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HOOPLA Best Practices in Professional Tree Management Peter Sortwell ’72, CEO of Arborwell Upon graduation from Brewster in 1972, Peter Sortwell wanted to be an artist. “Photography was my passion,” he said. Faculty member Bob Richardson – who many may remember wore many hats at that time – was the photography teacher and convinced Peter’s mother to buy him a telephoto lens. Although Peter did not pursue the art of photography following his Brewster graduation, he found his passion in the potential of landscapes, specifically trees. After Brewster he went to neighboring Maine to study the science of plants, trees, and soil – knowledge that would serve him well in his family’s landscaping and tree business where he spent summers working. Upon completing his degree in plants and soil sciences from the University of Maine, he returned to the Beverly Farms area north of Boston to help run S&S Tree and Landscape, the family business. Breaking Ground After working for nearly 10 years at his family’s business, a business that Peter described as seasonal and dysfunctional, he decided to uproot and head west, settling in the San Francisco Bay area. Realizing that tree management was what he knew, he took a job with one of the leading company’s in the industry, Davey Tree Expert Company, as their San Francisco district manager. According to Peter he worked long hours but learned a great deal about the business and how to organize and manage a growing company. Next he joined Environmental Care Inc. (now Valley Crest) with the goal of opening a tree care division for the largest landscape maintenance company in the country. This same year, 1986, he would achieve that goal when he opened Arbor Care in San Jose as a division of Environmental Care Inc. He spent 15 years growing and developing Arbor Care to 12 operating locations throughout the country. Then on his 48th birthday, he was told that his services were no longer needed. After months of reflection about his future, in 2001 he and wife Anne decided to start their own business. They purchased Arborguard Inc., and upon Anne’s suggestion, re-named the company – Arborwell Professional Tree Management. Under Peter’s leadership the company has grown into one of the fastest growing businesses in the country, earning a place on the Inc. 5000 list for the past four years. The tree management company now services commercial, residential, and estate properties as well as municipalities and golf courses from Sacramento to San Diego. For the past five years Arborwell has appeared on the San Francisco Business Times fast 100 list. Peter is an ISA-certified arborist and in February 2011 became a board member of the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA), a leading industry resource and accrediting body for tree care companies and professional arborists nationwide. Learned Leadership Skills With the founding of Arborwell, Peter said he was both excited to leave the corporate world and, for the first time in his working career, he was happy to be using his learned leadership skills to create a “people business” in which communication between his team members allowed the company to grow, quickly, in the right way: “Hire the right people, give them the tools needed to succeed, and let them do their job.” Peter credits his dorm parent and mentor, a very young David Smith (who would become headmaster within two years of Peter’s graduating), with instilling the basis for his organizational and leaderships skills. Peter was a student leader, helping bring student concerns and desire for change, such as the student dress code, to the administration. At times, he and other leaders would work late into the evening with David working on their plans for change. David recollected the late 1960s and the early 1970s on campus, noting that their were few students who were somewhat conservative and preppy in 32 BrewsterConnections – Fall 2011
these days. “We didn’t have many students then that would fit the mode of the preppy, but we had one in Peter. He both dressed the part and acted the part,” David shared. “I can still picture Peter riding his bike through a foot or so of freshly fallen snow after formal dinner, wearing his checkered jacket, tie, and pressed pants.” Peter has lots of enthusiasm for his years at Brewster and remembered activities and friends with fond chuckles. He was well thought of by friends with a dorm mate, Bob Arnold, ‘70, commenting “Great guy. We had lots of fun with Pete: music, long hair, he wore the best mod ties of anyone in the school!” Arborwell’s website is evidence that Peter has not lost his excellent taste in handsome ties. Best Business Practices Asked about the best practices in putting together an organization that has grown to 15 operating locations in California and produced over 16 million dollars in revenues, Peter explained that it was a combination of leadership and management skills committed to early on in the company’s development. Because Peter knew many in the tree business in the Bay area, including the best in the business, he was able to recruit many talented experts to join the Arborwell team, and he credits his team of 128 employees (125 more than he had at S&S!) with the company’s success. “I quickly learned to delegate, let everyone contribute their ideas. I bought laptops for all so that they could work from home. I learned not to micro-manage, but to give various levels responsibilities so that they actually were part of the team,” he explained. In a profession that is very high risk, Peter has created a culture of safety, with some employees even certified by the TCIA in professional tree care safety. Arborwell also counts 21 ISA-certified arborists among its employees, including Peter. These certified individuals have passed a comprehensive knowledge and competency exam, adhere to a professional code of ethics, and must continue their education to maintain their certification. As a former board member of the National Arborist Association (now Tree Care Industry Association or TCIA) he has been involved in developing many industry safety and quality standards that have contributed to Arborwell’s success. Additionally, Arborwell is one of about a dozen companies in California to receive TCIA accreditation. This certification ensures customers that Arborwell has implemented best business practices, among other important safety, quality, ethical, and government standards. “TCIA accreditation is important because it ensures our customers of professionalism, proper insurance, and up to date on all industry and government standards,” Peter said. Peter’s industry awards are a testament to his commitment to best business practices. As a former board member of the National Arborist Association (NAA), he helped develop industry safety and quality standards, including the A-300 pruning standard, that have played a role in Arborwell’s success. He is a past recipient of the President’s Award for his work in designing the Excellence in Arboriculture Awards program for the NAA. The East Bay Business Times named him 2007 Entrepreneur of the Year, and in 2009 the San Francisco Business Times named Peter the Most Admired CEO. As a current TCIA board director his focus is on helping the tree management industry better itself. “I would like to build on the marketing of accreditation and begin the process of establishing industry metrics and measurements for standards of learning and education for running a tree company. I want to give back and to help our industry better itself.” Peter’s volunteer efforts aren’t directed solely within his industry. He also is a member of JobTrain, which assists educational and job training preparation for youth aged 14-21; the Students Rising Above program, which invests in low-income, first generation college students who have demonstrated a commitment to educational achievement and strength of character in overcoming tremendous odds of poverty, homelessness, and neglect; and the San Mateo Rotary Club as well as TCIA’s Voice for Trees PAC. Peter lives in San Mateo with his wife Anne. They have two sons: Alex, 20, and Tom, 18, who, no doubt, both want to be photographers too! Peter confessed that the name of their powerboat is “Swell,” and no doubt it is a wooden boat! Turning Business Growth Into Energy As Arborwell grew, so did the ‘landfill’ and when the company reached the point where they were hauling 300 tons of wood chips a day, Peter knew there had to be another way, another use for the limbs, logs, and brush or biomass. When Arborwell initially approached California electric companies about recycling the biomass, it was turned down because other companies had made similar offers but were unable to produce the quantity and quality of wood chips needed to produce enough electricity. With Arborwell’s commitment to meet the requirements, both entities soon benefited. In fact, Arborwell was able to reduce its transportation and landfill costs – approximately $300,000 annually – while the state gained power: wood chips are burned in a furnace, which provides heat that produces steam. This steam turns the turbines and generators that send power into California’s electrical grid. According to Arborwell’s website: “Through Arborwell’s wood chip recycling program, we generate enough clean energy to power an average of 330 three-bedroom houses every year.” www.brewsteracademy.org 33
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