Today we’d like to introduce you to Grant Crowell.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Grant. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Back in 2010, when I was disenchanted with my employer, I decided that I would go out on my own and start my own tree service business (I am a Certified Arborist.) I told my newly-wed wife who was also 1 month pregnant that I would probably have to do the tree trimming myself for the first 5 years, but after that, I could do the management and sales. I bought a trailer to pull behind my pickup truck and bought a few saws and other tools that a tree climber needs. I worked for friends and family for a little and did my best to keep my promise to my wife. Well, things went WAY faster than I had expected! I only spent about 6 months on the truck with the crew before I had to go full time into sales. After about a year, I had hired my second salesperson, and the growth didn’t stop until we had about 25 employees! We have kept that size now for about three years. We are expanding this year into Austin, San Antonio and DFW with a superb management team in place. I spend most of my time planning and strategizing about the future. I have the BEST team in the state, I am convinced.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
In the early days, we had to purchased used equipment. That saved our very precious cash, but it also meant that I had to be a mechanic half of the day and an arborist on the other half. I remember I would pack two sets of clothes to work every day and change when I was needing to see a client and then change back when a crew was broken down. The office was just a boat storage place that the owner let us operate out of, and I bought a cheapo canvas tent to stuffed a window unit air conditioner in a hole that I cut to cool me off while typing up estimates. It was crazy! Looking back on it now, I can’t imagine doing it that way again, but you just have such a passion for your business when you’re starting out that you’ll make wacky sacrifices.
The Urban Foresters – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We are a tree service business, so that means that we do tree trimming, dangerous tree removals, stump grinding and fertilization work. The thing that really sets us apart though is what we believe. We believe that The Urban Foresters exists to make the people who work here more whole, more human, at work. We spend SO MUCH TIME at work, and I think that the time spent should make you a better person, not just a richer one. We accomplish this by exemplifying three core values: Charity | Fortitude | Humility. We hire and fire based on these values and the whole team is down with how we role. Even our customers like it because they know that lots of people can trim a tree, but working with us, they know that the staff and management here really stand for something.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I define success as the employees of the company doing what they are best at every day. 100% engagement. I know that might sound weird, but we really care about engagement at work. Engaged employees treat customers better, they do better quality work; they care. If every single one of my employees answered that they were 100% engaged in their job, I would define that as success. Margins, quality work, notoriety and anything else that people care about will come along with a fantastic workforce.
Contact Info:
- Address: 16107 Kensington Drive #139
Sugar Land, Texas 77479 - Website: www.theurbanforesters.com
- Phone: 855-255-5212
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheUrbanForesters/
- Other: www.youtube.com/TheUrbanForesters
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