Science, Education, and Proper Care Behind Big Jim’s Tree Service

Jody Howcroft, owner and operator of Big Jim’s Tree Service, Inc., has provided residential and commercial tree care in the Uintah Basin for five years.

Howcroft purchased the business when he saw there was a shortage of tree service contractors and that the tree care industry ranged from the neighbor down the street with a chainsaw, to a full tree service company, to an arborist.

“I saw a great need for a business to keep up on the science of arboriculture and educate customers on how they can properly care for their trees to make them healthy, beautiful, and safe,” Howcroft says. “And that is what we’ve worked for. We trim and remove trees, prune and grind stumps, assess the health of trees, repurpose trees into useful wood, and educate customers on ways to keep their trees healthy between services.”

When explaining how the SBDC has helped his business, Howcroft says he first took a class on the basics of business that covered everything from marketing to budgeting to taxes and insurance, which was very helpful.

“I truly believe without the knowledge from the SBDC and Mark Holmes, we would not be in business today,” he says. “He helped us initially put all the figures into place to secure the loan to start the business. Without that help, the first steps of the business would have fallen short of success.”

Howcroft says he is especially proud of how well his team works together and stays efficient.

“Customers often ask me how everyone seems to know exactly what to do next without much discussion,” he says. “The most common description is ‘well-oiled machine.’ We all communicate together on ideas and procedures on how to stay safe and efficient, and we trust the employees to make decisions and solve problems. I’ve had people tell me that someone they know used our company and had good things to say about us. The reputation of being honest, professional, and safe makes me proud of what we have built.”

Howcroft says if you focus on honesty and building a good reputation, your clients will line up to do business with you.“But don’t expect anyone to care as much about your business as you do,” he says. “It is unrealistic to expect employees to do all the hard work for you. It is all on your shoulders, so be prepared to put in the effort to make it work.”