The Wright Perspective - Spring/Summer 2022

SPRING/SUMMER 2022

A biannual update for employees and friends of the Wright Service Corp. family of companies.

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FALL 2020

TABLE OF CONTENTS Wright Service Corp.

Executive Excerpt Annual Awards Banquet Ownership Corner An Outside Perspective

Page 4 Page 4 Page 5 Page 13 Page 16

Wright Tree Service Wreaths Across America The Vondal Legacy Training and Leadership: The Road to Safety

Page 18 Page 18 Page 19 Page 21

Wright Tree Service of the West

Page 29

Wright Tree Service of Canada & ArborCare

Page 30

Wright Outdoor Solutions & Verdure Elements Nature in the City: Urban Parks & Green Spaces Project Spotlights Employee Spotlight Charitable

Page 34 Page 34 Page 36 Page 38 Page 39

CNUC

Page 44 Page 45 Page 48 Page 50

Transmission from the Top Safety Education and Training Around the Grid Terra Spectrum Technologies Second Annual Users Group Conference Developer Download Giving Back

Page 54 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56

Sustainable Environmental Consultants Mourning the Loss of Sustainable Environmental Consultants President John Harsch In The News

Page 57

Spectrum Resource Group The Wright Effect Project Spotlight Conflict Management

Page 61 Page 61 Page 62 Page 64

Sprouts & Shouts

Page 67

Page 57 Page 59

THE WRIGHT

PERSPECTIVE 2021 YEAR IN REVIEW

By Scott D. Packard, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer We have endured many hardships this past year. But it is the manner in which we conducted business, served our customers, and reached numerous milestones that made 2021 a record year for our family of companies.

We have expanded our geographical footprint. We are an international company that operations continue to add new customers and service territories from Puerto Rico to Vermont and Connecticut and stretches across the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and British Columbia.

In alignment with Wright Service Corp.’s (WSC) strategic vision, Transcon Environmental joined our family of companies in November. They are a key investment that aligns with WSC’s vision of accelerating growth through acquisition combined with Transcon’s specialized expertise in environmental planning and consulting. This enables us to deliver even greater value to utility companies, corporations, and agencies to develop or redevelop infrastructure for energy, communications, and mining.

We also expanded the roles within the organization to ensure success for years to come. Austin Kennedy was appointed to the new role of President and Chief Operating Officer.

Derek Vannice continues to serve as Executive Vice President while assuming a new position as Chief Strategy Officer, Environmental Services. Kyle McCann serves as Vice President and General Counsel, Legal Services and Risk Mitigation.

Janelle Thomas assumes the new role of Vice President, Human Resources. Each of these individuals will play a key role in continuing to lead our companies forward.

In September, we marked the official opening of the newly renovated international headquarters in West Des Moines, Iowa, to provide a modernized and safe environment to retain and recruit top-talent and provide efficiencies through services provided by our shared service departments.

We launched an enterprise-wide HR management platform, Workday, to fuel our acceleration in a changing world, to reduce the time to hire, standardize and consolidate workflows.

Wright Foundation for Sustainability and Innovation awarded $125,000 in grant funds to Trees Forever and Friends of Des Moines Parks. Both organizations share a common vision of planting trees in derecho-impacted communities to restore and improve the tree canopy and diversification. These projects will have lasting environmental benefits, improving the quality of life for natural habitat and people alike committed to forward thinking solutions to reduce environmental risk to our communities and the planet at large.

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We published our preliminary corporate social responsibility report, our way of showcasing how we’re delivering the highest level of professional, safe, and environmentally conscious services and solutions to the industry public and the communities we work and live in.

We ranked as the 28th largest employee-owned company in North America. We were recognized by the Iowa/Nebraska chapter of the Employee Stock Ownership Plan Association as the 2021 company of the year and were one of the five finalists for the national recognition.

While we have experienced tremendous growth over the last few years, and in spite of everything 2021 threw at us, our results were remarkable. But what made it truly remarkable were our employees. I could not be prouder of what we accomplished as a team and the support our employees provided to each other.

I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the severe and deeply difficult losses of two phenomenal gentlemen. September 16, 2021, we mourned the loss of Will Nutter, the cornerstone of Wright Tree Service. A man that began his career as a groundperson in 1982 and continued to work through the ranks to become president and COO of Wright Tree Service in 2008. Will had more than four decades in the utility vegetation management industry and was a driving force and influential leader in our family of companies. I want to thank Wade Myers who stepped into the role as president nearly over night. His steady hand and leadership have helped us endure this time.

And as we picked up the pieces and held on to each other, we were deeply saddened to have tragedy yet again. On January 18, we mourned the unexpected loss of John Harsch, a remarkable leader and advocate for innovative solutions to better the planet. John was instrumental in the growth of Sustainable Environmental Consultants (SEC). John’s passion for the industry over 25 years led SEC to be at the forefront.

Words cannot express how much Will Nutter and John Harsch meant to all of us as friends, family, teammates and leaders. For me, and I am sure for many of you, the last two years have been a rollercoaster of emotions – from the joy of new grandchildren to the upheaval in our daily lives to the loss of friends. What has not changed is my view of the shared vision, the strategy of our company as we move forward for the continued health and safety for you and your family. I have not lost my compass. I hope you and your family are safe and healthy, and enjoy reading this edition of the newsletter.

SPRING/SUMMER 2022

THE WRIGHT

PERSPECTIVE W r i g h t s e r v i c e c o r p.

Annual Awards Banquet In 2021, 330 employees celebrated milestones representing five to 40 years of service within our family of companies. Awardees in the U.S. who reached 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 years of service were invited to a banquet on March 11 at the Sheraton in West Des Moines, Iowa. A virtual celebration was held for the 21 awardees in Canada on April 13. In total, those who were recognized for reaching these milestone years make up 2,730 years of experience.

Pacific Division (35)

Division 25

Safety Awards Wright Tree Service (WTS) Pacific Division (35) and Division 25 were awarded WTS’s most prestigious safety awards for 2022. WTS Pacific Division (35) — covering the Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada and Arizona area — received the most improved incident rate award. Division 25) — covering Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maine and a portion of West Virginia) — received the lowest incident rate award.

Congratulations on your dedication and commitment to safety!

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PERSPECTIVE Safety Awards Wright Tree Service Pacific Division (35)

Wright Tree Service division 25

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PERSPECTIVE John Wright Memorial Contest Awards Korri Dillow, child of Joshua Dillow, Wright Tree Service Division 15 General Foreperson, was awarded second place and $400 in Division 4 (9th – 12th grade).

The John Wright Memorial contest honors the memory of both John L. and John R. Wright. It is designed to further the understanding of the importance of trees among the children and grandchildren of Wright Service Corp. employees.

Kaylee Dillow, Child of Joshua Dillow, Wright Tree Service Division 15 General Foreperson, was awarded third place and $200 in Division 4 (9th – 12th grade).

Entries are judged on presentation, originality and effectiveness of the message conveyed about the importance of trees.

Isabelle Hurst

Kids in four divisions submit their multimedia entries: Division 1: Pre-K – 2nd grade Division 2: 3rd – 5th grade Division 3: 6th – 8th grade Division 4: 9th – 12th grade Congratulations and thank you to all who participated in the contest. Both John L. and John R. Wright would be proud!

Mya Sellards, child of Coty Cantrell, Wright Tree Service Division 25 Herbicide Crew Leader, was awarded first place and $100 in Division 1 (Pre-K – 2nd grade).

Mya Sellards

Keona Walker's winning drawing

Keona Walker, child of Todd Walker, CNUC Division 10 Regional Supervisor, was awarded first place and $250 in Division 2 (3rd – 5th grade).

Brynn Burlingame, child of Ryan Burlingame, Wright Outdoor Solutions Account Manager, was awarded second place and $150 in Division 2 (3rd – 5th grade).

Kip Mathers, child of Liz Mathers, Wright Service Corp. Assistant Controller, was awarded third place and $75 in Division 2 (3rd – 5th grade).

Isabelle Hurst, grandchild of John Hurst, Wright Tree Service Retiree, was awarded first place and $400 in Division 3 (6th – 8th grade).

Catie Christenson, child of Rose Christenson, Wright Service Corp. Training and Development Manager, was awarded second place and $200 in Division 3 (6th – 8th grade).

Leo Fox, child of Nick Fox, Wright Tree Service VP of Operations, was awarded second place and $50 in Division 1 (Pre-K – 2nd grade).

Huston Beers, child of Shelley Beers, Wright Service Corp. Senior Paralegal, was awarded third place and $25 in Division 1 (Pre-K – 2nd grade).

The Importance of Trees

Isabelle Hurst's winning photo

Why Are Trees

So Important

Trees are important

, as we all know , but, “Why?” is the important to our question. Why are economy and envir trees so onment? In this essay, I will be expla are so important to our world and ining how trees why we need to keep them safe.

Olivia Lutz's winning poem

Hailey Clark, child of Jake Clark, CNUC Division 15 Lead Consulting Utility Forester, was awarded third place and $125 in Division 3 (6th – 8th grade).

Olivia Lutz, child of Nick Lutz, CNUC Division 15 Lead Consulting Utility Forester, was awarded first place and $600 in Division 4 (9th – 12th grade).

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PERSPECTIVE 5 Year Awards CNUC

James Copeland Tyler Cross Valin Gray Travis Irving Dean Leonard John Lynde Adam Martorano Darryl McIntyre Steven Royer Bill Spencer Sara Stone Johnny Yother

Sp e c t rum Re s ource Group Ashli Oe Joshua Quaite

S u s ta in a bl e En v ironmen ta l C ons ulta n t s Jennifer Jensen

W righ t Ou t door S ol u t ions

Shane Donegan Heather Lappe Summer Wilkinson

W righ t Serv ice C orp.

Frank Archuleta Lacy Fitzpatrick Raphael Garza Virginia Klein Loren Klein Liz Mathers Ashley Mefferd Samantha Schmidt

W righ t T ree Serv ice

Scott Addington Jose Aguila Terry Alaniz Adam Albrecht Juan Alvarado Montano Aaron Anderson Jose BautistaLara Steven Bell Justino Besare Wade Bliss Jose Bonilla Robert Booker Cruz

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Mitchell Brown Zachary Brown Timothy Buchanan Travis Buchanan Timothy Buell Diego Cabrera Dallas Cackler Javier Carbajal Alfred Cardenas James Carmack Bryan Carter Timothy Case German Castaneda Marcos Castro Maikel Castro Quintana Jose Cerezo Perez Brian Christensen Christopher Christoffersen Margarito Cisneros Valle Tyler Cole Hector CorreaRio Arthur Cummins Nicholas Darland Aaron Davis Sterling Davis Mikel Deal Travis Dekine Mario Del Cid Melgar Jeremy Dubois Randy Duncan Timothy Easton Alekzandr Echelle Kelly Ely Zachery Erickson Brandon Erwin Jason Finuf Ernesto Fiscal Vega Sidney Fish Jordon Foth Jerrod Fountain Brian Freitag Albert Friley Julio Fuentes Aguilar Andrew Galloway Patrick Gambino Joshua Gardner Alex Gauna Cipriano Gonzalez Teddy Green Allan Grimes Edgar Guevara Joshua Halley

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Jeremy Harbison Kyle Harris Brian Hauck Kyle Hendershot Juan Hernandez Carlos Hernandez Aguilera Brady Hillegas Marcus Hires Cody Hoopes Christopher Hubsky Patrick Hughett Kevin Humphries Saul Jimenez Reyes Andrew Johnson Rollins Anthony Jones Duane Kirkman Larry Kline James Kohls Benjamin Liljedahl Danny Long Wilson Lopez Hernandez Javier Loyola Dustin Luck Jose Lujan Saucedo Dennis Mabire Devin Mack Michael Mallow Harold Malnar Samuel Manuele Manuel Marquez Galvez Gerardo Martinez Juan Martinez Jonathan McCormack Robert McDaniel Pedro Medina Alejandro Medina Diaz Ricardo Midence-Alberto Ryan Mikrut Chad Miller Daniel Mitchell Travis Mongold Edelberto Monjaras Simon Montero Larry Morales Mario Moreno Aaron Mowery Jonathan Nazario Roman Mark Nichols Dakota Nixon Jon Norstadt Wilmer Ochoa

SPRING/SUMMER 2022

Carlos Ortez John Osorio Del Rio Patrick Parsons Dennis Payne Gregg Payzant Darrell Pearson Christopher Plan Luis Polio Avery Pollock David Potts Matthew Pregon Randy Props Joel Puente Esparza Ryan Quinones Emmanuel Quinonez Valderrama Robert Ratcliff Brandon Reeves Jorge Reyes Salomon Reyes Zarza William Reynolds Roberto Rios Ruiz Mark Rodriguez Jesus Rojo Garcia John Ross Travis Scheibeler Alexander Scheller Joe Schutte Robert Sego Jason Self Kris Shearer Damien Shelangoski Ryan Skiles Aaron Smith Marco Soto Kit Spicer Charles Stewart Nicholas Taverna Jose TorresMartinez Jose Torrez Grant Uber Kevin Vauls Joshua Veach

Ansberto Vega Amado Villalobos Mejia Anthony Vinson Joshua Wewer Skyler Wilson Jason Yost Mario Zarate Julio Zarco Ubaldo Zarco Campos

W righ t T ree Serv ice of C a n a da Wayne Fleury Levon Russell Jamie Wilms Chadwick Winger

Wright Tree Service of the West Ryan Carlyle David Hatton Russell Hiller David Moran Dakota Mosier Sean Neely Loren Offield Kyle Ratliff Saul Yepez Yepez

THE WRIGHT

PERSPECTIVE 10 Year Awards CNUC

Zeb Rosenthal Derek Vannice Michelle Whitney

Sp e c t rum Re s ource Group Mike Kozak Eric Nijboer Rolf Schuetze Jeremy Thompson

T err a Sp e c t rum T e chnol ogie s

Nibaldo Urzua-Hermosilla

W righ t Ou t door S ol u t ions Joseph Bickel

W righ t Serv ice C orp.

