August Hoppe

The TCIA mission is “Advancing tree care businesses.” As I wrap up my time on the TCIA Board of Directors, it’s time to reflect a little on some of our accomplishments toward that end as an Association and for the industry at large. These last seven years, I’ve been lucky enough to represent our members, and the experience has provided me a truly national perspective of our industry and where we are headed.

As a long-time TCIA member, arborist and business owner, I’ve seen a positive growth trend in safety, training and professionalism within the industry since my professional start in 2001. In my mind, professionalism means putting a premium on safety and quality work. As someone who has been at the table during the board’s strategic planning at TCIA, I have been pleased to see our Association’s progress in confronting issues for the industry head on and increasing our professionalism.

Much of this starts with workforce development and training initiatives. Programs such as the Tree Care Academy (TCA) Career Pathways and Arborist Apprenticeship are up and running, and are examples of adapting to the needs of newer workers to create custom training plans for employees. These programs use online learning-management systems with custom company online training hubs. Each individual company’s training hub allows for monitoring, tracking and reporting employee progression within the courses. These training hubs work for both Arborist Apprenticeship and the Tree Care Academy courses.

Using resources like this can improve and streamline administrative aspects of a training program and provide a consistent form of training for employees. Some of the most rewarding times on the board for me have been to see programs like the Arborist Apprenticeship program and the TCA Career Pathway courses start to go from idea to implementation to growth.

It’s been my experience that companies that invest in training tend to recruit and retain employees who then act like they are in a career and not just a job. Professional development can create cultural shifts, elevating safety, quality of work and customer service.

We noticed some big cultural changes at our company when we started using the Arborist Apprenticeship program. The program reinforces that arboriculture is a skilled trade and not just a seasonal job. Employees enrolled in the program showed a new type of energy and excitement in learning more and getting better. This has become infectious for other employees within the company, too, as they start becoming more curious about improving themselves as well.

I’m also excited about the direction the TCIA Membership Engagement team is going in. Every company is different, and what each company needs and desires out of TCIA is different as well. Member-engagement managers are using a consultative sales approach, which largely consists of listening to members to learn their needs and then educating them about where TCIA can help. This approach also works for non-members as we look to grow our ranks with new companies that want to advance their own businesses.

Another great example of progress is our Legislative Day in Washington, D.C. Last fall, we (TCIA members) met with decision makers in Congress to inform them about the needs of our industry and help them understand that proper tree care is tremendously important. TCIA’s increased presence in our nation’s capital also is coupled with our new Public Policy Committee, consisting of industry members and having the purpose of creating a strategy and focus for our advocacy. Leveraging our members to understand our needs and then articulating those into a coherent strategy for action can really make a difference for elevating tree care businesses.

I’m energized about where we are headed, and as I step back off the board, I know the Association is in good hands. Your TCIA Board of Directors truly represents our membership, and I know that the work of “Advancing tree care businesses” never truly ends, and that TCIA will continue to move us to a higher level.

August Hoppe is owner and president of Hoppe Tree Service LLC, an accredited, 25-year TCIA member company based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and chair of TCIA’s Board of Directors. His year as board chair and his board membership was scheduled to come to an end at the annual business meeting during Winter Management Conference 2025 in St. Thomas, February 2-6.