HIVERNANT ARBORISTS

Greetings!

I am a third generation Vermonter; my father grew up on a large farm in South Burlington and moved to Essex Junction, accepting work with a large local micro-electronics company.

After growing up in Essex Junction, I went into the U.S. Air Force and then the Vermont Air National Guard while attending Champlain College and studying Criminal Justice.

After earning a degree and spending a 365/24/7 period working on an ambulance, I rejoined the military, this time with the Vermont Army National Guard's Mountain Battalion.  I was offered and accepted a job as Mountaineering Instructor/Medic at Jericho's Mountain Warfare School, where I served as subject matter expert for mountain medical instruction and rescue techniques and assisted in development and instruction in all phases of mountaineering until November 1996.

I then moved to Camp Johnson to be the Operations Manager for Co C Med and then State Medical Command.  Following a 2003 deployment to Afghanistan, I was Honorably Discharged (Retired) as SFC E-7 on July 31, 2004 after 25 years of military service.

ENTERING THE WORLD OF TREECARE
Upon retiring in July 2004, I looked at many jobs, but that October, Florida was hit with Hurricane Charlie.  My good friend Rick Wood needed help with tree work and asked if I would be interested in lending a hand.  Hmm... trees and mountains aren't that different, so I ended up packing my bags and heading south to see how I could provide assistance.  The rest, as they say, is history.

With Rick's encouragement, I sat for, and passed, the International Society of Arboriculture's Certified Tree Worker/Climber Specialist Exam in July 2008.

Presently, I am pursuing a course of study to earn the ISA Certified Arborist and Certified Tree care Safety Professional credentials.

COMMUNITY SERVICE & FAMILY LIFE
With a father who was the Chief of Essex Junction's Fire Department for 13 years, the importance of community service made a strong impression at an early age.  For over 25 years, I have served part-time with numerous area fire and rescue departments.  I currently belong to Essex Fire & Rescue.

I am an avid outdoors man and shooting sports enthusiast. I am nationally certified as an archery and firearms marksmanship instructor.

In 2005, I married my lovely wife, Geri Ann.  Today, Geri Ann and I volunteer with Essex Community Players and Lyric Theatre Company, helping both onstage and off.

My children, Ally (13) and Sean (15), attend Essex Middle School and Essex High School, respectively.  We enjoy participating in a wide range of outdoor activities together.

We all live in Essex with our two furry friends, Zoe and Zeus.