Pam Cherry Becky Jordan

W righ t T ree Serv ice Cecilio Alfaro Jose Alvarenga Fidel Alvarez Jose Anaya Armas Thomas Anderson Juan Casillaz Vasquez Jose Cuevas

Keith Darmody Steve Ebsen Dale Fallon Sue Fangman Blake Firestone Manuel Garcia Ventura Jose Guzman Christopher Hartigan Ted Heberling Giovanni Ibarra Lopez Nathan Johnson John Kerst Daniel Kirkwood Sawyer Kyle Lagow Aldo Leal David Locke Jose Lopez Everardo Martinez John McMillon Darin Minder Catalino Molina Charles Nadeau Marcos Ochoa Russell Partridge Thomas Patton Thomas Pearson Ruben Pinto Rodriguez Julio Plaza-Molina Enrique Puebla Michael Rivera Jackie Robinson Jose Rodriguez Acosta

Salvador Saldana Gregorio Sanchez Keith Standlee Derek Steinseifer Erik Sveum David Tabor Shaun Thompson Brett Thornblad Eder Torres Diego Torres Monterrubio Osmin Urbina Escobar Gerardo Ventura Rodney Warriner Joshua Wildeboer

W righ t T ree Serv ice of C a n a da Paul Barnes Jamie Harris Nathan Holmquist Andrew McLellan Bradley Ryan Corrine Winfield

W righ t T ree Serv ice of t he W e s t Rafael Cisneros

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PERSPECTIVE 15 Year Awards Sp e c t rum Re s ource Group Yvon Dubrule Richard Green

W righ t C a n a da Hol ding s

Jesus Vetencourt

W righ t Ou t door S ol u t ions Danny Kraft Amparo Lopez Eugene Waage

W righ t T ree Serv ice Cuauhtemoc Alcauter Bucio

Derek Aubuchon Jose Chavez Brandon Combes Brian Emert William Fritz Armando Gracia Larry Jones Michael Kansier Buddy Lichlyter Jose Lopez Gabriel Lopez Rosario Isidro Lucas William McDowall Juan Mercado Carmelo Miranda Marcos Navarrete Chavez Douglas Oliver Jesus Orellana Romero

John Pentecost Jeannette Riggans Vicente Robles Dennis Scharffbillig Jason Scott James Standlee Afton Stanko Erik Terwey Rafael Varela V Joe Weldon

W righ t T ree Serv ice of C a n a da Chris Gamache Chris Paterson

20 Year Awards Herman Ohr

W righ t Ou t door S ol u t ions Anna Saemisch

W righ t T ree Serv ice Tim Hanson Jose Herrera Paul Hillebrandt Ysaac Munoz Herman Ohr Leonel Tabora

Anna Saemisch

Tim Hanson

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PERSPECTIVE 25 Year Awards

30 Year Awards

W righ t T ree Serv ice

W RIGH T T REE SERV ICE

Chad Brinkman Todd Discher Cory Edwards Jaime Gonzalez Tim Jennings

Al Garrow Jr Ronnie Ogden

35 Year Awards

40 Year Awards

W RIGH T T REE SERV ICE

W RIGH T T REE SERV ICE

Ken Venzke

Cory Edwards

Tony Gadola Scott Schreiter

Tim Jennings

Al Garrow Jr

Tony Gadola

Ken Venzke

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PERSPECTIVE

Thank You

to WOS for creating the wonderful centerpieces for the banquet!

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THE WRIGHT

PERSPECTIVE

OWNERSHIP CORNER COMMITTEE RESTRUCTURE With the leadership of WSC co-chairs Staff Accountant II Aaron Reichter and Payroll and Billing Analyst Sarah McFadden, the Employee Ownership Committee has grown to 23 members with ambassadors identified for each division. The committee is partnering with other employee-owned companies to start Central Iowa networking events to share ownership ideas outside of conferences and build that community.

ESOP CELEBRATION & STATEMENTS On April 20, employees were invited to join an ESOP celebration and statements meeting – a live broadcast with WSC Chairman and CEO Scott Packard and SVP and CFO Jon Hicks. It was a way to celebrate our employee owners. The broadcast included new information, and clarified some common misconceptions about the ESOP. Here are some stats:

447 Employees received their first statement 1,517 Employees hit ESOP milestones this year 203 Employees are on track to get their first statement next year 122 Employees became fully vested this year 151 Employees are on track to be fully vested next year

GUESS THE VALUE WINNER Congratulations to WSC Payroll and Billing Administrative Assistant Valerie Connell who guessed 8 cents off and WOS Sales Manager Seth Balvanz who guessed 17 cents away from the share price of $679.26.

Employees were selected to participate in a fun, virtual game to help reveal the FY2021 share price in a Jeopardy-style game via Teams during a live broadcast on December 10 before the winners of the Guess the Value contest were revealed.

OWNERSHIP MONTH October was Employee Ownership Month and the Employee Ownership Committee planned a number of virtual events and activities all month long. Whether employees were current participants in the ESOP or not, everyone was encouraged to participate in a month of fun and learning that allows employees to gain a deeper appreciation for what it means to be an employeeowner! Thank you to everyone who participated in these activities including the golden ticket virtual broadcast, pumpkin carving contest, Where’s Wrighty, a special employee-owned merch collection, and fundraising with the ESOPATHON.

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Here are some testimonials from our newly 100% vested participants: “It feels greatly appreciated to know that I’m completely vested into a company that I admire and respect. I’m excited to continue my journey and see what the future brings in Wright Tree Service. I spread employee culture daily by having great communication with our employees every day building a safe and friendly environment where we can experience new places and problem solve any situation as a group. Always pushing toward working as a team and making everybody available to have a voice in our company.” – Joel Rendon, WTS “It makes me feel very proud to be a part of this company. I spread employee-owned culture every day by talking about our values as a company and encouraging our brothers and sisters to take care of one another. We're all in this together.”- Mike Johnson, CNUC “Being 100% vested to me means: I'm all in and invested fully to the company and my future now more than ever before. All that I do in my career, and helping others succeed, grows the company and my own future. I am an Employee Owner.”

– Taylor Erickson, WSC

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PERSPECTIVE

NEW AND ON THE MOVE

ESOP Resources

Congratulations to the following WSC corporate office employees who were appointed, promoted or certified since the last issue was published through March!

Visit wrightservicecorp.imagerelay. com/fl/WSCESOPResources for internal resources such as: • ESOP celebration broadcast recording • Employee Milestones • Newly enrolled • First statement • Fully vested • How to Access Your Principal Account • ESOP FAQs • ESOP Guides If you are interested in learning more about your statement, training is available.

• English Training • Spanish Training The ESOP Association’s website, www.esopassociation.org, is also a great resource!

NEW

Business Systems Administrator II Kati Livingood

Accounting & Finance

Information Security Assurance Analyst Hannah Hamann

Financial Analyst Carri Parton Staff Accountants Connor DeLude Rick Hopke Rak Jarnagin Payroll & Billing Specialists Alex Crile Karen Kulisky

Safety

Employee Well-being

Executive Administrative Services

Marketing & Communications

Senior Paralegal & Corporate Secretary Shelley Beers

Fleet Supervisor Jesse Dusheck Fleet Maintenance Coordinator Travis Clark

Environmental Sustainability

Community Engagement

Human Resources (HR) Compensation & Benefits Manager Gretchen Forristall HR Business Partner Allison McCoy Recruiting Specialists Mallory Griffith Taylor Maroste Mercedes Wiegmann Brooke Wolfe Senior HRIS Service Desk Representative Mike Fisher HRIS Analyst Alexis Argueta

Information Technology (IT)

2021 SUSTAINABILITY REPORT Preliminary Corporate Social Responsibility Report

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IT Service Desk Manager Michael Buckley Manager Core Business Systems – Run Russ Greenwood

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Assistant Asset Procurement Coordinator Matthew Bonsall

Legal Services & Risk Mitigation

Fleet

WSC recently released its sustainability report for 2021.

We’ve continued to make progress and strive to deliver the highest level of professional, safe and environmentally conscious services and solutions to the industry, public and communities we work and live in. You can view the full report at wrightservicecorp.com/ sustainability.

Systems Administrator I Juan Ramirez

Accounts Payable Clerk Tawana Young

Executive Administrative Assistant Theresa Lees

2021 WSC Sustainability Report

Service Desk Analyst I Frank Valdez

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Corporate Counsel Amy Gandhi

Marketing & Communications Coordinator Emma Gerdis

Payroll & Billing Payroll & Billing Manager Julie Clarken Payroll & Billing Supervisors Melissa Mark Robin Younger Payroll & Billing Specialists Leslee Harrison Amy Irwin Megan Kane Kristen Knudsen Stacey Lundquist Jen McCarroll Gabby McKinney Garrett Miller Logan Prescott Lauren Rogers Andria Swanson Jacquelin Veldhuizen Payroll & Billing Administrator Andrea Harris

Training & Development LMS Specialist Kari Voss Training & Development Business Partner I Kevin Grady Erin Husmann

THE WRIGHT

PERSPECTIVE Mission ON THE MOVE

Legal Services & Risk Mitigation

Accounting & Finance

Risk Safety Project Manager Daniel Thacker

Operations Data Analyst Lucas Loftin Staff Accountant II Kayla Fairlie Raphael Garza Aaron Reichter Staff Accountant Amanda Parker

Executive Administrative Services Executive Administrative Services Manager Dani Welsch

Fleet

Risk Fire Management Coordinator Chance Lockett

Management President & COO Austin Kennedy

Executive Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer, Environmental Services Derek Vannice Vice President & General Counsel, Legal Services & Risk Mitigation Kyle McCann Vice President, Human Resources Janelle Thomas

Fleet Director Kevin Fitzpatrick

Payroll & Billing

Fleet Manager Matt Lair

Payroll Tax Manager Chris Piper

Fleet Supervisor Brandon Wicker

Payroll & Billing Managers Kelsie Ketchum Brandy Kriener Chelsea Medearis

HR

HRIS Manager Colleen Beaver Recruiting & HR Compliance Manager Julie Leigh Lead Recruiting Specialist Jordan Webb

Payroll & Billing Supervisors Abby Muller Nathan Watson Data Administrator Supervisor Tony Stickel Payroll & Billing Analyst Sarah McFadden

IT

· To support and guide each of the Wright Service Corp. companies to achieve its individual mission. · To enable the growth and success of our family of companies as a whole and ensure attractive value appreciation to our employee owners. · To provide team members with an environment that enables them to achieve their personal and professional goals. · To make a positive difference in the communities we serve.

Vision · Leverage our core competencies to create new environmental product lines and services. · By 2024 traditional business lines will represent 50% of the company's gross profit margin while continuing to remain #2 in our core market segments. · Expand into new services and market segments that will align customer and environmental needs with our expertise and capabilities. · Grow our company in the U.S., Canada, and beyond. · Attract, retain and reward the highest quality talent in the industry.

Values SAFETY It is everyone's responsibility – we each own it.

Director of IT Kyle Koch Jon Wedemeyer

INTEGRITY We abide by the highest ethical standards.

Manager Core Business Systems – Build Pavan Raghavendra

EXCELLENCE We continually strive to exceed our customer's expectations – and our own expectations.

Information Security Lead Taylor Erickson

TEAMWORK It is how we operate and we hold each other accountable.

Service Desk Team Leads Daniel Dinneen Tristan Nicholson

INNOVATION We anticipate our clients' needs and we deliver creative services & solutions.

Business Systems Administrator III Peggy Kearney

FAMILY It is our foundation; it is who we are.

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THE WRIGHT

PERSPECTIVE New Roles at Wright Service Corp.

In alignment with Wright Service Corp.’s strategic vision, we are excited to announce new and expanded roles within the organization. Over the last several years, we have been working on identifying and seizing opportunities for strategic and operational improvement for our family of companies.

“To ensure success for years to come, to better serve our clients and communities, we reexamined our talent, structure and resources.” said Chairman and CEO Scott Packard.

“I’m excited for the future of our company and looking forward to where our leadership team and thousands of dedicated employees will continue to grow our business.”

Effective January 1, 2022, the following individuals have new or redesigned roles at Wright Service Corp.: Austin Kennedy, President and Chief Operating Officer Derek Vannice, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Environmental Services Kyle McCann, Vice President and General Counsel and Vice President, Legal Services and Risk Mitigation Janelle Thomas, Vice President, Human Resources

OUTSIDE PERSPECTIVE TWENTY FEET

By Todd Musselman, Coach and March Management Meeting Guest Speaker Twenty feet, it's a pretty short distance really, but to me, it’s one of the more interesting distances in the human condition.

The twenty feet I’m talking about is the approximate distance between your back door and your car door. In my experience, a lot of decisions are made inside those twenty feet that have some of us either playing small by choosing comfort or playing big by really going for it, whatever “it” might be.

In my own life, I have charged out the back door psyched to go do something productive or adventurous, only to have that annoying little voice convince me that comfort is the ultimate state of being; luring me back inside before I ever reach the car door. And when I have done this, you can hear my spirit being vacuumed from my body. Have you done this?

How did it go for you?

Of course, there's nothing wrong with being comfortable, in fact, it seems a whole lot of people are trying to create that in their life. The only problem, if you want to even call it a problem, is that being comfortable keeps us well, comfortable, which is great unless you want to grow as a human being. Because, most, if not all personal growth happens inside the realm of being uncomfortable, sometimes damn uncomfortable. If you think about it, it’s fair to say that every relationship ever started, every business ever built, every adventure ever had all started in the realm of discomfort. And out of that discomfort came growth. Because personal growth happens when we are willing to risk failure by putting ourselves out there. It happens when we take bold action, even when the outcome is unknown. It happens when we actually get in the car.

