reason to look anywhere else because I’m 100 percent satisfied in that regard,” he says. “The equipment works well. It doesn’t fail me.”
Labor needs
Even with good equipment and dealer support, running a tree care company in today’s market is not without its obstacles.
“The biggest challenge is labor,” says Rod. “It’s a tight labor market, and with the explosion of tree services and landscape companies the labor pool has shrunk.”
Boley TLC hires in a variety of ways. The company trains employees from the ground up through weekly training meetings and safety meetings. Rod says a lot of crew members are able to learn a great deal on the job. Technical schools have been another hiring resource for the company. All that aside, Rod has a pretty simple hiring methodology.
“Mostly, we just look for people that will work hard and have a knack for doing tree work,” he says.
Informed clients are happy clients
Employees, equipment, support. All of that is important, but what’s even more essential to running a successful tree care company, according to Rod, is communication.
“I think what’s worked well for us is client communication,” he says. “The key to success is being in constant contact with your clients.”
Rod suggests being prompt in your communication — return emails and phone calls in a timely fashion, and let clients know if you’re going to be even a few minutes late to a job. An open line of communication will put clients at ease and keep them happy, which Rod thinks is most important.
“A happy client is going to refer you and hire you back.”