Austin came from a ski racing background and realized there was an opportunity to bring action sports safety technology to the construction industry. The helmets that they have developed are ANSI type 2 rated and are made with Koroyd which are superior from an impact perspective and breathability. They even have a helmet with a NFC chip which can store your medical profile or any other pertinent information.

Brandon got his start in the Texas oil fields and transitioned over to trees after seeing what his mom was charged for some tree work. He started his YouTube learning and never looked back. His son, Hunter, started working in trees right out of high school. He had tired a bit of construction before and decided tree work was more his thing. His first job was doing line clearance!

Justin was born in  Oxford, Ohio. He went to college for Homeland Security and Terrorism and participated in the National Guard for 6 years. Out of college he worked cyber security and IT but wasn’t feeling fulfilled and missed the outdoors. He had a neighbor with a White Pine that he needed taken down so Justin started learning about tree removals via YouTube. He continued working full time in cyber security while doing side tree work. He finally decided to get a truck and dump trailer and leave his full time job for the world of tree work.

Work Safety Territory Manager for Edelrid, Josiah Georgeson, joins us in the studio to share his story about leaving school for biomedical engineering and getting into tree work. He started as a groundsman and decided he’d “rather be the pitcher than the guy in the outfield” and got into climbing. He pushed through his fear of heights and continues to climb and pursue his passion for gear and training.

Teufelberger ambassador Jacque Fink shares with us her story of working through her fear of heights and running her own LLC called Integrity Tree Care.

Todd and Jesse are hosting the second annual Rec The River event  July 11-14 on the New River in Ivanhoe, VA. They are combining their passions for river rafting and tree climbing into 4 days of learning unique skills, conversing with peers, floating the river and relaxation. Check it out on Facebook - Rec the River Group or https://www.treepeoplegear.com/rec-the-river.

David gives us some history on how he developed Branch Manager Grapples while his granddaughter Grace shares about her nonprofit which facilitates emotional support clubs that write letters of love to pediatric patients worldwide.

Eric explains his 5 key considerations when considering insurance coverage.

1 - What equipment do you own?

2 - What vehicles do you use?

3 - People that work for you: employees and/or contractors.

4 - What happen if you injure someone else?

5 - What happen if you injure yourself?

Carol is an entrepreneur who has worked as the Director of Media and Events at TCIA, owns and operates an event planning business as well as the tree care focused business incubator Arbor BC. Arbor BC is a women’s owned company that helps put businesses on the right path to grow within the tree care industry.

After retiring from his military and firefighting careers Zach started exploring tree work. He quickly realized how much he had to learn and started searching for training resources. After a climbing injury he became determined to teach aerial rescue to other climbers and rescue personnel.