During the past few years, TCIA has been working on a group of strategic initiatives we’ve called “game changers” – things that, when accomplished, will change the fundamental experience of our member interactions with TCIA and, by extension, how TCIA engages with the tree care industry.

JON GERSTENBERGER

Those game changers include objectives like aligning TCIA’s membership and marketing efforts around six key attributes – we call them the Six Domains – of successful tree care businesses: business strategy, safety, training, workforce development, advocacy/regulatory compliance and sales/marketing. The Six Domains initiative spawned the idea of hosting Business Growth Workshops at TCIA corporate-member facilities – partnering with these corporate members to focus on business education for small- to medium-size businesses, another game changer.

Another of our game changers was to create a “media house” for all forms of media, and to further establish TCIA and TCI Magazine as the “go-to” resource for content in the tree care industry. Put simply, we want to expand the reach and offerings of TCI Magazine, a publication firmly established as a print medium for 35 years.

Sounds easy, right?

We jumped right in, overhauling the TCI Magazine web content to follow the same Six Domains listed above. Pairing TCIA offerings with magazine content, we launched TCI+, a paid platform that allows those ineligible for TCIA membership to get “membership lite,” or for employees of TCIA members to get a more personalized experience. We’ve added new content formats to our portfolio, such as product reviews and vendor spotlights, to recognize and leverage the expertise of our corporate members and advertisers.

MARK CHISHOLM, CTSP

Perhaps the most exciting and impactful step for the media-house game changer is what is driving the focus of this issue of TCI Magazine – our partnership with TreeBuzz and its co-founder, Mark Chisholm. TreeBuzz is a staple in the online forum and discussion space for the tree care industry.

This partnership provides advertisers in the industry with the opportunity to have a presence on both platforms: the TCI Magazine website and TreeBuzz. This partnership is about demonstrating that we believe in each other’s missions and now have a direct interest in each other’s successes. Another goal of this relationship is to encourage further collaboration in educational content for the tree care industry.

So please enjoy this issue of TCI Magazine, an issue dedicated to the start of this incredible partnership, where several short features have been written around longstanding and engaging forums on TreeBuzz. Stay tuned for what’s coming next with TCI+ and TCI Magazine.

Jon Gerstenberger is vice president, communications & technology, for the Tree Care Industry Association.

Mark Chisholm, CTSP, is co-founder and co-owner of TreeBuzz, as well as director of operations with Aspen Tree Expert Co. Inc., a dual-accredited, 38-year TCIA member company based in Jackson, New Jersey. He also is a spokesperson for Stihl Inc. and an ambassador for Teufelberger and Kask.