We realized we would be remiss if we didn't take some time to review 2020. We have so much to be thankful for, I had to just compile it into a quick list. - Johnny decided to commit to Northshore full-time. We hoped for 3-4 days a week but ended up with 4 or 5!
- We debuted our Free Tree Project...to no one. All of our trade shows were cancelled this spring, so while the big kick-off we were counting on didn't really happen, God still provided us with enough work to keep going.
- Near the beginning of the season, our 2 regular employees from last year unfortunately couldn't stay with us. But after only a couple fill-in days with me as a groundy and the kids watching movies in the van, along came Carl! After only a week with us, he and his wife bravely turned down a seemingly-better offer of employment and decided to stick it out with us. - Even with Carl, we still needed more help - enter Jordan! While we knew his passions lay in a slightly different field, we were so pleased to have another skilled employee with an excellent work ethic, even if just for a little while.
- Less then a week later, Lyndon joined the team! We realized we needed someone part-time to help out with larger jobs, and already having a husband-and-wife business of his own (Dawning Collective) meant we knew Lyndon would work hard, but we also knew he wasn't depending on us for full-time work. It was a perfect match!
- The last addition to the crew was James. We realized Johnny needed another strong climber on the team to give him a break, and for some reason this guy James just kept calling. We're so thankful he did, otherwise we would have missed out on a great teammate!
- In addition to many homeowners who happily received Free Trees this season, we also got to plant 7 trees at Oakley Park Public School in Barrie. This was such a success and the kids had so much fun, that we've decided to re-adjust our vision for the Free Tree Project, and will focus on full-day plantings like this one for the 2021 season. Stay tuned to find out the next location(s)!
- We gave back to some amazing charities, including the Barrie Food Bank, Aubrey's Act, Ronald McDonald House, Alegre Sonida De Dios Children's Home, Starlight Children's Foundation, Royal Victoria Hospital, and Christmas Cheer.
- We got a Certificate of Excellence from Bark thanks to our amazing clients and their reviews.
- We were voted Best Tree Service and Johnny was voted Best Arborist in the Barrie Advance's Readers' Choice Awards.
- We were able to purchase a chip truck for the fleet, lovingly named Herbert. - We finally cracked the "Three Best Rated" website for Tree Services in Barrie.
- Oh and also, we're having twins! Happy New Year everyone!