Personal growth does not happen when we succumb to being comfortable; when deciding which channel to click on is the most difficult choice we must make for the day or night. And it doesn't happen when we play it safe, intoxicated by the path of least resistance. Don't get me wrong, I love the very occasional lazy day of nothingness as much as the next person, and I have certainly taken the path of least resistance more times than I would like to recall. That said, I have never once documented the remarkable results I created while playing it safe. Nor can I think of one memory worth recounting that was created during a lazy day. Nope, I have never called a friend to report the awesome experience I had while sitting on my couch all day in lieu of being on the river or going for a hike with my family. And there is no photo of me taking a nap in front of my TV with the caption “I really went for it today”. In fact, as I go through my catalog of photos it’s amazing how often they depict me being in some kind of action, either doing something I love or being with someone that I love.

And therein lies the key…taking action. The universe rewards action. The only prize you get for being complacent is the boobie prize. One of my favorite quotes of all time is “Your spirit meets you at the point of action!!” What actions are you taking that have you connecting to your spirit? Could you take them more often? What result would that create in your life?

Metaphorically speaking, getting in the car can be the most difficult part of any experience worth having, at least to me. It takes some measure of courage and commitment to break through the temptation that comfort offers. But comfort is so overrated, it does nothing to propel us forward. So, the next time the allure of comfort shows up inside those 20 feet it might be worth considering a life that is fulfilling is created on the field actually playing the game, not in the stands watching the game.

Comfort or growth...which do you choose?

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PERSPECTIVE CONGRATULATIONS, LEAD PROGRAM CLASS OF 2022 Congratulations to the newest graduating cohort of the Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) Program. LEAD is an 18-month, WSC sponsored leadership, training and development program. Following a nomination process, individuals who have shown they are dedicated to their career and growth within our family of companies are selected. We utilize this program to give selected employees a comprehensive perspective of our family of companies, a platform for crosscompany networking, and the tools to enhance their leadership potential. Since the program’s inception, 61 employees have graduated from the program. This cohort took place nearly 100% virtually, except for their final session in November 2021 leading to graduation, which included capstone presentations to management across all companies.

CNUC Ben Keck Spectrum Resource Group Richard Green Joshua Quaite Breanne Truman Sustainable Environmental Consultants Jennifer Jensen Terra Spectrum Technologies Nathan Jones Wright Outdoor Solutions Jason Brauckman

Alyson Murphy Mariana Rodriguez Jon Wedemeyer Brandon Wicker Wright Tree Service Aaron Anderson Keith Craney Jorge Huerta Nate Johnson Matthew Lenhart John Pentecost Alejandro Reyes Joshua Wildeboer Jason Yost Wright Tree Service of Canada Chris Gamache

Wright Service Corp.

Sam Mintle Katie Moehn

First Responders In 2021, the WSC Legal and Risk Mitigation Department organized a first responders’ team with the goal of having trained employees onsite at the WSC headquarters in case of emergencies. The team includes 15 employees from different departments in the office and have designated areas they are assigned to within the building. They meet periodically, receive training, and are involved in the planning and performance of emergency drills.

A first responder is: • P repared to take action during emergencies.

• E xpected to be available at the office on a regular basis.

TRANSCON ENVIRONMENTAL JOINS THE FAMILY A warm welcome to Transcon Environmental, Inc., the newest addition to the WSC family of companies who joined us in November 2021.

“The acquisition of Transcon is a key investment that aligns with Wright Service Corp.’s vision of accelerating growth through acquisition,” said Chairman and CEO Scott Packard.

“Combined with Transcon’s specialized expertise in environmental planning and consulting will enable us to deliver even greater value to utility companies, corporations, and agencies to develop or redevelop infrastructure for energy, communications, and mining.”

Transcon’s leadership has built a business with a loyal base of customers that provide a solid foundation on which to grow. The company has a special connection with the markets in Arizona, California, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming.

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• R equired to work with the Legal and Risk Mitigation Department for evaluation and enhancement of the Emergency Action Plan.

• E xpected to collaborate in trainings.

• R equired to keep a CPR, first aid, & AED certification; with additional training to be provided at company expense.

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family tree WRIGHT TREE SERVICE

Wreaths Across America This past holiday season, WTS wanted to give back in a big way. We are passionate about our servicemen and women, and we wanted to do what we could to remember our fallen U.S. veterans and honor those who serve.

On December 18th, members from our crews in multiple locations across the U.S. volunteered their time to place wreaths at each soldier's grave in honor of their sacrifice. Thank you to each individual who took part in the day with Wreaths Across America.

The sponsorship helped fund the purchase of 166 wreaths across the U.S. for this special day.

Thank you to each individual that took part in the day with Wreaths Across America. Below is a list of WTS employees who volunteered.

This is an annual event where wreaths are placed at each soldier’s grave at more than 2,500 cemetery locations nationwide in honor of their sacrifice. In addition to volunteering, WTS provided a sponsorship to Wreaths Across America as a special thank you to our veterans.

• Project Manager (PM) Mark Pitt (US Army Infantry veteran) and wife Tammy Pitt • Acting PM Corey Olcheske and wife Courtney, and children Karis & Kaiven • SET Safety Supervisor Evan Beck • Crew Leader Josh Bowman (US Marine veteran) • Crew Leader Ryan Mikrut (US Navy veteran)

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• Field Safety Professional Mark Ecker (US Coast Guard veteran) • General Foreperson Tracy Bunton • PM Robert Slover and son Espin Slover • General Foreperson Salvador Campos • General Foreperson Yancy Goggin and wife Robin Goggin • Crew Leader Rodrigo Perez

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• PM Rob Bellew • Trimmer Dan Bruner • Foreperson Stephan Daniels and wife Caitlin Daniels • Foreperson Joe Beatman and wife Jenna Beatman

FROM THE TREETOP: SPECIAL EDITION The Vondal Legacy ur From the Treetop section is typically written by a member O of our leadership team, but this article is a special edition to the newsletter, as Doug Vondal retires this summer. This article was originally published on the Wright Tree Service website in December 2021 and has been adapted to fit Our Family Tree.

It is a rare occasion to hear of someone working at the same company for their entire career, but for Doug Vondal that is exactly the case and has been for 43 years.

Doug started with WTS in Dubuque, Iowa at just 18 years of age and only seven weeks out of high school. In addition to his impressive longevity, Doug is a WTS legacy thanks to his dad who worked for WTS for 40 years before retiring. “I originally wanted to be an auto mechanic,” Doug said when asked why he followed in his dad’s footsteps. “But I remember hearing that WTS was hiring and was always intrigued by my dad’s job. I told the division supervisor, ‘I’m the guy you want for this job.’ He hired me on the spot.”

A driving factor of the job for Doug was the opportunity to work outdoors. This was also mixed with seeing his dad do the work and, in Doug’s words, being a “stubborn kid” who wanted to try out the job. He always knew it was something he could do, but he never imagined it would turn into a lifelong career.

Through the years, Doug has climbed up the ladder at WTS, working first as a groundworker truck driver, then groundworker, moved up the climbing ranks to journeyman, crew leader and finally to his current role of general foreperson. Even with the growth and change in the company over the years, the opportunities for advancement have always been consistent, which is something that Doug has always appreciated. “It doesn’t matter what you do or where you start, there is always more to learn,” says Doug.

One thing that stands out to Doug about WTS is not only the commitment to the work being done, but the commitment to safety while on the job. “I’ve been around for 40 years of changing equipment and a changing industry, and these changes have made the job easier and more efficient,” says Doug. “That being said, we still start each day with a ‘stand down’ to go over factors of the work to be done and reminders on how to take care of ourselves and each other.”

OUR VISION

» WTS will continue to be recognized by utilities as providers of the highest levels of quality, service, responsiveness, reliability and value.

OUR MISSION » To enable gas and electric utilities to provide reliable

service to their customers by ensuring that transmission and distribution lines are clear of vegetation.

» To provide attractive value appreciation to our employee owners.

» To provide team members with an environment

that enables them to achieve their personal and professional goals.

» To make a positive difference in the communities we serve.

OUR VALUES » SAFETY It is everyone’s responsibility – we each own it.

» INTEGRITY We abide by the highest ethical standards.

» EXCELLENCE We continually strive to exceed our

customer’s expectations — and our own expectations.

» TEAMWORK It is how we operate and we hold each other accountable.

» INNOVATION We anticipate our clients’ needs and we deliver creative services & solutions.

» FAMILY It is our foundation; it is who we are.

Doug’s favorite part of his job is getting to share his knowledge and experiences with the crews he works with. “I’ve really just enjoyed the company over the years and watching the progress and growth,” he says. “I’ve met a lot of people and I think I have made lasting impressions on them.”

With a career like Doug’s, it’s hard to imagine WTS without him. As for when he might retire, he isn’t sure yet. “As long as my health holds up, I’d like to stay a little while longer,” Doug says.

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Whatever the future holds, we are grateful that Doug chose a lifelong career with WTS. Thank you, Doug, for your dedication to your coworkers and this company!

Esta en nuestra página de internet! Escanee el código QR con su teléfono inteligente o dirijase a issuu.com/wrightservicecorp.

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Welcome, President Wade Myers!

NEW, ON THE MOVE, & CERTIFIED Congratulations to all our employees who have recently been hired or promoted! We welcome all new employees to the WTS family and are excited for the employees who are continuing to grow in their career with us.

Thank you for being part of our team!

CERTIFIED New International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborists® Division 20 •Salvador Campos Alfaro

In October, we welcomed Wade Myers as the new president of WTS. Promoted from the position of senior vice president of operations, Myers will continue to focus on the company’s mission of safety and operational excellence while bringing a wealth of leadership experience and passion for the industry.

"My goal in leading this organization is to build on the achievements of the past 88 years and maintain its high level of standards in safety," said President Wade Myers.

Myers joined WTS as a groundworker in 1987. He advanced from general foreperson, division manager, vice president to senior vice president of operations through exemplary performance and commitment. He has a record of strong leadership, combined with his deep industry knowledge and institutional tenure, which makes Wade uniquely qualified to lead WTS successfully into the future.

Division 25 •Michael Mallow Division 35 •Michael Hammerquist

Tony Gadola Retires After 40 Years of Service Congratulations to Tony Gadola on his years of service with WTS! After 40 years, Tony retired as a division manager on February 4, 2022.

Division 40 •Kevin Brown Division 65 •John Ross

“No matter where Tony went or what position he held, he created an amazing environment that aligned with our culture of safety, family and teamwork,” said Jerry Black, vice president of operations.

“He always took the time to pass on his experience and knowledge to other employees, and I know he was a mentor for a lot of people."

RETIREMENTS Congratulations to these four individuals on their retirements! We are thankful for their dedicated service to the WTS family, and wish them all the best in retirement!

•Kenneth Carman •Steven Ford •Bob Lien •Tony Gadola

Tony's career with WTS began in 1982 as a groundworker, and later moved into the roles of trimmer, crew leader, general foreperson, division supervisor, and ended as a division manager.

Gadola resided in five states during his tenure with the company, including Kansas, Illinois, Michigan, Oklahoma and Iowa.

Tony's position will be filled by Afton Stanko. “Accepting the promotion to Division Manager has been bittersweet. I’m replacing my 15-year mentor, friend, and boss who has dedicated 40 years to Wright Tree Service," said Afton. "It is hard to see him go, he has definitely left some big shoes to fill, and he will be missed. But I’m happy he is starting this new chapter in his life. I am eager to lead this successful division and will continue to make a positive contribution to Wright Tree Service. We have an exceptional leadership team, and I’m proud be a part of it.“ Thank you, Tony, for your dedication to this company and the industry!

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SAFETY EDUCATION & TRAINING Training and Leadership: The Road to Safety By

Nate Demby, Division Manager

When you work in the utility vegetation management (UVM) industry, safety should be your primary focus. The industry has dangers and there are opportunities for serious injury. Many of you reading this might be a service provider for utility companies. It is essential that we have an industry of trained professionals, working for companies with strong safety cultures, with the end goal of all of us going home to our families safely every day. What is the secret to making this happen?

The more I work in this industry, the more I’m finding that building up and training leaders is the answer.

Speaking on behalf of the company, we prioritize safety above all else, making it our top value and the foundation on which we make our decisions. We have strong leaders at all levels of the company, a strong safety culture that has

been built over the last several decades, and trained professionals who are eager to learn.

I’d like to share some of the things that we do as a company that others can adopt to help build a company of trained, safety-conscious leaders.

In order to build leaders at your company, you need to invest in them. And that starts on day one of employment, with training opportunities at the employees’ fingertips. The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) is foundational to our industry to ensure that you have a company of trained professionals.

The ISA manages the professional credentialing program for our industry, which helps ensure that we have qualified, knowledgeable tree care professionals. A tested and proven system is needed to maintain safe, reliable, innovative, and honest customer and public service. The ISA helps us achieve this. WTS leverages these opportunities to introduce our employees to a higher level of training so that we have educated and safetyfocused employees on all of our contracts.

You can learn about all six ISA certification credentials by going to isa-arbor.com/certification

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family tree NATE DEMBY PROMOTED TO DIVISION MANAGER Nate Demby was promoted to division manager over Division 15. Nate has been with WTS for over 10 years, and in that time, he has demonstrated exceptional leadership and dedication to the company. From his starting role as a groundworker to his current position as division manager, Nate has always exemplified the core values of the company.

"Being part of Wright Tree means a great deal to me and my family. I am honored and humbled by the opportunity to work with—and for—some of the best people in the industry," said Demby. "I am very excited to continue to grow with this powerful team and look forward to sharing the same investment in others that was shared with me, right here at Wright Tree Service."

THE LATE WILL NUTTER WINS POSTHUMOUS TCIA AWARD OF MERIT Will Nutter, our late president and COO, posthumously received the Tree Care Industry Association’s (TCIA) 2021 Award of Merit. His son Ethan, and wife Cami, were in attendance at the TCIA Winter Manager Conference to receive the award that recognized the life and career of Will and his dedication to the UVM industry. With more than four decades in the UVM industry, Will was a driving force and influential leader serving as the past president of the Utility Arborist Association (UAA) and the chair of TREE Fund Board of Trustees.

Watch the video honoring Will on TCIA’s YouTube channel.

