Business Spotlight: ArborCare of the Ozarks

Kevin Harrel was a struggling college student when he took a part-time job working for a local tree service company. Harrel planned to become a teacher, but he loved his part-time job so much it quickly evolved into a full-time career. Before long, he began taking the classes needed to become a certified arborist.

"Anyone can technically be called an arborist," he said. "To be a certified arborist, though, you must have at least three years field experience and pass a rigorous exam administered by the International Society of Arboriculture. You also have to complete 20 continuing education credits every three years."

Harrel decided to go into business for himself in 1997, and he founded ArborCare of the Ozarks. Initially, he was the company's sole employee. A year later his wife, Sandy, began working alongside him, answering the phone, scheduling appointments and handling the company's bookkeeping.

More than 40 tree service companies do business in the Springfield area. However, Harrel said ArborCare of the Ozarks is only one of a dozen companies that employ a certified arborist.

"Having that certification gives credibility to your work," he said. "I won't do something to a tree simply to make money."

Through ArborCare of the Ozarks, Harrel is able to offer a variety of services to clients, including selecting and planting trees and shrubs to accent a particular landscape, identifying and treating insect and disease problems, caring for mature trees, performing plant health care, removing tree stumps, pruning, restoring damaged trees and preventing tree damage. The company also provides an array of consulting services, including landscape evaluations, estimating, tree evaluations and risk assessments. Indeed, many people have a hard time determining if a tree poses a threat to a home or building.

"I do a lot of risk assessment work," he said. "There's a fine art and science to determining what should be done."

Like many seasonal businesses, ArborCare of the Ozarks faces fluctuations in volume.

This spring, for example, Harrell and the company's three full-time employees were in demand following a series of severe storms that damaged or downed trees throughout the area.

"Believe it or not, I do more preventative maintenance and risk assessment work after a big storm," said Harrel. "That's because the person across the street has just seen what happened to his neighbor's home when a tree fell on it, and he suddenly realizes that could have happened to him."

Much of the work performed by ArborCare of the Ozarks focuses on routine plant care, which helps a tree defend itself against insects, diseases and other problems. The company also does a lot of maintenance work, including pruning or removing dead tree branches.

Harrel assesses each tree to see what care and maintenance work is required. For example, three trees in one homeowner's yard might require totally different treatment plans. One tree might need cabling or bracing to support heavy branches. Another tree might need to have some dead branches removed, and the third tree might need to be sprayed for insects. However, Harrel said he doesn't use pesticides unless they are needed.

"We don't do what I call blanket spraying' where you just come in and spray everything," he said. "We monitor each tree on the property, and we only spray if the situation calls for it."

Approximately 40 percent of ArborCare's business comes from commercial clients such as property management companies, landscaping companies, hospitals and retirement communities. Residential customers account for the remainder of the company's work.

Most work takes place in Springfield or Branson. However, Harrel said his customer base extends throughout southwest Missouri and northern Arkansas.

The company's three full-time employees, who have a combined total of 23 years of experience in the industry, are preparing to take the test to become certified arborists.

ArborCare of the Ozarks' commitment to excellence extends to its founder as well. In 2001, Harrel received the ISA's Award of Merit, the highest award presented to ISA members, for outstanding meritorious service in advancing the principles, ideals, and practices of arboriculture. This year, he received the ISA's Gold Leaf Award for outstanding Arbor Day Activities.

In addition, Harrel is the chairperson of the Southwest Region Anti-Tree Topping Campaign, which is being conducted by the Department of Conservation and U.S. Forest Service.

Tree topping, the severe cutting or heading back of major structural limbs in the tree, has become a common practice in the Ozarks in recent years.

"A top job is devastating to a tree," said Harrel. "No responsible tree service will do it."

The Harrels are focused on expanding ArborCare of the Ozarks. During the coming year, they plan to offer more tree consulting services, hire several more employees, add a new crew and expand their customer base.

"We're a very fast-growing company right now," said Harrel. "On average, we've doubled our revenue every year since we've been in business."