In an industry marked by labor shortages and hiring challenges, Stacy Hughes, president of Hughes Tree Service – a 30-year TCIA member company based in Omaha, Nebraska – credits his company’s high employee-retention rate to treating his people well. Hughes’ father, Terry, founded Terry Hughes Tree Service more than 60 years ago (he passed away in 2018), and his son notes that he took over the business from his father in the mid-’90s.
“I’ve taken the business from basically a mom-and-pop operation to having 60 full-time, year-round employees. We don’t lay off in the off-season, and haven’t in 15 years, and we only have about 5% turnover annually. Our average tenure is eight years, and five out of our 60 employees have been with us for 20 years,” says Hughes. “Potential employees see an organized, professional company, and they know working here can be the start of a career rather than just a short-term job.”
When it comes to what sets Hughes Tree Service apart from the competition, Hughes is quick to answer. “It’s our professionalism and our ethics,” he says, “and those are a direct result of our going through the TCIA Accreditation process. It was a great way to distinguish ourselves from others in the area.”
Hughes adds that his company was the first accredited tree care company in Nebraska, earning its credential in 2005. “It increased our visibility tremendously,” he says. “I saw it as a great way to stand out and a great marketing tool.
Hughes continues, “I’ve been a fan of the Accreditation program since its inception (in 2004) as a great way to become more professional and organized. We’ve been going through the audits every three years now, and it’s still the best thing we ever did, the best money I ever spent. I totally see the value in it. And yes, it definitely has brought us more interest (as far as getting jobs) at the large, commercial company level.
“Writing the business plan was the hardest part,” he says. “It definitely took the longest time the first time we did it.
Now, the funny thing is, I do this (update the business plan) every year by myself, and it’s the best tool I have. You can’t believe how much things change in this business year over year! I update pricing, business projections, even the number of competitors that have come and gone.” – Stacy Hughes
Increased safety training has been a huge benefit of going through Accreditation, also resulting in having three CTSPs (Certified Treecare Safety Professionals) on staff. “We do weekly tailgate meetings, and we bring in professional, outside safety instructors annually,” Hughes says. “Probably 90% of our training materials are from TCIA. We try to get in 10 hours of continuing education per employee, per year.”
This excerpt is from an article by Patricia Chaudoin in TCI Magazine.
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