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CHALLENGE COINS Through the Challenge Coin program, WTS CEO, president, vice presidents of operations, and safety and risk managers recognize employees with special coins when they go above and beyond in exhibiting our company’s values. Deserving of the recognition since last October is: Safety Coin DIVISION 20 • Brandon Walsh • Chad Coon

Near Miss Chad Coon and Brandon Walsh were driving in their WTS bucket truck and observed a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction coming into their lane. As it approached, it drifted further into their lane. Chad, who was driving the bucket truck, was forced to take action by maneuvering into a far lane on the opposite side of the white line. When the vehicle passed them, nearly striking their bucket truck and missed by only inches, Chad noticed in the driver mirror that the vehicle struck a school bus head on.

He immediately turned all emergency lights on and safely parked the bucket truck in the middle of the road to stop oncoming traffic and prevent further accidents. Chad and Brandon got out of the bucket truck, grabbed their fire extinguishers and ran toward the accident. They administered the fire extinguishers under the hood where the fire was coming from, and then Chad went to the school bus to help the large number of children aboard. Chad opened the back door of the bus to let everyone out and guided them to a safe spot. Chad removed the fire extinguishers from the bus to continue putting out the fire that had reignited. They exhausted those fire extinguishers, and noticed a railroad truck down the highway, knowing they would have more fire extinguishers.

They retrieved a fire extinguisher and crow bar from the railroad truck and began administering the extinguisher on the car that again had been reignited.

Chad was attempting to free the man inside the car with the crowbar. They exhausted another fire extinguisher, and noticed a sheriff deputy arriving on scene. He provided his extinguisher and continued to aid in helping the children’s safety. As the fifth fire extinguisher was being exhausted and Chad still attempting to free the man inside the car, a fire truck arrived on scene. Chad and Brandon stepped back to let them do their job. The man was freed from the car.

A fire rescue team member approached Chad and Brandon, commending them for their efforts, and said, “You guys probably just saved a life here today.”

Amazing act of bravery and heroism to Chad and Brandon!

Submit a Safety Suggestion

At Wright Tree Service, safety is our number one value. If you have a safety suggestion, compliment, concern or general comment, we invite you to submit it to our safety suggestion box. Find it online at www.wrighttree.com, or use your smartphone to open the QR code on the left. The code will direct to the safety suggestion box, allowing you to submit your suggestion easily from your mobile device.

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GF SCHOOL GF School is a weeklong program where WTS employees participate in a variety of trainings and hands on exercises to build a solid foundation to be more effective at their position. The goal of GF School is to educate and train our GFs to build a strong and productive workforce.

In January, February and March of 2022, 54 WTS employees gathered at the corporate office in West Des Moines, Iowa, for GF School. Congratulations to all participants!

CENTRAL DIVISION • Josh Cloud • Sam Gatley • Brandon Moir • Steve Olson • Robert Potarf • Raymond Wolken NORTH DIVISION • Kyle Hogan • Robert Lawlyes • Damon Muscarella DIVISION 25 • Dale Campbell • Kelly Ely • Michael Kosciuszko MOUNTAIN STATES DIVISION • Jason Finuf PACIFIC DIVISION • Barrett Baugher • Dewron Baze • Robert Sego • Allen Storns WTSW • Carlos Rodriguez • Todd Wanger

SOUTHEAST DIVISION • Edward Barber • Russell Bray • Michael Charles • Cody Owens • David Young DIVISION 45 • Raul Claros • Michael VanKirk SOUTHWEST DIVISION • Brian Walker DIVISION 55 • Domingo Reyes • Cassidy Weston • Jordan Waller LONE STAR DIVISION • Santos Aguilera • Raul Alvarez • Carlos Hernandez • Tony Morales • Rudis Ventura DIVISION 65 • Ron Carman • Ricardo MidenceAlberto

MINNKOTA DIVISION • Glenn Erickson • Jake Schweisthal DIVISION 80 • Bacilio Alcala Jr. • Jorge Cuellar • Juan Espinosa • Ruben Gonzalez DIVISION 85 • E mmanuel Ortiz-Sangtiago • Nadine Rodriguez • Alfonso Serrano DIVISION 87 • David Craddock • Teddy Green • Horace Shelton SAFETY, EDUCATION AND TRAINING • James Beery • Jon McCormack • Reinier OdioRuiz • Kristian Schultz

Through the Corporate Department of Transportation (DOT) Audit Program, the Risk Department recognizes employees that have successfully completed a random DOT audit on a WTS truck and have received written documentation from a DOT officer with branded duffle bags. Those deserving of the recognition since last fall include: Division 15 •Jared Pickett

Division 50 •Juan Ebanez

Division 20 •Cody Brechbuhler •Jeremy Tedford

Division 55 • Lisandro Arteta Herrera

Division 25 •Benjamin Baun •James Walden

Division 65 • Yoan Socas Espino

Division 35 •Rick Boyd •Spencer Moore •Gregg Payzant Division 40 •Ryan Minix •Glen Varney

Division 70 • Lance Edwards Division 87 • Siaosi Pohiva • Michael Stounder • Ismael Torres

NEW DIVISION: WRIGHT TREE SERVICE OF PUERTO RICO In November, the expansion of Wright Tree Service to cover Puerto Rico commenced!

A special thank you to the individuals who have spent time there helping to set up operations and making it successful!

Class of February 2022

Class of January 2022

CORPORATE DOT AUDIT AWARD

Class of March 2022

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family tree JERRY BLACK PROMOTED TO VICE PRESIDENT WTS recently named Jerry Black as vice president of operations.

Black has over 20 years of experience working for WTS in the utility vegetation management industry. He started his career with WTS in 1998 and has held several positions within the company including trimmer, general foreperson, project manager, division manager and regional manager. In his new role as vice president of operations, Black will oversee operations in the Midwest and South regions of the United States.

“Jerry has earned his place in our company through growth and success, and I am proud that he will be representing us in this new role,” said President Wade Myers.

“Jerry shares our company values and mission with his passion for safety, training, and the education of our employees. Over Jerry’s career he has been exposed to a diverse customer base, allowing him to develop a wealth of knowledge that he continues to bring to our customers to meet their needs.”

CENTRAL SOUTH DIVISION ADOPTS A FAMILY Blaine Flory, Rusty Ecord, Josh Finch, Dakota Nixon, and Nate Demby adopted a family and purchased gifts to give a local family in need.

“I’m very proud to be part of this team and see them give back to those in need!” said Division Manager Nate Demby.

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NEWS FROM THE BRANCHES Compliments were submitted to the company by various members of the public and we'd like to commend the following individuals. These are organized by division and utility customer.

CENTRAL DIVISION

MidAmerican Energy "I would like to take the time to acknowledge two outstanding employees we have on our team as an awesome story arose from a storm restoration call. Brandon Reeves and Dakotah Gardner were dispatched to a call around 2:30 p.m. and when they arrived on scene, the crew noticed a very strong odor of gas. The crew proceeded to knock on the door and no one answered. The crew did the proper protocol and notified me and called MidAmerican and the gas department was called. When all crews arrived, we finally made contact as the homeowner answered the door and was very discombobulated and did not know where she was and had no sense of smell.

The gas department shut off all gas, and they reported that it was at explosive levels.

This was a huge near miss and who knows what would of happened if we did not get a storm call at the property. I commend my team and we always train on what to do in emergency times."

General Foreperson Jesse Roberson complimenting crew members Brandon Reeves and Dakotah Gardner MidAmerican Energy "Thank you to the group of men employed by your company who came out to help me resolve my power outage. Your employees from the Iowa City and Waterloo area were very professional, kind, and hard working. Sorry you were out cutting my trees so late at night. I didn’t get a chance to thank you before you left. Thanks a lot and god bless!"

Several crew members

CENTRAL SOUTH DIVISION

Evergy "The crew working on my street went over and beyond!"

Several crew members Evergy "These guys are doing an awesome job. Usually there’s a mess when there are tree crews in my area, but not this truck and not this crew!"

Several crew members Evergy "I wanted to pass along a compliment. A team of your tree trimmers were working on my property, and I was just so impressed with them."

Several crew members Evergy "I would like to express my thanks for the work performed by your crew, sub contracted with Evergy. The individuals were very professional and highly courteous towards their work performance and customer relationship. They went beyond their duties listening and cutting the trees in a professional manner. They took pride in not just cutting the trees, but wanted them to still look like a tree.

Were very cautious in where the limbs fell and not destroying the surrounding area or bushes etc. I applaud them in there work. Please pass on to them what a good job Wright Tree Service and they did. Once again thank you for being professionals."

Several crew members

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family tree Evergy "Yesterday we had a big storm. A tree crew came out, went to the back and removed the tree from the power line. I am very appreciative of the speed in which they arrived and the great job they did."

Crew Leader Roberto Alvarez and Trimmer Brallan Alvarez Evergy "The crew did a great job and I was very impressed by the work they did. Looks great!"

Several crew members

NORTH DIVISION

Evergy "I wanted to let you know how pleased I was with the work your crews did. They cleaned up and did an excellent job."

Several crew members Evergy "I wanted to pass along my gratitude and thanks for the professionalism and the great job that two of your workers provided me. They were extremely professional, kind, and courteous. I was just very impressed with the service they provided me. I wanted to pass that along."

Several crew members Ameren "A team has been in my neighborhood for about a week trimming trees around power lines. I have never witnessed a more professional or polite crew."

Several crew members Ameren "Wright came to do my trees this morning because of the electric wires. Ameren contracts tree services to trim their trees near the wires. Wright was very friendly.

They knocked on my door and let me know what they were doing and asked if I needed to go anywhere. Then they said that if I needed to leave to let them know and they would move. Very friendly and very professional. They also did a good job trimming our two trees. They didn’t butcher the trees like the other company did. I am very satisfied with their work.

Thank you!"

Several crew members Ameren "I wanted to let you guys know the crew did an excellent job with their job brief.

They were extremely thorough. One of the crew members memorized the address to the nearest hospital. Pretty impressive.

He understood what the hazards of the

job and informed me of a bee hive that was kicked up, and also identified poison ivy in the area and warned of it. I had a good conversation with them. Overall the crew did a great job. It seems to be a direct reflection of the leadership they have."

Crew Leader Marcos Navarrete Chavez, and Trimmers Jeremy Tedford and Mark Stanley

DIVISION 25

American Electric Power (AEP) "I’d like to share a message about a tree service that was on my property. I’ve worked with OSHA regulations and guidelines in my work. I’d like to commend the crew that was on my property. I couldn’t believe the precautions they took and followed all the OSHA guidelines for tree cutting. They put out the appropriate cones. I was very impressed. They were very personable, very professional, and very secure and safety conscious."

General Foreperson Mike Kosciuszko, Crew Leaders Grant Uber and Jonathan Himes, Trimmers Justin Leise, Frank Edinger, and Zachary Barnhart, and Groundworker Ryan Gilliland AEP "I wanted to tell you how impressed we were with the work done by Jordan Roberts and Patrick Hughett! They trimmed our maple tree, and while I know that AEP’s motto is “clearance, not appearance”, your men did a wonderful job of making the tree look attractive. They also cleaned up every branch, twig, and leaf that came down when they trimmed. We were so impressed with their work and their friendliness!!

Great job, Jordan and Patrick!"

Crew Leader Jordan Roberts and Trimmer Patrick Hughett AEP "Adam was very courteous, professional and did a great job taking care of the large logs on our property."

General Foreperson Adam Pritts AEP "A crew that you have in my area working along power lines. Absolutely wonderful crew here. I’m a 73 year old grumpy guy that has done quality and safety work my Continued on page 26

Division 25 Project Manager Mark Pitt’s son Brad graduated from the United States Air Force basic training.

Congratulations, and thank you for your service!

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NEW DIVISION MANAGER AFTON STANKO Afton Stanko was promoted to division manager over Division 50.

Stanko, an active member of the Utility Arborist Association safety committee since 2017, has worked with WTS for 15 years. He started as a groundworker, before being promoted to crew leader, general foreperson, division supervisor, and now division manager in 2021 where he will oversee operations in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas.

“I’m proud to be part of the Wright Tree Service leadership team,” said Stanko. “Our division has dedicated employees who care about each other and our company’s success, and I’m excited about our future.”

NEW DIVISION MANAGER EVER ACOSTA Ever Acosta has been promoted to division manager in a newly created division for Wright Tree Service, Division 85 in Puerto Rico.

“The creation of a new division needs to be led by someone who cares about the company and wants the best for its employees,” said Cory Kobernick, regional manager. “Ever was the perfect fit to lead this new division and the employees within it.

I know it’ll be successful under his direction.”

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family tree DAVID CRADDOCK RECEIVES PROMOTION TO DIVISION MANAGER David Craddock has been promoted to division manager over Division 87. David, an International Society of Arboriculture Certified Arborist, has been in the utility vegetation management industry for 22 years and the utility industry for 32 years. He joined WTS in 2021 as a division supervisor before being promoted to his current position of division manager. Craddock currently oversees utility vegetation management operations for three companies across the state of Florida.

“I feel fortunate to lead a successful division and be part of a company like Wright Tree Service,” said Craddock.

“We have an outstanding leadership team and I’m proud to join a team of others who care about the company and its employees.”

entire life. These guys are exceptional. The last contractor we had on our property were not doing a great job, and that lack of service is a big difference to your superb service. It’s refreshing to see how wonderful you guys are and I wanted to tell someone and compliment you all."

Several crew members "I am very happy with the job the crew just performed. They were awesome, polite, pleasant, respectful and left no mess when they were done. I’m very impressed!"

Crew members Irving Crawford, Zach Blum, Jimmy Freily, Cody Cantrell, Mikael Cantrell, Brian McDaniel and Kelly Ely

MOUNTAIN STATES DIVISION

Xcel Energy "The crew at my house yesterday were great. I wanted to call and give them a big thanks and let Wright Tree Service and Xcel know what a super job they did. They were very polite, they cleaned everything up and didn’t leave anything. Just wanted to say thanks and tell the company they need a raise. And tell Xcel they have a great crew working for them."

