TCIA Podcast

On this episode of the podcast, we are joined by fellow podcasters Joe Aiken and Korey Lofy to discuss finding your niche in the industry.

Joe and Korey are hosts of the Discovering Forestry Podcast.  Joe & Korey combine over 60 years of industry knowledge and experience and discuss some of the trends, concerns, and opportunities in the fields of forestry and arboriculture weekly on their show.

In this episode of the podcast, we sit down with Jason Showers, Director of Tree Care Products at Morbark, and discuss corporate membership with TCIA and how they fit in the tree care ecosystem.

Jason describes himself as a "fixer" - someone who enjoys taking on projects requiring intense focus, attention to detail and quickly learning the subject to become the subject matter expert. His process involves looking at everything from a jobs perspective, systematically breaking down the process, making a plan, and implementing the solution - all with the firm belief there are multiple solutions to every problem. The core of Jason's experience is in product management/development, design/process improvement, and sales management. Currently, Jason is the Corporate Member representative on the TCIA Board of Directors.

In this episode of the podcast, we sit down with Jeff Inman and discuss what kind of person should get into tree care.

Jeff Inman is a thinker, an arborist, and a climber to his core. More importantly, though, he is husband to Kelsey and father to Cedar and Lucille. He works for Truetimber Arborists based out of Richmond, VA as the Risk Manager and Truetimber Academy Director. Jeff's passion for tree climbing has allowed for a wild ride over the last decade. He has been making sawdust professionally since 2011 but discovered tree climbing competitions in 2013 which triggered a real passion to combine technical climbing with his quiet, yet competitive nature. He holds various certifications through the ISA and TCIA, most notably Climber Specialist, Certified Arborist, TRAQ, and CTSP. His passion in this industry has always been centered around climbing, learning, teaching, and growth. 

Our sponsor for this episode is PlanIt Geo.

In this episode of the podcast, we sit down with Aiden O'Brien, Director of the Tree Care Industry Association Foundation, and dive deeper into the Foundation's mission as well as how he hopes to support the industry going forward.

Aiden is the Director of the TCIA Foundation. Previously, he was TCIA's Advocacy and Standards Manager, managing TCIA's advocacy program and the A300 Standards committee. Aiden is excited to bring his experience in advocacy to a new challenge with the TCIA Foundation. He is eager to help grow the Foundation by increasing safety in the tree care industry through free workshops and other related programs.

Our sponsor for this episode is PlanIt Geo.

In this episode of the podcast, we sit down with Corey Parsons, President of Rogue Tree Solutions and John Lewis, Manager of Member Engagement for the Midwest Region, and discuss why company culture is a company wide phenomena.

Arboriculture has been a part of Corey's life since he was a little boy. His entire family has been rooted into the industry for many years. Corey followed his father's, uncles' and brothers' footsteps working for the largest utility line clearance company in the world and he realized that his future without a doubt would be in the Arboriculture industry. Corey is a Certified Arborist, receiving the proper licensing through the State of Ohio for Commercial herbicide application. He became very strong in proper safety practices to comply with OSHA rules and regulations, operations, bidding, recruiting/hiring and most importantly – learning how to become a strong leader. Being a Certified Arborist and a board member of the Ohio Chapter ISA gives him the knowledge and expertise to educate customers, municipalities, and fellow town members.

Our sponsor for this episode is PlanIt Geo.

Episode Summary

In this episode of the podcast, we sit down with Joe Cordova and Matt Gleason of ArborForce and discuss why education and safety go hand in hand.

Joe Cordova is the owner of ArborForce. He has been working in commercial forestry for 20 years.  In April of 2008, he went out on his own with the launch of ArborForce.  ArborForce will celebrate its 14th anniversary on April 16, 2022.  From a single-person company back then they have grown to a “family” team 29 people strong.  Joe is an ISA certified arborist and licensed as a commercial applicator through the Department of Agriculture, as well as holding many other licenses and certifications.

