In the world of tree care, some anniversaries just have to be marked with all the pomp and circumstance they deserve – such as Aspen Tree Expert Co. celebrating 50 years as a successful, three-generation, family-owned business. The Jackson, New Jersey-based company has been a fixture within the tree industry and TCIA for decades, holding various teaching workshops at annual TCI EXPOs, serving on the committee for the ANSI A300 pruning standards and much more.

Aspen president Steve Chisholm Sr. also founded the Committee for the Advancement of Arboriculture in 1990. This education-based organization promotes excellence in the field of arboriculture with seminars and skills training programs. “We’ve had 6,500 people come through on-site training at state parks, county parks and municipalities over the years,” says Steve Sr. Current classes include chain-saw safety, EHAP & aerial rescue and advanced climbing.

Steve Chicholm Sr. All photos courtesy of Chatter Creative.

A family affair

Steve Sr. and his wife, Laura, started Aspen Tree Expert Co. together in 1976, explaining that at the time he was laid off from his work doing utility line clearance with Asplundh. “I thought, ‘Why not start our own company, then I can lay myself off,’” he says with a laugh.

According to Steve Sr., his stepfather lent him the money for his first bucket truck (fondly known as “Old Betsy”), he put an ad in the Yellow Pages – and they were on their way! He painted his truck the same color as Asplundh’s, so it would be easily recognizable, and he chose the name “Aspen” so his company would appear first in the Yellow Pages.

Mark Chisholm.

He started off with two contracts, one with the Navy and another with a municipality. In the beginning, residential work far outweighed Aspen’s utility contracts, but gradually that changed. “Utilities kept wanting us to do more and more, and we saw good growth from that,” he says. “It was our bread and butter to help fill in the gaps in residential work.”

Mark Chisholm, a well-known name in the world of climbing and Aspen’s director of operations, is one of the two sons working for their dad, the other being Steve Chisholm Jr., the company’s chief operations officer. Steve Jr.’s wife, Connie, is the office manager, and their daughter, Autumn, is the director of financial & utility operations.

All three Chisholm men have been instructors at Cook College and for the Continuing Professional Education program at Rutgers University, continuing a relationship that dates back to the late 1980s, when Steve Sr. first began teaching there. Mark says he’s also been teaching workshops at TCI EXPO since Peter Gerstenberger – now TCIA’s senior vice president of industry expertise – first asked him in 1997. “I believe I’ve taught every year since,” he says.

Steve Chisholm Jr.

The road to Accreditation

When asked what the motivation was for Aspen to become dual-accredited in 2017 – earning both residential/commercial and utility Accreditation – Steve Jr. jokes, “Procrastination was the motivation. My father was involved with Accreditation from the beginning, and he sat on the committee. I remember him saying, ‘When this is all done, we need to do it.’ I can’t tell you how many times I came home from EXPO or WMC (Winter Management Conference) with all these folders (about Accreditation), and it got kicked down the road for what, 10 years? It wasn’t until Alan Bowers, our GM, came on nine years ago that we finally had the time and manpower to get it done.”

Aspen is the only dual-accredited company in its area, according to Mark Chisholm. “And I believe there are only nine or 10 in the whole U.S.,” he adds. “It puts us on a different level than others. To me, it’s very similar to how we perceive ourselves with other certifications and licenses, like being CTSPs (Certified Treecare Safety Professionals) and ISA Certified Arborists. The customer is going to see you with greater consumer confidence.”

Mark notes that Accreditation was a good wellness check for the business. “It was more intense than I thought it would be, even though we had a lot of things that are common in place already. Still, there were things that came up to question when the evaluator (auditor) came.”

Steve Jr. concurs. “We realized yes, we have this policy in place, but we weren’t always using it. For example, how formal was our safety program? We had tailgates and sent people to EHAP and so on, but we weren’t always recording our policies or putting it all in one place, or necessarily even in writing. I know there were a couple of times I realized we could be doing better. So we made the commitment, paid for it, then held people accountable to meet our looming deadline.”

Aspen went through Accreditation renewal in 2025, and Steve Jr. says it was worthwhile to reassess the business. “Sure, it was helpful. Some things are beneficial to go over and update. We had a new auditor, so the process changed a little. He was looking at our company with a new set of eyes. There are always things that are changing and can be improved.”

Steve Sr. sums up with, “I always thought that Accreditation was something we should pursue for what it brings to the table for the industry, for our company culture of safety and for professionalism. We pursued this when we were a mid-sized company, and I’d tell others in that position that if you want to reach this level and grow as we have, do it. It may seem hard, but remember that anything worth doing takes work.”

Conclusion

Celebrating 50 years with some fresh branding!

When asked about the impact of marking 50 years in the tree care industry, Steve Sr. remarks, “It went by so fast, I’ve barely noticed!” He adds, “We’ve always treated everyone (at Aspen) like family, so we’ll have a special company-wide party this summer.” Steve Jr. adds, “We’re trying to do something with the crews each month – Valentine’s was cupcake day, for instance. We have 50th-anniversary bandanas and gaiters for employees, and Hawaiian shirts. And we have a brand-
new chip truck, branded as #50 and with our special 50th-
anniversary logo on it.”

Mark says that the summer get-together will be “something like an Aspen Olympics, with fun tree-based stuff and food and a big party for all our employees and friends.” He adds that the company is also producing “a big video with employees who were with us back in the ’70s – including someone who just retired who was with us for 37 years.”

Steve Sr. credits determination and always pursuing excellence for the growth of Aspen into the successful company it is today. “It doesn’t matter what rung of the ladder you’re on – you should always reach for the top.”

Patricia Chaudoin has been a freelance writer and editor for more than four decades, in areas as disparate as tree care, golf, weddings, luxury travel and international non-profit NGOs. She has been writing for TCI Magazine since 2016.

Front row, left to right: Autumn Chisholm, Courtney Grossi, Ava Ossowski, Steve Chisholm Sr., Connie Chisholm and Steve Chisholm Jr. Back row: Brian Rattay, Gerald Taylor, Mark Chisholm, Katelyn Samson, Thomas Russo and Alan Bowers.