Crew Leader Jose Ponce and Trimmer Irwin Reza Xcel Energy "December’s 2021 wind storm brought a lot of tumbleweeds to the west side of our fence and into our yard. It took us about two weeks just to clean up our yard. We are in our late 70s and don’t move as fast and as long as we used to. We finally realized we needed help with those tumbleweeds against the west side of our fence, which is on Xcel Energy’s property. We called their customer service and explained the situation and it was not long before the Wright Tree Service in Pueblo showed up.

They looked like angels. Within 45 minutes or so they had a pile of tumbleweeds 6 feet high, 12 feet wide, by 60 feet long taken care of. They also looked for other tumbleweeds in the area and raked up the smaller stuff. We want to thank the Pueblo people of Wright Tree Service for their prompt and excellent service. Also, over the years, Wright Tree Service has done a great job of cutting the grass and foliage on the property behind our house. Thank you!"

Several crew members "The gentlemen that were on my property yesterday did a fabulous job. They worked from morning to sunset, picked up every little thing, and just did a beautiful job.”

Several crew members

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Black Hills Energy "I wanted to pass along a compliment.

My uncle said the crew did an excellent job of taking down his tree. They also did an excellent job of addressing his neighbor’s concerns about the work and did great clean up afterwards. Please let the crew know their efforts are very much appreciated.”

Several crew members Rocky Mountain Power "We just had a crew here, we wanted to let the company know that they are very professional people and are a good crew.

We took a video of them working because we were so impressed. The professionalism was beyond. Their safety standards I was amazed by. They were very good and I would love to make sure this compliment gets to the top of the company."

Several crew members "I am extremely happy with the trimming, clean up, and professionalism that was done on my property. In years past, crews come in and usually leave a mess, brush, and hangers. He was also happy with the way these two crews treated his wife."

Crew Leaders Chris Christoffersen and Taylor Kunder, Trimmer Ricky Bonifas and Groundworker Dru Trimble "I would like to compliment Jon McCormick and Donald Watson. I attended their CPR class. I appreciate the interaction and information that we received. A big shout out to both. Thank you!"

Safety Supervisors Jon McCormick and Donald Watson

PACIFIC DIVISION

PacifiCorp "I want to thank the men who have been pruning the trees on Division Street around the power lines. A few years ago there was a crew that butchered the tree a few seasons back. Yet, yesterday and the last few trimmers have been thoughtful, careful and even artist in the way they have trimmed the trees. I have been a gardener all my life and have a sensitivity for the plant kingdom. I just want to let you know that the crew that trimmed the city's tree yesterday on Division Street did a beautiful job."

Crew Leaders John Rochefort and Ezra Childress and Apprentices Anthony Needham and Joe Drain PacifiCorp "I would like to give a commendation to two of your employees out of Prineville, Oregon. This Saturday, the two of them

Our

family tree arrived at my residence to trim a tree. They were polite/professional when they asked to access my property to perform their tasks.

They performed their job and ensured they cleaned up any mess from the tree.

I have another large tree in my driveway where my kids play. In that tree are two large widow makers. The widow makers were out of my reach to safely take care of.

I asked your employees if they could take care of it for me. Without skipping a beat, they agreed. Doing this was not expected, however, with the safety issue, I believe they felt it was their duty. Both of these guys demonstrated exceptional customer service and represented your company/mission very well! Please convey my appreciation."

Several crew members

DIVISION 65

SOUTHEAST DIVISION

WRIGHT TREE SERVICE OF PUERTO RICO

LG&E "My husband says the gentlemen that were there yesterday were very polite, cleaned up everything and just did a great job. They even took time to help him with something at the house."

General Foreperson Felix Romero, and Trimmers Romero Juarez, Ismael Garcia and Michael Juarez "I want to leave a shout out for the crew working in Mercer County yesterday. As the funeral procession of a first responder passed them, every crew member stopped what they were doing, lined the street/ yards, and showed their respect. It was amazing to see and I want to make sure they know their actions were noticed and appreciated."

Several crew members

DTE Energy "A crew of Wright Tree Service trimmers has been in our subdivision recently and I want to compliment them on the job they have done. They are the most polite, efficient workers that have cut my trees in the last 50 years. They are knowledgeable and interested in cutting the trees to make them look as good as possible. They have carefully explained what they were going to do. They have cleaned up the debris and taken it away. No one is ever happy with having their trees cut, but this group was as good as it gets. Please pass this note on to whoever supervises this team of workers."

Several crew members

LUMA Energy A representative from LUMA Energy said, “I was at a job site today for an outage that occurred yesterday and was happy to see all the hard work that was being done safely and efficiently. The two crews and GF out on site were well organized, working and communicating very well with the LUMA line operations. Please pass on my kudos to your teams and keep up the great work!”

Pacific Division Pictured above is Curtis, an honorable retired military and policeman in Elk City.

General Foreperson Martin Rivera met him at the Elk City gas station, and after a pleasant conversation, Curtis asked Martin if he was a tree guy. He told Martin that he has a medical condition and both knees were bad, and he did not have enough firewood for the winter. Curtis asked if Martin could help him get some firewood, so after a day of work, Martin spoke with some of the crew members about his encounter with Curtis, and the crew decided they wanted to help out during their personal time. Curtis was very happy and appreciative that the crew was able to get some logs for him. He also mentioned that he was happy that Avista brought in Wright Tree Service crews to help maintain their power uninterrupted.

Southeast Division Crew Leader James Kohls and Trimmer Adam Blackman were traveling in their bucket truck heading to pick up logs when they noticed a crane truck swerving from side to side on the interstate. The crane then went off the highway rolling before coming to a stop. After pulling their truck over, both James and Adam went to see if they could help. After breaking the window out of the truck James reached in the cab and shut the truck engine off because it was still running and spraying fuel. The door was jammed shut so the two guys pried the door open. The driver was unconscious and EMT personnel arrived to care for him. Great work to James and Adam for paying attention to their surrounding and shifting into rescue mode!

DIVISION 55

Crew Leader Rebecca Haught and her team members were working in North Carolina trying to finish some work up for the last several weeks. They were away from their families for a period of time. Their showup site was at a gas station, and a few of the ladies working there became a part of their family. They provided Rebecca and her crew on more than one occasion free coffee, breakfast and lunch, and always made sure they were well taken care of.

“I thought it was really special, especially with it being around Christmas. Just seeing such merry hearts looking out for Wright Tree Service employees was awesome!” said Rebecca.

Continued on page 28

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Our

family tree DIVISION 87

SALUTING BRANCHES Employees from Division 55 and Division 20 took part in the annual Saluting Branches event. Saluting Branches is a nonprofit organization that provides vital care to the landscapes dedicated to our United States veterans. Through this work, Saluting Branches has brought together the green industry and made an impact with community volunteering. Saluting Branches was developed by a group of arborists under the commitment of beautifying and improving our National Veteran Cemeteries to show appreciation for the sacrifices made by our troops. On this annual event, thousands of arborists volunteered their time, talents and equipment to maintain the trees at dozens of veteran cemeteries across the United States. This event helps fill the void of the significant need for tree care and landscape care at our veteran cemeteries. Few resources are available to care for the trees located at the 130 National Veteran Cemeteries and hundreds of state-operated Veteran Cemeteries. These trees need to be inspected for safety, health and be properly pruned or removed if diseased. Without proper care, the cemeteries may be unsafe and will lack the beauty and peaceful environment that the veterans, families and visitors deserve.

Employees involved: •Spencer King •Scarlett Philbert •Jose Perez •Delan Ross Carr •Justin Wright

•John Labrie •Shawn Carroll •Ryan Sexton •Katrina Traver

FP&L "General Foreperson Rustin Peck was parked across the road from Crew Leader Siaosi Pohiva and Trimmer Scott Williams.

Siaosa was flying the bucket trimming a tree, and Scott was dragging brush and stacking it by the road for cleanup. Rustin noticed what looked like a teenage boy walking toward the bucket truck so he tried to called Scott to warn him. Siaosa noticed the teenage boy also and yelled down at Scott. As Scott walked around the truck the boy stepped out into the road. Scott noticed a black pickup truck traveling east and a semi-truck traveling west so he grabbed the boy from the highway to keep him from being hit. The black truck pulled over after passing and went to the house where the boy came from with Scott to take the boy back home. The parents told Scott the boy was handicap and unable to speak. We are very thankful that all the guys on the jobsite and that both drivers were paying attention.

A special thanks to Scott for grabbing the boy from the highway."

Project Manager Jeff East, General Foreperson Rustin Peck, Crew Leader Siaosi Pohiva and Trimmer Scott Williams

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Wright Tree Service

Wright Tree Service

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FP&L "I am writing this letter of commendation to your team for the professional and courteous manner in which they took care of the trees and branches overhanging the power lines in our neighborhood. They stopped by our home to inform us of the plans regarding the property and its trees.

Because contractors were already in the process of performing tree trimming and landscaping services, the team offered to come back later in the day to avoid inconveniencing us. Then, they returned to finish their project. I was very impressed with the attention to detail and vigilance demonstrated by this team. They took care to ensure the trees looked good while meeting the requirements associated with power lines and overhanging tree branches. I would like to offer my sincere appreciation to the team members for a job well done."

Project Manager Jeff East, General Foreperson Rustin Peck, Crew Leader Siaosi Pohiva and Trimmer Scott Williams

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Tampa Electric "The crew that worked on my property was very polite, courteous, respectful and responsive. They were a ray of sunshine!"

General Foreperson Kenneth Arnett, Crew Leader Joshua Simpson, and Trimmer Isaiah Hartman

Our

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WRIGHT TREE SERVICE OF THE WEST

News from the Branches Compliments sent to Wright Tree Service of the West.

PG&E "Some of your crews are working in our area. I wanted to let you know that every morning I work as a crossing guard for a school on a route that they frequently take. We don’t have many areas where they can get out to the areas in our community that have trees, so they’re always going through my school zones, and I just want to say that they are all so respectful. They all slow down.

Every single driver. They always wave. They always smile. They are always so friendly. I just wanted to make sure you guys knew that they were being respectful of the community, and respectful of my school zone. I cannot thank you enough or them enough. It’s so nice to see a company with so many employees who are so respectful. With 15 or so trucks that pass by in the morning and afternoon and all of them paying attention – they deserve a big pat on the back for their respectfulness and for being stand-up guys."

Project Managers Brian Bynum, Scott Smith, Jackson Estes, and Chuck Ritter, and several crew members

"We recently had two of your workers on our property doing tree clean up on behalf of PG&E. The crew was both professional, courteous and a pleasure to deal with. I hope you commend these essential workers. It's rare to encounter people, much less employees, that commit to their work and customers with a smile and respect like they did. Thank you and your company for helping keep my home and community safe. Special thanks to this team. Keep up the great work!"

Several crew members "Today a crew from Wright Tree Service comprised of Martin Rivera, Omar Lao and Gumercindo Lao worked on my property. The job entailed cutting and trimming limbs on a large sugar pine beneath high voltage PG&E transmission lines. Upon entering my yard, I was immediately impressed with how efficient and exact they set up their equipment with high regard for safety. It was a pleasure to watch them coordinate and utilize the latest equipment. Clearly, their skill and knowledge are above and beyond industry standards. The work was completed in a very short time and the cleanup that followed exceeded my expectations. I would recommend the aforementioned men to anyone needing this type of work and hope sincerely that their talents are recognized and rewarded by their employer. Thank you for a job well done."

General Foreperson Martin Rivera, Crew Leader Omar Lao and Trimmer Gumercindo Lao

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Our

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A division of Wright Tree Service of Canada

WRIGHT TREE SERVICE OF CANADA & ARBORCARE

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

Drumheller Resiliency and Flood Mitigation Pre-Construction Tree Clearing March and April 2022 Located in a town on the Red Deer River in the badlands of east-central Alberta, Canada, is one of Canada’s most iconic Provincial Parks.

It is 110 kilometres (68 miles) northeast of Calgary. The Drumheller portion of the Red Deer River valley is often referred to as Dinosaur Valley.

The town of Drumheller received $55 million from the federal and provincial governments to address flood mitigation.

ArborCare® assisted the town with

the Drumheller Resiliency and Flood Mitigation Pre-Construction Tree Clearing portion of this large-scale project.

Furthermore, biologists conduct sweeps of each area for owl nests, animal dens, and other sensitive wildlife before a tree removal takes place. The protection of

The project consisted of removing approximately 1,288 mature trees and 52,389 square meters of brush from rugged terrain. The terrain needed to be slashed as opposed to mowing. The 20-person crew completed this massive project in only 26 working days, two weeks ahead of schedule.

When trees are impacted in flood mitigation project areas, a landscape plan is developed to restore the ecological health of the area. The health of the trees is assessed, and any trees in good or fair health will be replaced at a ratio of 5:1 – 5 replacements for every 1 removal. The replacements may be trees and/or shrubs.

the environment is of high importance to the Drumheller Public Works – Resiliency and Flood Mitigation Office.

Some of the trees removed will be repurposed through a project initiated by a group of Drumheller residents.

Artists will be sought out to create carvings, benches, handrails, and natural playgrounds for the town to honour and appreciate the life and legacy of the trees.

The mulch was taken to the Drumheller Agriculture Society and the substantial amount of wood that was cut up was stored for residents to use as firewood.

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Our

family tree THANK YOU TO THE TEAM • Project Lead – Terry Richard • Consulting Arborist – Corrine Winfield BCMA® RCA® • Crew Leaders – Nick Evans, Wayne Fleury, Coral Handziuk-Lindenbach, Jordan Harris, Robert Paul and Dan Pegoraro • Crane Truck Operator – Jake Fehr • Part-time Crew Members – Levon Russel and Ryan Stronch • Full-time Crew Members – Will Barlow, Wes Callaghan, Laurence Glawson, Leah Gurba, Jonathan Jeffery, Justin Larson and Jordan Price • Spectrum Resource Group Crew Members – Gus Dolan and Marty Pasco

WORKING IN WINNIPEG

Meet Our Consulting Arborist

ArborCare is now providing a wide range of residential and commercial tree services in Winnipeg. Services include tree pruning, shaping or removal, stump grinding, emergency tree services and tree planting.

