On a beautiful spring morning in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, Jerred Walsh and his crew at Arbor Pro, LLC, find themselves on a scenic tree removal project on the banks of Pewaukee Lake.
“There are a lot of large, beautiful homes up here, and we’re lucky enough to get the opportunity to service them,” says Walsh, owner of Arbor Pro, LLC, based in Hartland, Wisconsin.
Walsh has worked in the tree care industry for more than 20 years, and he started his own company in 2004.
Today, Arbor Pro has four tree care workers, three certified arborists and two salespeople on staff to service Waukesha and Milwaukee counties. The company performs tree pruning, removals and stump grinding. In addition to its tree care services, Arbor Pro offers plant health care, including treatments, fertilization and soil amendments.
“If you want to say that you’re a tree care company, you need to provide care outside of just pruning,” says Walsh. “The current pest that everyone is familiar with is the emerald ash borer. It has definitely blanketed our entire area now — we’ve kind of seen it coming. We deal with a lot of tree diseases that have been around for years, like apple scab on crab apples and apple trees. We treat for a lot of different insect problems, like Zimmerman pine moths, and things that have been ongoing for many years.”
Proven performance
Walsh has been a loyal Vermeer customer for more than 12 years, and now he has a fleet of yellow brush chippers.
“My first chipper was an older Vermeer 1250,” says Walsh. “It was a good chipper to get me going, and I ran that for a few years. Then I stepped up to a Vermeer BC1000XL, which I bought brand new, and I added a BC1500 to the fleet in 2010. Now, we’re shortly — eagerly — anticipating the arrival of a BC1800XL.”
So what keeps Walsh coming back to Vermeer time and time again?
“The Vermeer equipment — the chippers and stump grinders — they have always been very dependable,” says Walsh. “We don’t take it easy on them; we use them the way they are meant to be used. We use them hard.”
Walsh says the decision to run yellow iron has helped Arbor Pro increase its productivity.
“The chippers and stump cutters — because they are good quality equipment — help us be more efficient on the job,” he explains. “With all the competition out there, the Vermeer equipment gives us an advantage. If we can be more efficient, it helps us keep our bids lower, which helps us retain more customers and obtain new customers. It’s really all about the efficiency and the reliability.”
Communication is key
In the competitive tree care market, little things can help contractors set themselves apart, which may mean the difference between a one-time and a repeat customer.
“We always try to have clean, professional-looking equipment,” says Walsh. “People like to see — in front of their house — a professional crew and professional equipment. We keep our staff well uniformed, try to keep things clean and make sure everyone has proper PPE.”
But image can only carry a business so far, and that’s where Walsh says good customer service comes in.
“Great communication is a simple thing that has been one of the keys to my success,” says Walsh. “I make sure I get back to my customers, and I have lots of ways for them to get ahold of me. We try to create a website that’s easy for people to navigate and get in touch with us so we can respond quickly.”
In addition to his customers, Walsh has also made it a priority to treat his employees well.
“Treat your employees with respect — don’t have them do something you wouldn’t do. Be safe. Be professional.”