Matt Gleason, Is a project manager and safety coordinator at ArborForce. He has been working in commercial forestry for 4.5 years and has been in the industry for 6 years. Matt is an ISA Certified Arborist and holds a Class A CDL and other certs through the TCIA. Matt is married to his wife Samantha and they have a newborn baby girl! You can follow him on Instagram here.

You can check out the ArborForce Instagram page here.

Our sponsor for this episode is PlanIt Geo.

In this episode of the podcast, we sit down with Carolina Paredes of Beast Coast Tree Climbers and discuss why self-care is an absolute must in tree care.

Carolina Paredes is originally from Guayaquil, Ecuador. She holds certifications in Life, Nutrition, Health, and Fitness Coaching and owns Healthy Strong and Happy AF. She also owns Beast Coast Tree Climbers with her husband Almon Cox, and is working steadily towards her Arborist certification. Part of her life mission is to help people care about the way they feel and help people take better care of themselves so that they can be healthier, stronger, and happier. She is a happiness Specialist and loves to help people realize their potential for joy and love. She loves her life, her family, her work, her doggie, and loves to jump out of planes. She is a licensed skydiver and member of the United States Parachute Association.

To learn more and to find all of the handouts, please visit our website.

Our sponsor for this episode is PlanIt Geo.

In this episode of the podcast, we sit down with Josh Morin of We Love Trees, and discuss the value of the human relationship with trees, as well as his role on the TCIA Board of Directors.

Josh is married to Amy Morin and they have two young children Lyla 12 and Lucien 7 and they live in Niwot, Colorado. In 2020 he started his own tree care company, We Love Trees. We Love Trees is a small tree care company based in Niwot CO working to expand human relationships with trees while supporting healthy ecosystems. He also Chairs the Colorado Tree Care Sector Partnership and has been working to build up Registered Apprenticeship for Arborists in Colorado over the last 5 years. He is an instructor of Tree ID, Pruning, Tree Biology and the Transition to Journeyworker classes for the program and works to recruit other instructors.

Josh also helped to create the Boulder Tree Tender program that trains community members on proper tree planting and care to help support the Urban Forest in Boulder as part of the Boulder Tree Trust. Currently, Josh is interested in growing, changing, and adapting how we care for trees as Arborists, to be in alignment with and support healthy ecosystems in Colorado and around the country.

Our sponsor for this episode is PlanIt Geo.

In this episode of the podcast, we sit down with John Haehnel of Tree Tech Inc, and discuss the value of the CTSP Credential for both him and the company he works for.

John began working as a teenager with his uncle and father while learning tree work/equipment operation. He then joined the United States Marine Corps in 1991 and served four proud years in the Infantry until 1995. After leaving the Marine Corps, John found himself wanting to return to tree work and operating machinery. His path brought him to Tree Tech, where he has spent many years gaining experience working in the field in just about all areas of the industry. He began on the ground and worked diligently to improve his skills to progress through the ranks. His skills include groundman, climber, bucket operator, equipment operation, utility line clearance, and crane operator.  Approximately four years ago, John accepted the role of Director of Safety and Training at Tree Tech. With that role, he has brought forth many years of knowledge and experience from his time on-the-job, as well as from his CTSP continuing education.

Our sponsor for this episode is PlanIt Geo.

In this episode, we celebrate Women in Tree Care Month with Amy Burkett and talk about running a business, work-life balance, and her commitment to furthering safety in the industry.

Amy is President and CEO of Burkett Arbor Care, a full-service tree care company out of Boerne, Texas. She obtained a B.B.A. in Finance and Marketing from Texas Tech University. She currently serves as At-Large Director on the Tree Care Industry Association Board of Directors, Treasurer of San Antonio Arborist Association, and Publicity and Outreach Committee Chair for ISA Texas Chapter. But most importantly, Amy is a proud wife and mother of two children.

We are now accepting nominations for the TCIA Board of Directors! To learn more about the process, and to apply to the Board, please visit elections.tcia.org!

Our sponsor for this episode is COPMA.