Meet Corrine Winfield. Corrine is the 6th person in Alberta to become an American Society of Consulting Arborists (ASCA) Registered Consulting Arborist® (RCA). She is one of only three to receive dual RCA and International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Board Certified Master Arborist® (BCMA) certifications. Corrine has also completed the ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ) and ASCA Tree & Plant Appraisal Qualification (TPAQ) programs.

Corrine has been in the arboriculture industry for more than 26 years. She has been a significant part of ArborCare's incredible history since 1999. She has been sharing her knowledge and skills with other employees and servicing our clients in the most respectful and professional way for over two decades!

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Our

family tree NEW, ON THE MOVE & CERTIFIED Congratulations to the following WTSCA employees who were recently appointed, promoted and certified since the last issue was published!

New

Project Manager Sheldon Kincaid General Foreperson Chris Dropko

On the Move

News from the Branches

Compliments and reviews submitted to ArborCare and Wright Tree Service of Canada (WTSCA) by various members of the public and we’d like to commend all employees involved.

“Very professional staff that are magic in the trees. They make unimaginably hard tasks look easy, all in a manner that puts safety and professionalism first.”

“It is a wonderfully run company. The workers are professional and reliable!”

“I was very impressed by Rick and Randy. They cut down a tree that was deemed dangerous by SaskPower in our backward. I was expecting to spend a lot of time cleaning up after they were finished, but they left the place spotless. Plus, they were very nice!”

“I used them a few years ago and was pleased. In the fall of 2021, I got 4 quotes on a large tree in my backyard and theirs was one of the two most reasonable again. They removed the tree with a 40-foot boom on a truck without needing to climb nor tear our fence apart. Other quotes were $300- $400 more and no boom truck and would not take away tree trunk and limbs. Employees were polite and professional.”

Project Manager Ashton Martin

General Forepersons Devan Brandon Jamie Shullman Operations Administrator Madison Christian

Certified

ASCA Registered Consulting Arborist Corrine Winfield

Spring Home Shows Our team had the opportunity to attend Spring Home Shows in Calgary, Edmonton, Kelowna and Vernon. Not only were we able to offer free tickets to our social followers, but attendees who visited the booth were entered into a raffle to win a 15-gallon potted stock tree, or two fertilizer treatments, or a $300 credit toward landscaping, maintenance, or construction!

During the Kelowna show, a lucky raffle winner at Habitat for Humanity Okanagan’s booth received $500 off tree pruning or tree removal services.

Utility Tree Trimmer Certified Truth Davies Robert Chiappini Utility Tree Trimmer Certified and ISA Certified Amy Vandezande

Terry Richard and Simon Richards at the Vernon Spring Home and Garden Show

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Jacquie Pretula and Robert Paul at the Edmonton Spring Home and Garden Show

Our

family tree

Supporting Our Local Veterans Food Banks We are proud to support our local Veterans Food Bank in both Edmonton and Calgary. When customers buy firewood from us, 10% of sales goes toward these organizations. In December, ArborCare donated $1,500 to each organization.

Buy local, burn local!

Terry Richard and Jacquie Pretula at the Veterans Association Food Bank of Edmonton

Chris Gamache and Terry Richard at the Veterans Food bank of Calgary

LEAP Touch-A-Truck Fundraiser We enjoyed participating in the 1st Annual LEAP Society Touch-a-Truck Fundraiser on Saturday, May 7, 2022 for Edson LEAP Therapy and Resource Centre & Edson LEAP Society. Individuals of all ages were able to explore the size and function of unique machinery! Special thank you to General Foreperson Nathan Holmquist for taking our truck out to the event!

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ArborCare

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@arborcaretreeservice

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DIGGING IN WRIGHT OUTDOOR SOLUTIONS WRIGHT OUTDOOR SOLUTIONS & VERDURE ELEMENTS

Nature in the City: Urban Parks & Green Spaces Urban parks and green spaces have become prominent pillars of communities worldwide. The parks meet city residents where they live, work, and play, allowing them to enjoy the beauty and benefits of nature within city limits. Largely populated areas that include green spaces have become a sign of a thoughtful local government. This practice of integrating nature into built environments is known as biophilic design, which stems from the biophilic hypothesis. The biophilic hypothesis suggests that contact and exposure to nature is a basic human need. Humans need nature, and urban architects and developers continue to fulfill that need through the establishment of urban parks and green spaces.

The world’s first urban park was created in the 19th century in Birkenhead, England. The town of Birkenhead was experiencing rapid growth in population due to world trade, which provided an opportunity for city leaders to make plans for city expansion. The Health of Towns committee was spurred to institute measures to counteract conditions resulting from the rising population and to provide justice to the poor. The public park we know as Birkenhead Park was the result. Landscape architect Joseph Paxton was hired to bring

the park to life in the center of the city. Prior to this time, parks were generally privately owned or required visitors to pay an entrance fee. Birkenhead Park was the first of its kind, free to enjoy by all in the community. Paxton’s design included two lakes, areas of meadow and woodlands as well as floral displays.

Birkenhead Park remains largely unchanged and open to this day. The public establishment sparked a shift in societies across the globe where leisure, fresh air, and green spaces became a way of life for all to enjoy, even in urban areas.

An American pioneer of urban parks was landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. Following an influential visit to Birkenhead Park, Olmsted won the bid to design Central Park in Manhattan, New York, alongside fellow architect and landscape designer, Calvert Vaux. The park opened to the public in 1858.

The 843 acre plot of land at the center of the city became a place for the community to escape the hustle and bustle of the concrete jungle.

Urban parks have transformed and adapted over time. There are urban parks solely for leisure, parks featuring equipment rental and activities, sculpture parks, community gardens, children’s playgrounds, and more. Urban parks are not always sprawling.

Pocket parks are urban open spaces on a small-scale that still meet a variety of needs. They can function as event space, play areas for children, and places to relax. Many pocket parks are constructed on vacant lots, turning them from forgotten spaces to spaces with a purpose.

Parks provide value to urban areas through their economic, health, environmental and social benefits. Urban green spaces promote general health and well-being, reduce stress, purify the air, nurture biodiversity, sequester carbon emissions, promote safer neighborhoods, and increase nearby property values.

With parks being in walkable distance of work and home, there is a reduction in travel, cutting down on traffic and resources such as gas and oil. Des Moines, Iowa, was recently ranked in the top 50 cities with the most green space per capita. Covering over 1,500 acres, Water Works Park near downtown Des Moines is one of the largest urban parks in the country.

Birkenhead Park

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Urban park and green space ideology are being applied in city hospitals and corporate campus properties too.

SPRING/SUMMER 2022

DIGGING IN VISION

Wright Outdoor Solutions will be recognized as the most reputable, reliable, knowledgeable and environmentally sensitive company in the markets we serve.

MISSION

· To provide comprehensive solutions for our clients’ outdoor and indoor spaces. · To provide attractive value appreciation to our employee owners.

Walmart’s new headquarters, being constructed in Bentonville, Arkansas, will open its doors to employees in 2025 and will feature a meditation garden, several walking and biking trails, lake access and additional outdoor spaces. The retail giant is focusing on greener and healthier spaces to promote well-being among employees. Healthcare facilities have concluded that patient wellness and healing have shown a repeated connection to the spaces they are exposed to during their hospital stay. By incorporating biophilic elements, hospitals have expanded upon what it means to provide healthcare and it has brought life-changing impacts to public health outcomes.

With a passion for biophilic design, Wright Outdoor Solutions (WOS) continues to play a role in bringing parks and green spaces to our community’s urban areas and corporate office campuses. Recent projects include: • A t the Wright Service Corp. corporate office, the WOS team has established a walking path, pollinator habitat, employee community garden and outdoor leisure spaces for employees to enjoy. The various spaces allow employees the opportunity to connect with nature while promoting physical and mental health benefits.

• W right Outdoor Solutions is proud to partner with Joppa Outreach on their Shared Roots Community Garden in the city of Des Moines. The Joppa organization helps homeless individuals find housing and rebuild their lives through homelessness services, housing development and education outreach.

Joppa developed the Shared Roots Community Garden in Des Moines’ Cheatom Park neighborhood as a space to foster civic duty, eliminate hunger, break down racial and ethnic barriers, and enhance education of individuals that are homeless. The garden provides free, fresh produce as well as a central gathering place for neighborhood residents. The WOS team provided tree removal work in this urban green space so local area residents could garden while enjoying the beautiful views of the city skyline.

· To provide team members with an environment that enables them to achieve their personal and professional goals. · To make outdoor and indoor spaces more beautiful and sustainable.

VALUES

SAFETY It is everyone’s responsibility – we each own it.

INTEGRITY We abide by the highest ethical standards.

EXCELLENCE We continually strive to exceed our customer’s expectations – and our own expectations.

RESPECT We earn it from our customers and from each other.

TEAMWORK It is how we operate and we hold each other accountable.

INNOVATION We anticipate our clients’ needs and we deliver creative services and solutions.

FAMILY It is our foundation; it is who we are.

• W right Outdoor Solutions was recently awarded the landscaping work for a pocket park to be constructed in downtown Des Moines on the site of former retail giant, Younkers. The WOS team will be working with a local landscape architecture firm to bring the park to life through grading, importing of topsoil, planting, irrigation and decorative unit pavers. The park will feature sport courts, seating, raised flower beds, trees and public art. Stay tuned to the next newsletter to see project photos as the park is scheduled to open at the end of the summer!

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DIGGING IN PROJECT SPOTLIGHTS

BEST OF THE WEST AWARD The Wright Outdoor team was thrilled to be recognized as the 2021 community vote winner for Best Landscaper in the Best of the West community choice awards presented by the West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce.

CONTINUING EDUCATION TRAININGS

Interlocking Concrete Paver Institute

In preparation for spring and summer landscaping projects, several landscaping team members attended an Interlocking Concrete Paver Institute in March.

Johnston Commons Holiday Lights The City of Johnston called on Wright Outdoor Solutions this holiday season to bring festive exterior lighting to their newly constructed city hall building and surrounding property. This classic display of white lights enhances the building’s clean architectural lines while tree lights and wreath installations provide additional dazzle.

Interior Holiday Décor Our interior holiday décor team had a busy holiday season helping homeowners and businesses deck their halls. From bountiful wreaths to twinkling trees, these eyecatching displays brought many smiles and lots of holiday cheer.

ISU Shade Tree Short Course

Amy Lenning, Kim Reiber and Seth Balvanz had a great time participating in Iowa State University’s 66th Annual Shade Tree Short Course in March!

VENDOR CATALOG HIGHLIGHT We are excited to have one of our projects recently highlighted in a hardscape material vendor catalog!

Learn more about the project here: www. wrightoutdoorsolutions. com/gallery/ landscapinging-andmaintenance/familygathering-oasis/

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This tree display was designed to look like it was going through the glass!

SPRING/SUMMER 2022

DIGGING IN NEW, ON THE MOVE & CERTIFIED New

Marsa Jordan, Interior Plant Tech Sean Wall, Landscape Team Lead Katie Kloster, Landscape Crew Member Cassaundra Runyan, Landscape Crew Member

On the Move

Interior Plantscaping Installs Area businesses count on the interior plantscaping teams to bring their plant dreams to life! No project is too big or too small for our talented professionals.

Seasonal Containers Our seasonal container installations continue to be the perfect welcoming touch to greet guests at the front doors of homes and businesses.

Amy Bittle, Seasonal Services Operations Manager Brandt Jelken, Arbor Foreperson Konrad Powell, Interior Plantscaping Supervisor Heather Lappe, Landscape Designer

Amy Bittle Promotion

Congratulations to Amy Bittle for her recent promotion to seasonal services operations manager! Amy oversees the daily operations of our landscaping enhancement, interior plantscaping, and holiday service lines through quality assurance, forecasting of equipment and labor needs, project management and more.

With over 33 years of experience in the green industry, Amy brings extensive knowledge in floral design, horticulture, and client relations to the company. As the daughter of green industry business owners, she learned a love for plant life and business operations at a young age and always knew she wanted to pursue a career in the field. Amy is proud to work for an employee-owned company and delights in fostering growth within the departments she oversees and in the company as a whole.

Amy’s favorite tree is the ginkgo tree. She appreciates the tree’s fan shaped leaves and the yellow color that they turn in the fall.

Orchids are another one of Amy’s favorites.

She was integral to launching the wholesale orchid operation and appreciates how orchids can bring beauty and color to a space.

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DIGGING IN PROJECT SPOTLIGHTS continued

WSC Banquet Centerpieces

Our team created over 40 floral arrangements for the annual Wright Service Corp. awards banquet held in March.

The selected flowers highlighted the evening's theme and incorporated several textures and colors, including a fun specialty rose called a toffee rose. It was a great night celebrating our employees!

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT

Rewarding Success The Rewarding Success program rewards and recognizes employees who exhibit WOS values in an exemplary manner. As part of the Gold Star tier of the program, each quarter (March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31), employees and managers may nominate a fellow employee who has gone above and beyond their normal scope of duties, has a positive attitude, is dependable, and willing to help the team.

Q3 Recipient Ethan Kluver Congratulations to Fleet Mechanic Ethan Kluver for winning the Quarter 3 Employee Spotlight Award as part of the Rewarding Success Program! Ethan was nominated by his peers and selected through a committee.

Ethan has been with the team since August of 2019, helping Brandon in the shop. He was nominated for this award for his positive attitude and his capabilities in handling challenging projects. Ethan is dependable and has been a great asset to the team in making sure equipment is running properly, which allows us to keep work on schedule. Thank you Ethan for going above and beyond for our company!

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DIGGING IN CHARITABLE

Saluting Branches Day of Service The WOS team participated in the 7th annual Saluting Branches Day of Service in September at Iowa Veterans Cemetery in Adel, Iowa. Saluting Branches honors American service people by organizing volunteer tree and landscape care for properties dedicated to our veterans. Saluting Branches Day of Service is the largest one-day volunteer event where the tree care and landscape industry can show their support for our troops by helping to make their final resting places a safe and beautiful environment for all who visit. Our team provided mulching, tree pruning and tree removal services to the cemetery.

