Our Tree Care Experts

  • Lucas Kessels

    Founder & Climber/Arborist

    Lucas’ love for working with trees began as a young man. His father taught him to climb and care for trees at the age of 15, and he has been advancing and expanding his skills ever since. Now, as an ISA Certified Arborist, Lucas enjoys sharing his passion for tree care with those around him. Lucas is married with three children, and he has been a small business owner since 2015. Lucas has experience in landscaping, masonry, concrete work and trees. He is certified as a NCCCO Crane Operator along with being certified in hoisting and rigging operations. He is an expert climber and equipment operator. He is a talented saw handler and takes pride in safe and proper tree work operations.

    Certifications:

    ISA Certified Arborist MW-6282A

    NCCCO Crane Operator

    Crane Hoisting and Rigging

    OSHA 10

  • Joel Montgomery

    Operations Manager/Arborist

    Joel has been working in the construction, landscape, and tree industries for the past 10 years. Prior to that, he served in the United States Army. His diverse background has led to experience in construction, hardscaping, landscaping, tree work, low-voltage lighting, irrigation, drainage, and concrete work. Joel specializes in Operations and Project Management. He is a key member of our sales team and wears many hats, ranging from finance to compliance, scheduling, and all things administrative. He loves solving problems and interacting with customers.

    Certifications:

    ISA Certified Arborist MW-6378A

    TCIA - Ground Operations, Tree Care Safety Specialist, Tree Climber Specialist, and Crane Operations Specialist

    NDS Certified Drainage Contractor,

    ICPI - Hardscape Certification

    NCMA - Segmented Retaining Wall Installer

    OSHA Authorized General Industry Trainer

    Aquascape University- Water Feature Installer

    Hunter University- Lighting Specialist, Lighting Designer

  • Jacob Murdock

    Climber/Arborist

    Jacob hails from Joplin, MO and has been in the tree care industry since 2014, beginning as a trimmer for a utility tree service company. Prior to that was a UPS driver for 3 years while attending college to obtain an ecology degree. He has worked and led tree service crews in Joplin, Springfield, and St Louis MO and has been an ISA certified arborist for 5 years since 2018. He spends free time enjoying outdoor activities with his daughter and fiancée.

    Certifications:

    AA Natural Resource and Ecology Management

    ISA Certified Arborist MW-5916A

    TCIA - Aerial Lift Specialist, Aerial Rescue Certification , Chipper Operator Specialist, Crew Leader , EHAP , Ground Operations Specialist, Tree Care Apprentice, Tree Climber Specialist

  • Evan Root

    Primary Groundsman

    Evan hails from Overland Park Kansas. He moved to St. Louis to attend Lindenwood University where he studied Finance and was a member of the Men’s NCAA Swimming Program. Evan’s love for the outdoors led him to begin his journey in the Arboriculture Industry a little over a year ago. In that time he has developed an interest and passion for learning the technical aspects of rigging, equipment operation, and ground operations. He has a stellar focus on safety and efficiency. In his time away from work, Evan enjoys spending time with his girlfriend, traveling, spending time in the great outdoors and wrenching on and driving cars.

Join Our Team!

If you are looking to be a part of a professional and growing team in the Tree Care Industry we want to hear from you! We currently have openings on our team. Are you interested in learning to be a climber, an arborist, or get involved in sales and management? We are looking for motivated individuals looking to grow with our company, and team members that we can invest in to create skilled professionals intent on always improving who will impact our clients, the tree care industry, and our company. We are looking for a team member with a great attitude who enjoys physical work and we are willing to train the right candidate!