New competitor in town

[Keener]

Bartlett Tree Service is moving to the the west coast of Canada, anyone out there know if they have a standard operating procedure when moving into a new area ?
Perhaps there are some Bartlett employees out there who can shed light on the company.
I am not sure even how much central control the company operates under or if there is a wide variety of management practices from state to state.
I would like to hear any positive or negative comments you may have.

 

[BRCCArborist]

Like a lot of large tree companies, I know Bartlett often will try to buy out the smaller companies. Around here though, they often work with the local/smaller arborists. They sub contract work out to several. Bartlett seems to kind of find its own niche in an area, such as IPM programs or root invigoration via Air Spade, and hasnt really hurt the local arborists here. Just keep practicing safe/modern arboriculture and I wouldnt worry about it.

 

[Chucky]

Bartlett will target the high-end clients. If your company does a lot of takedowns and stump-grinding, Bartlett is no threat. If your company does a lot of pruning at fairly competitive prices, they still should not be much of a threat. If your company concentrates on performing high-quality trim work, cabling, PHC, and injection fertilizing, then you will be facing a major competitor.

 

[jmchristopher]

Yup, like Mr. Chucky says
The good news is that if Bartlett sees potential for business in your area, you live in a great place. They don't work in slums. They may well raise the bar for folks who aspire to work for higher end clients. If that describes you, your job becomes a bit more challenging. The key will be to keep in touch with your best clients, building a strong relationship. Don't just assume they'll remember to call you.

 

[treeman45246]

Chucky hit the nail on the head with his response. I am an ex-sales rep. Excellent company which does solid work for the high-end clients. They won't beat out their competition by lowballing, and their usual MO is to buy out a local when coming into a new area.

 

[Keener]

Excellent feedback!
It is a good thing that they do quality work for higher end customers and yes it will probably raise the bar in this area and yes there are a lot of million dollar properties around.
And by the way they did buy out some bigger local companies to get in.
Thanks for the info and advice.

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

looks to me keener they could even be a asset for the local arb companies ie introducing new services etc

 

[Nathan Wreyford]

In Austin, Bartlett was definitely as described. No so much that they were awarded multi-million$$ residential properties. In 4 yrs I never bid against them. I bid against Davey Tree frequently.

Davey had a full page in the YP. Bartlett a biz card.

They seemed to get the high end commercial jobs (golf courses,etc) and from what others said were quite untouchable in terms of price and quality delivered.

.02

 

[Toddppm]

They're coming for sure.
Looks like this is number 3 Bartlett

 

[SimplyGreen]

Uh oh, another competitor in the area....