Blank Children’s Hospital Festival of Trees & Lights For the eleventh year in a row, Wright Outdoor Solutions sponsored the Blank Children’s Hospital Festival of Trees & Lights. The event, held at the Iowa Events Center, is the largest fundraiser for hospital’s programming and is a central Iowa tradition to kick off the holiday season. As a sponsor, WOS decorated a holiday vignette to be on display at the event, complete with a tree, fireplace display, and wreath. Account Manager Anna Saemisch spearheaded the design and installation. In addition, WOS offered a service gift certificate to the silent auction and volunteered time to deliver trees to recipients following the event.

Young Women’s Resource Center Gala The Wright Outdoor Solutions team was honored to donate orchid centerpieces to the Young Women’s Resource Center (YWRC) annual gala held in April. The YWRC is a local organization whose vision is “for youth of our community to grow to their full potential and realize the life of possibilities they deserve.”

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DIGGING IN Seen & Heard “The crew did a very excellent skillful job removing the tall tree. Two tall limbs had already broken loose. I had very limited damage to my property due to the crew doing a great job.” -Donnie

did an amazing job! They were efficient and safe, as well as respectful to the property.

They really made the install special by waving to the kids from the top of the mechanical basket!” -Tim & Emily

“Very courteous and informative about work being done. Cleanup was beyond expectations.” -Jean

“Absolutely loved working with Dennis. He knew what I wanted and he and the crew made it come alive. I have already ordered additional lights for next year because we knew where my vision was lacking. All of our family, friends and neighbors enjoyed the season more because of Wright Outdoor Solutions. Would recommend your team in a heartbeat. Thank you!” -Robin

“Snow removal has always been outstanding. Joe and Jim are always very responsive.” -Linda & Cameron “Our home for Christmas was transformed to a winter wonderland. From our account manager Dennis to the onsite crew, everyone and everything were perfect. Can’t wait until next year. We will definitely be adding some more lights.” -Robin “Everyone worked very hard and all of the work we wanted done was completed. It was a big job with lots of detailed parts. Thank you!” -Michelle “The team at Wright always does a great job on my trees!” -Amy “They performed the work very professionally and left the area extremely clean.” -Cheryl & Greg “Everything was wonderful. Working with Wright Outdoor Solutions for our holiday lighting was an easy and pleasant experience.” -Adrienne

“I have always had very good experiences with Wright and have used them many times over the years. Thank you once again for another successful and satisfying result.” -Steve

“Your assistance with our indoor and outdoor maintenance has taken a load off our backs!” -Amy & Scott “Prompt service was great and the crew could not have been any nicer or more informative. Really appreciated everything.”

-Alice & Wesley “The crew communicated as the work progressed and asked questions. The cleanup was excellent and the work completed in a timely manner.” -Betsy “Always a good experience with Wright.

Jason, the arborist, has helped me several times with tree emergencies!” -Rose “Your team did a fantastic job from assessment over the summer to completing the job this winter. I wanted a few logs saved for woodworking and the onsite crew accommodated my request. Well done!”

-Andrew

“Wright performed a beautiful design for our holiday lights! Scheduling installation and takedown was super easy, and the crew

“I was extremely impressed by the crew that showed up to do the work on our home. It was a large project with multiple areas being completed and there were only two people that did the whole project. They were polite, friendly, courteous, and extremely hard working. They pushed to get the job done, moving from when they arrived to when they went home. They did so without ever jeopardizing the quality of their work. They were very organized, cleaned up every day before they left, and worked around other work we are having done on the home. I am very glad that we got the crew we did and I am extremely happy with the end results!

The initial landscaping design process was easy as well. Even during the wait for completion when I changed my mind on things a few times, they updated the proposal with ease and never made me feel

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“Dennis is great to work with and always follows up. The work Wright does is top level!” -Keath “Very professional, as always. Outdoor lighting this year was excellent. Thank you.”

-Timothy “I couldn't tell they'd even been there! Nicely done!” -Brady

THE WRIGHT PERSPECTIVE

like I was a burden. Incredible crew of people to work with. I am very glad we chose Wright for our outdoor projects!” -Shannon

“Wright Outdoor Solutions staff are extremely professional and they have very knowledgeable arborists. They are always on time, and the job is always done well. I highly recommend them.” -Jean “Wright Outdoor Solutions has been great to work with. They are professional and have provided consistent service and support. They know how to provide and maintain healthy thriving plants. The staff is great to work with, positive, flexible, and cooperative.” -Marjorie “I have used you before for tree removal and knew I could expect a job well done for a reasonable price. Once again you met my expectations for doing just that.” -Scott “Ryan is awesome to work with. Very knowledgeable and willing to address all our concerns. The crew also did an awesome job.” -Sandra “Very professional staff from the time we got an estimate to the team that was at our house trimming and cutting down our trees.” -Lynn “Great to have our lawn cleaned up perfectly and quickly – love it when the Wright Outdoor Solutions crew is here to help us with anything/everything! Thanks for everything! Thanks for a super season! Can't wait for our next season in 2022!” -Jill & Rich

“Dennis has been wonderful to work with. He is always quick to respond and your onsite staff is always top notch! I have recommended you to many people! Thanks for great service!”

-Stacy “Seth Balvanz was great to work with!” -Jeff “Due to an injury, I was unable to have my yard presentable and Wright Outdoor Solutions leaf removal team came to my rescue. I was reserved a time when the leaves had fallen and the staff efficiently and

DIGGING IN magically made all the debris go away. Such a good feeling and I'm sure my neighbors were pleased as well!” -Shelley “As a former Wright Tree Service employee, I was very fascinated by the equipment being used now. So different than when I worked.

The crew was very efficient and professional.

We're very satisfied with their work and plan to call on them again!!” -James “Extremely professional and knowledgeable at every level! We will always rely on Wright Outdoor Solutions!” -Jan & John “So pleased with the work done at my home.

Routine or bigger jobs done with care.

The enormous oak tree removal was done with such expertise. Was dreading this big project and I am so glad I went with Wright.

They took care of everything and kept me informed what/when things were going to happen. Also, any questions and follow up has been done quickly. I only had to make one email or call and they all got right back to me. Impressive. Dennis, Ryan, Melissa and all the rest of the team are the best!” -Delrae “Anna and her team are AWESOME – very pleased with their services!” -Laura

“Wright Outdoor Solutions is hands down the best in our city, and rightfully so. They go the extra mile to achieve that status. From initial bid to final project, they are knowledgeable, professional and efficient. Their reps are the very best at what they do. I'll never use anyone else, and I recommend them to anyone needing help with their arbor issues. Thank you Wright Outdoor Solutions...I'm a super-satisfied customer!!!” -Jeri “The Wright team that supports me makes it possible for me to stay in the home I love.

There is no way I could keep up with the outdoor maintenance without them! I am very grateful for how responsive they are to my needs and how courteous and helpful they are when I interact with them. Thank you to every one of them.” -Carline “I was really happy with someone who could analyze my trees and knew what to do!”

-Beth

“Every experience I’ve had with Wright has been world-class. From meeting with Dennis to go over my needs, to scheduling, to the work being done, to billing. I have LOVED the crews who have come out to help. They are not only super professional and knowledgeable – but they are very fun to work with AND they do an amazing job.”

-John “Great to work with and very helpful in selecting varieties of plants for our office.”

-Toni “We have been with Wright Outdoor Solutions for a long time, they are competent, reliable and do a great job. Their staff is conscientious and aims to please their customers.” -Cindy “Quick, efficient, respectful, very reasonable.

Had 2 quotes from a Google search and they were 3 times what Wright charged me.

Cleaned up every little stick and leaf. Would recommend over and over and over. Thanks so much!” -Tanya

“Very obvious that all the staff care about what they do and their customer. Completely satisfied.”

-Jim “Your service from the first telephone call to when the cleanup truck leaves has always been excellent. Thanks!” -Mary “The crew was great and did a good job cleaning up everything. They were patient in that we had just listed the house and people stopped by or looked at it with their real estate agents. The crew took it in stride and moved vehicles when needed. The crew members were good representatives of your business as they worked around the added activity.” -Betty & Stan

Tree Care

“The crew was great – very polite and did great work! I am impressed.” -Betsy complimenting Arbor Groundperson Brian Lenning and Landscape Crew Member Jayme Lenning “Everything looks great! Thank you and Happy Holidays!” -Diane complimenting Arbor Foreperson Eugene Waage and Plant Health Care Technician Shane Donegan

“It was a pleasure having your crew perform work on my trees. Clean-up was great and it’s a comfort to know that I don’t have to worry about the elm tree falling. Thanks!!”

-Gina complimenting Arbor Forepersons Leads Kyle Lindahl and Andrew Koppes, and Heavy Equipment Operator Shaun Reinier

“I wanted you to know how extremely pleased we are with the professional work your crew did today. The care and cleanup was great as well! Great employees.”

-Anne and Greg complimenting Arbor Groundperson Brian Lenning and Landscape Crew Member Jayme Lenning “Thank you for such a wonderful job! The crew did a perfect job!” -Heather complimenting Arbor Forepersons Mike Cook and Andrew Koppes, and Heavy Equipment Operator Shaun Reinier “The crew did a stellar and thorough job with my tree prunings, removals and clean up. I appreciate their punctuality and their “go, go, go” mentality.” -Jackie complimenting Arbor General Foreperson Josh Appletoft, Arbor Groundperson Brian Lenning, Landscape Crew Member Jayme Lenning, and Heavy Equipment Operator Joe Sanders “The crew was great. Joe was wonderful!

Thank you.” -Jane and Ron complimenting Arbor Forepersons Brandt Jelken and Joe Bickel, Arbor Groundperson Brian Lenning, Landscape Crew Members Nick Gordon and Jayme Lenning, and Heavy Equipment Operator Shaun Reinier

“First, thank you for getting our project done for us so quickly.

Secondly, Levi was wonderful and did a great job. He was so courteous, professional and pleasant. He certainly represents Wright Outdoor Solutions well.

Third, I can’t imagine using any other company. We are never disappointed when we use Wright Outdoor Solutions!” -Jane complimenting Landscape Crew Member Levi Daniels “Joe and Jason did a fantastic job!” -Jeff complimenting Arbor Forepersons Joe Bickel and Andrew Koppes Continued on page 42

SPRING/SUMMER 2022

THE WRIGHT PERSPECTIVE 41

DIGGING IN “Thanks for the fine work your team did for us.” -Jerry and Cheryl complimenting Arbor Foreperson Kyle Lindahl and Heavy Equipment Operators Joe Sanders and Shaun Reinier “I recently had a tree removed from my backyard and your crew (Kyle and Andrew) did an amazing job. They took great care to minimize damage to my yard and avoid damage to any surrounding structures. They were efficient but not rushed. They were focused on doing the job right, not doing the job as quickly as possible. It seems that many contractors today rush to complete a job which results in just being sloppy. That was not the case with Kyle and Andrew and I sincerely appreciate it. It was like the tree just disappeared with very little evidence that they were ever here. Kyle and Andrew were also very friendly and polite. Great job Wright Outdoor Solutions and great job Kyle and Andrew!!” -Jim complimenting Arbor Forepersons Kyle Lindahl and Andrew Koppes “Thank you for the good service that we can always expect from Wright. The 2 person team did a 1st class job!” -Michael complimenting Arbor Forepersons Kyle Lindahl and Andrew Koppes “Excellent two person crew did an exceptional job on the old 25-year-old backyard ash tree! Looks GREAT! Many thanks again!" -Paul & Dixie complimenting Arbor General Foreperson Josh Appletoft and Arbor Foreperson Mike Cook “Thank you! Great job!” -Penny complimenting Arbor Forepersons Kyle Lindahl and Andrew Koppes, and Landscape Crew Member Levi Daniels

“Thank you, thank you, thank you for sending Mike and Josh out today to do the trimming and lifting on our home. I am elated. They did fine work and were patient, considerate, and knowledgeable! Not to mention friendly and courteous! They were both effective communicators from the 'git-go' and I consider myself fortunate to have gotten Mike and Josh to do the work.

Lastly, and I would say again and

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again, Mike and Josh are shining examples of superb customer service.” -Rebecca complimenting Arbor General Foreperson Josh Appletoft and Arbor Team Lead Mike Cook “The tree trimmers did an excellent job.

The trees look very nice, and they did an excellent job of the cleaning and were very courteous and friendly when we discussed what they were going to do. Please thank them for me!” -Dick complimenting Arbor Forepersons Brandt Jelken and Eugene Waage “The crew did an excellent job!” -Roger complimenting Arbor Forepersons Kyle Lindahl and Andrew Koppes “Trees looked great! Thanks!” -Ronni and Martin complimenting Arbor Foreperson Mike Cook “Thanks for your help. Your crew did a great job! I’ll be recommending your company to my friends.” -Tony complimenting Arbor Forepersons Kyle Lindahl and Andrew Koppes, and Heavy Equipment Operator Shaun Reinier

“We really appreciate the excellent job you all did in removing the ash tree from our front yard. We were out of town, but when we arrived home we were amazed at the great job you did. Everything you did is greatly appreciated.” -Liz and Vern complimenting Arbor Foreperson Joe Bickel, Landscape Crew Member Nick Gordon, and Heavy Equipment Operator Shaun Reinier “They all did an awesome job!” -Vicky complimenting Arbor Forepersons Kyle Lindahl and Andrew Koppes and Heavy Equipment Operators Joe Sanders and Shaun Reinier “Really appreciate the prompt service. The two tree specialists were very courteous and did a quick and efficient job.” -Alice complimenting Arbor Forepersons Brandt Jelken and Eugene Waage “Thank you. They did a great job!” -Penny complimenting Arbor Forepersons Kyle Lindahl and Andrew Koppes

SPRING/SUMMER 2022

Landscaping & Maintenance

“I have never seen someone do core aeration with such care, consideration and eye for detail. Impressive!” -Brad complimenting Landscape Crew Member Alyssa James “Out of all the service workers that I have had perform work at my home, Eduardo was leaps and bounds the best!” -Chris complimenting Landscape Foreperson Eduardo Escobedo “The crew did a great job with my spring cleanup. I appreciate it!” -Jane complimenting Landscape Crew Members Cassaundra Runyan and Katie Kloster, and Exterior Maintenance Crew Member Jeff Russo “Thank you to my garden crew today – and all season too! It has been a wonderful season working with all of you! KUDOS! It never ceases to amaze us when our crew is here and TRANSFORMS our garden – today was no exception! Jeff and Dean did a fantastic job, OFF THE CHARTS, and in short and speedy order too. SPECTACULAR! What a way to finish off the season! I could not believe it when I looked out and they had finished up the ferns and some miscellaneous weeding too as well as cleaned off the porch. They were thorough, EXCELLENT, super friendly as always and fast, and focused. Whew! Impressive, impressive, impressive! Thank you so very much! Thanks to our crew! They deserve our standing ovation! Woo woo! You all are the best – we would be LOST without Wright Outdoor Solutions!! Truly!” -Jill and Rich complimenting Exterior Maintenance Crew Member Jeff Russo

“First, I have LOVED the team members who have come out to help me in my garden. They are not only super professional and knowledgeable but are very fun to work with and they do an amazing job. Second, the team just finished putting up the Christmas lights and they look A-MAZ-ING! Thank you!” -John complimenting the Exterior Maintenance Crew “Thanks, you always do a great job.

