News

From the Treetop: Chairman and CEO Scott Packard

March 22, 2011
By Scott Packard, Chairman and CEO

For nearly eighty years, we have built an impressive record of growth, a reputation for excellence and consistent results. 2010 was no exception for our family of companies.

We continued our string of record growth to nine years, adding more than $100 million in revenue since 2002. But while we enjoyed new growth, we also struggled to maintain the same level of profitability.

And as we were nearing the conclusion of 2010, we lost Brian Timmons and Jason Green to work related incidents. I have never experienced anything remotely as devastating in my professional career, and I hope to never again.

2010 did not necessarily live up to our expectations or to the plan, but I learned many things from that year. I learned we must look beyond the numbers as the only measure of our accomplishments as a company. I learned we must look to the process to better identify what we truly understand about our culture and ourselves. I learned safety is a continuous fight with human nature. I’ve heard it said that safe behaviors are uncomfortable, inconvenient and slower. I say that’s crap. I learned that just because I choose a risky behavior and nothing happens doesn’t mean it won’t. I learned that the safest risk is the one I didn’t take.

To all of you who are part of this great family of companies – Wright Tree Service, Wright Outdoor Solutions, CN Utility Consulting and Terra Spectrum Technologies – I ’m telling you that I am not going to risk it anymore. I hope that my choice will inspire you to do the same.

As we continue through 2011, we have much to be proud of.

At Wright Tree Service, our revenues are up, we have new contracts, and our incident rate is at an all-time low.

At the beginning of the fiscal year, CN Utility Consulting had already earned enough business to triple its revenue. The company started the year with about five employees and today is nearing fifty.

A few years ago, we had an idea to create technolog y solutions for work flow improvements in the utility sector. From that, Terra Spectrum Technologies was hatched. Today TST has PlannerVM software in the field with multiple customers. With many more opportunities on the horizon and new products in development, the future is bright.

And while Wright Outdoor Solutions weathered the worst recession since the Great Depression, the outlook for the 2011 season is stronger than ever. So, if you are in the Des Moines area, call 987-0800 to speak with an account manager today!