Today we’d like to introduce you to Gregory Gicas.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Gregory. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started in business on my own in 2002. Like any young kid without much direction, I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up. I started in light construction and landscaping and spent my winters snow plowing for customers in Shrewsbury.
After an ice storm in 2008, I slowly got involved in the tree business with 1 truck, then 2, then 4, etc.
I have been doing tree work fully involved since 2009 and it has been a great ride.
When you start off in business and have old equipment, no one really knows your name. Once you start acquiring brand new trucks, then people start looking around and paying attention to who you are, what you do, and how you are doing it.
Has it been a smooth road?
Being a business owner is something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. Every day is a struggle. Every week is a battle. It took me almost 10 years to really turn the corner and start being able to move ahead and grow exponentially.
There have been far more great days than bad days which is what keeps me going. The good times can be great. The bad times aren’t all that bad, and are always manageable.
All in all, it has been smooth and a learning experience every step of the way. It has molded and shaped me into the person I am today and since people like doing business with people they like, I always make sure I am likable to all that I encounter.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the New England Tree Experts story. Tell us more about the business.
Started in 2002, and transitioning from construction to residential tree service and residential snow plowing in the winter time has defined us as a company. Our focus on residential work is what separates us from the large competitors who want to fry the big fish and go after the large state and municipal contract work. Sometimes Mrs. Jones the small homeowner gets forgotten about when there is a project to clear hundreds of acres of trees so we ONLY focus on the homeowners, and fill a small percentage of our work with town and state contracts.
We are known in the winter time for our specialized snow shoveling service where we shovel every nook and cranny that others would never think of touching.
Proud moments for me come on a weekly and monthly basis when customers send in kind words, letters of recommendation, or glowing reviews for us to publicize on our website and social media pages. It is one thing to think you are a great, but when the general public agrees and continues to reaffirm, that is when you KNOW you are doing something, or many things right.
Knowing where I came from, and where I got my start keeps me grounded, and separated from others. Everyone wants to become large and gigantic and forget where there are roots are. I never get to big for my britches and always remember the small guy and take all small jobs that come my way.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Thankfully for me, trees grow everyday. The bigger they get, the harder they fall. Because most of the younger generation has minimal work ethic, I only see things getting better despite what the economy is doing. I don’t see a ton of new people with the ambition to start their own businesses so I don’t expect any new competition trying to infiltrate. With new DOT and OSHA regulations, they are slowly flushing out those who don’t comply with the rules or laws and those who don’t carry workman’s compensation insurance.
Because this industry carries a decent human factor to it, it will always be a struggle to hire and train new help but I am thankful that the majority of my staff has been with me for a long time, is tenured, and hopefully have no plans of an early retirement!
Pricing:
Contact Info:
- Address: P.O. Box 387
- Website: http://www.treeserviceworcesterma.com/
- Phone: 5088423393
- Email: ggicas@gmail.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NewEnglandTreeExperts