See you this summer!” -June complimenting Plant Health Care Technicians Shane Donegan and Jacob Griffiths

DIGGING IN

Snow Removal

“Thank you all for the fantastic job done on the snow clearing again this year! We are so grateful for all of your help.” -Jan complimenting Account Manager Ryan Burlingame, Senior Accountant Emily Dorothy, Scheduling Coordinator Supervisor Melissa Oppenheim, and Snow Removal Crew Members Joe Sanders, Josh Appletoft, Kyle Lindahl, Sean Wall, Brian Lenning, Jayme Lenning, Shaun Reinier and Nolan Reinier “Snow Removal was fantastic after this huge amount of snow. Tell the team thank you!!” -Priscilla and John complimenting the Snow Removal Crew

Holiday

“Over the years we have had many good Wright employees decorate our trees, however, Gene and Shane did the best job we have ever had. They listened to how we like to have the spacing and provided good feedback for us. We really appreciate the job they did and will be requesting the two of them to put the lights on our trees next year.” -Bruce complimenting Arbor Foreperson Eugene Waage and Plant Health Care Technician Shane Donegan

Interior Plantscaping

“Konrad was extremely friendly and mentioned a catalog with plants that might look good in our Café area. Additionally, I watched as our plants were carefully cleaned up and removed of their yellowing leaves.

There was a 13-gallon bag full of yellowed leaves! That said, I felt he not only paid special attention to the state of our plants, but also put in the time and care to maintain them well. I feel that Konrad is deserving of a kudos for his care and dedication.” -Bri complimenting Interior Plantscaping Supervisor Konrad Powell

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Wright Outdoor Solutions

@wrightoutdoorsolutions

SPRING/SUMMER 2022

THE WRIGHT PERSPECTIVE 43

Along the Lines WRIGHT OUTDOOR SOLUTIONS CNUC

Growing to New Heights

By Jimmy Williams, Vice President When I joined CNUC back in 2013, we were a team of about 80 employees with 10 contracts nationwide. Fast forward nine years, and our employee count exceeds 500 with 50+ contracts throughout the United States and Canada. Over the past six months alone, we have experienced a tremendous amount of growth and our operational needs have grown to new heights. We know that with growth comes difficulties and opportunities, both of which we are excited to face.

One difficulty is figuring out how we are going to navigate and support our current and new business. The opportunities, well that’s where our most valuable resource comes in, our employee owners. For our employees most opportunities typically mean stationary positions on contracts with the possibility of new management roles. This is all still true but at this point we are in need of something new at CNUC.

with the role of TFS. This role is a more specialized and professional position that allows employees to become the most well rounded CUFs in the industry.

For many years we have discussed having a well-trained traveling team of CUFs that could help us grow new business, fill gaps on current contracts, assist with short term projects, and respond to any national disasters, and until now we couldn’t support this position. Since the first quarter of this year, we have grown by 20% so we decided to address our growth and the next steps in March at our mid-year management meeting. During this time together we decided to make the Traveling Field Specialist Team (TFST) a reality. Each division manager within CNUC, D15, D20, D25, D30 (excluding D10 & D40 – California & Canada) was tasked with hiring a five person TFST by mid-summer 2022. These teams' priority will be to support their current division, but as workloads change, they will assist wherever the need arises.

Have you ever heard of a Traveling Field Specialist (TFS)? Chances are you haven’t, since we created the position ourselves, but I bet Rover/Roving CUF is a position you have heard. The term “rover” in our industry can sometimes be misinterpreted and has a negative connotation, which lead us to come up

We are excited to start building the TFST for 2022! We understand that this position isn’t for everyone, but for some it could be an incredible fit. If you have at least 1-year UVM experience, love to travel 80-100% of the time, like new challenges, enjoy problem solving, flexible to change, and have great attention to detail this could be the opportunity for you. Most CUFs only get to work on one to two different contracts at most, but as a TFS you will

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get to participate in a variety of projects such as; tree inventories, field sample surveys, various UVM programs, and new contract set-up. Also, as emergency events arise such as hurricanes, tropical storms, and fires, our TFSs will be the first ones called out to respond.

Currently we have over 60 open positions spread out across the country and a team like this will be instrumental in supporting our current and future company needs.

We are excited to continue to grow and create opportunities for our employees in our industry!

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA @CNUtility CN Utility Consulting

Along the Lines TRANSMISSION FROM THE TOP

Taking Advantage of Opportunities

By Nick Ringer, Regional Manager When reflecting on my six years with CNUC, two words come to mind: opportunity and growth. As I took this mental journey through my young career, these words molded the path that led me to my current position in management.

It seems like a simple concept; when someone offers you an opportunity and you accept it. Whether it’s an assignment, responsibility, project or position, saying yes opens the door to new experiences and knowledge. As I share my journey, “yes” becomes a common theme throughout my career.

Throughout my time at Paul Smith’s College in New York, I never thought my forest management degree would take me to this point. I had taken a utility vegetation management (UVM) class in college, which introduced me to Rights of Way (ROWs) and managing the dynamic vegetation communities. Prior to the class, I never noticed power lines or understood how important they are for supplying our modern infrastructure.

Fast forward to December 2015, I accepted a position with CNUC as a consulting utility forester (CUF). My truck was packed and I started the journey from New York to Tennessee. I had limited knowledge about infrastructure and the impact that an unmanaged tree could cause. However, I went in with an open mind and embraced the unknown. Being comfortable in the uncomfortable molded my experience as a CUF. In June of 2018 I attended CNUC’s Leadership Academy and became a sponge. Before this opportunity, I was in a regional bubble. I had extensive knowledge of how the utility operated, but little knowledge of how CNUC operated

and the opportunities available beyond my current contract. I quickly learned about the structure and a light bulb went off when I found out about the regional coordinator position. I knew this was my next goal. For the next year, I asked the management team about the position and how I could make myself marketable for this opportunity. Two months after Leadership Academy, I became an ISA Certified Arborist. I frequently asked my regional supervisor for feedback to target and improve my weak points. In June of 2019, I was promoted to regional coordinator of eastern operations.

This new position was the opposite of my previous three and a half years of field work. I was now recruiting, hiring and assisting the regional supervisors with their needs across the east coast. I had never interviewed someone before or had a position where I worked from home. Moving from a field position into management was a fun but challenging change. After just four months, my next opportunity came up when Vice President Matt Searels personally offered me the position of regional supervisor over a new division. Of course, I said yes, and my new position started up the following month.

From October 2019-2021, I was the regional supervisor over southeast operations. It was a rewarding journey filled with training, new experiences, traveling and all the highs and lows that come with managing a region.

Throughout this time, I became a stronger version of myself through personal and professional growth. I became an ISA Utility Specialist and a Certified First Aid Instructor by the National Safety Council. I went back to school and earned my Certificate in Foundations of UVM from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. In addition to adding these tools in my toolbox, I gained extensive knowledge about management and communicating with all stakeholders.

VISION

CNUC is the premier company in providing innovative, economically sensible and environmentally sustainable vegetation management services.

MISSION

>> To assist our clients in achieving compliant, effective, efficient, and defensible utility vegetation management programs. >> To provide attractive value appreciation to our employee owners. >> To provide team members with an environment that enables them to achieve their personal and professional goals. >> To make a positive contribution in the communities we serve. >> To provide appropriate strategic support to our parent and sister companies. >> To drive the industry in the areas of technology and knowledge.

VALUES

SAFETY – It is everyone’s responsibility – we each own it.

INTEGRITY – We abide by the highest ethical standards.

KNOWLEDGE – We maintain a peerless understanding of our industry.

EXCELLENCE– We continually strive to exceed our customer’s expectations – and our own expectations.

INNOVATION – We anticipate our clients’ needs and we deliver creative services and solutions.

FAMILY – It is our foundation; it is who we are.

TEAMWORK – It is how we operate and we hold each other accountable.

Continued on page 46

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Along the Lines My knowledge, work ethic and certifications helped me earn my most recent promotion of regional manager and none of this would have been possible if I had not taken advantage of the opportunities CNUC provided me.

So, what do you want from your career? Whatever it is, self-evaluate and ask the right questions. Pick up the phone and call your supervisor. Ask them and your peers for feedback. Be thirsty for knowledge and accept the new challenges. Take certifications seriously. The time you invest in yourself not only at work, but outside of work, will be critical to your success. All of this contributes to growth, and growth opens the door to opportunity. -Nick Ringer, Regional Manager

NEW, ON THE MOVE & CERTIFIED Congratulations to the following CNUC employees who were recently appointed, promoted and certified!

NEW DIVISION 10

CUFs >> Gilberto Alvarez >> Gurvinder Bajwa >> Brandon Barber >> Danny Barber >> Miguel Barragan >> Jordan Basler >> Rae Belhumeur >> Scout Bell >> Nick Blackwell >> Tristan Boeger >> Kolt Brewster >> Cody Burke >> Chance Burkett >> Susan Casados >> Hunter Cole >> Gerard Coughlin >> Joshua Coughlin >> Houston Douglass >> Devin Eastman >> Olivia Ellis >> Mark Englant >> Preston Englant >> Lewis Fiorella >> Mistica Garcia >> Sierra Garrett >> Marty Gentles >> Russell Gordon >> Kenneth Greathouse >> Taylor Greytak >> Spencer Gutenberger >> Colin Harris >> Julie Hernandez >> Joshua Holt >> Jacob Hurst >> Robert Keleher >> Devin Kilpatric >> Dean Knapp

>> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >>

Gregg Knapp Steven Lampignano Tristan Lang Kyra Lierly Teri Loera Andres Lopez Bobbi Lord Patrick Luttrell Haley Matsukiyo Travis May John McCarthy Katie Mengali James Miller Travis Mims Scott Mizelle Zareh Morell Miguel Naranjo Justin Nguyen Jose OCampo Corbin Polizzi Fernando Ponce Zachary Prater Jesse Regnart Jeremy Riggi Brent Roberts Baschmakow Ian Sanderson Abigail Silva Peyton Solf Hunter Spiri Yesenia Stoddart Anthony Trautz Rosalyn Trulove Robert Vang Cesar Velasquez Kurt Walde Cameron Wasserman Lee Wessell Joel Woodard Sean Woodburn Chad Wright

Lead CUFs (LCUF) >> Jake Harper >> Aaron Goodpasture

DIVISION 15

CUFs >> Daniel Carlson >> Jason Ciaffa >> Josh Hollinger >> Lucas Jacobson >> Jake Kern >> Amadeo Lamphier >> Sarah Maxwell >> Zachary Paulson >> Joe Tuvell >> Ashley Vanwinkle >> Zachary Williams >> Cody Williams

DIVISION 20

CUFs >> Jeffrey Adams >> Zachary Aldrich >> Starlette Ann >> Tony Bishop >> Betsy Bloom >> Brian Bloomfield >> Ben Brown >> Trevor Chavez >> Mario Cisneros Banda >> Kyle Clement >> Blaine Curry >> Jake Dehnert >> Sean Donnelly >> Joanna Dupay >> Matthew Francke >> Garrett Freeman >> Edward Geeding >> Stone Hageman >> Dylan Haiduk >> Nicholas Hart >> Gregory Huggins >> William James

46 THE WRIGHT PERSPECTIVE SPRING/SUMMER 2022

>> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >>

April Lawson Raymond Lewis Grayson Magner Cody Manning Joe McDowell Gian Medina Dan Melson Haley Pope Kyla Reep Rachel Reid Jorah Reinstein Tammy Roberts Cole Rodman Nick Romaldini Jeremy Root Max Rovinsky Michael Sciuchetti Samuel Sellers Erica Showalter Brandon Spicer Brian Thompson Miranda Watson Alex Webb Matthew Wertz Zachary Williams Kyndal Wolfe

LCUFs >> Dylan Boyd >> Anne Brady >> Kris Fredrickson >> Antonio Henriques >> Anthony Modzelewski >> Kylie Rainwater >> Sergio Romero >> Justin Turner Work Planner >> Erik Owens Project Manager >> Carri Powell

Along the Lines

Division 25

CUFs >> James Andriakos >> Kevin Chenetski >> Barrett Fitzgerald >> James Gilbert >> Aaron Greenwood >> David Hoekstra >> Matthew Lazusky >> Shannon Long >> Stanley Maxwell >> Jacob McCall >> Richard Morse >> Braeden Roberts >> Alexander Russo >> John Schweinsberg >> Claire Sedlak >> Travis Stewart >> Mark Whitaker Work Planner >> Colton Cole >> Shane McFee >> Jeffrey Mundhenk

MANAGEMENT Vice President >> