What’s in a Name?

CHICAGO – One tree care company is taking an unusual step to address the perennial labor shortage facing the tree and landscape industry: changing the company name.

Hendricksen, The Care of Trees in Chicago; Alpine, The Care of Trees in New York; The Care of Trees in Washington, D.C., and Pioneer, The Care of Trees in Philadelphia are consolidating their names and logos to attract new employees. The new company name for all the divisions of The Care of Trees Family of Companies will be The Care of Trees.

While the U.S. economy seems to be on the rebound, the lack of qualified, long-term employees remains a threat to the landscape industry. “The tight job market is the No. 1 threat to our industry because it limits company growth,” said John Hendricksen, company chairman and chief executive officer. “The Care of Trees has had five consecutive years of sales growth, but we’re struggling to keep up with our workload. We’re projecting another growth year in 2002, but without an increase in a quality workforce, another year of growth could actually make things more difficult.”

Scott Jamieson, president of the $40-million company, said consolidating the business’ name and logo would make it easier to find and attract employees who want the stability and growth of a large, stable company. “We need quality employees who want a career track and who will stay and grow with us over the long haul – it’s crucial to the financial health and future of our company,” he explained.

The name and logo conversion started in April in the Mid-Atlantic division; all remaining divisions will be converted by first quarter 2003.

The author is Managing Editor of Lawn & Landscape magazine and can be reached at nwisniewski@lawnandlandscape.com.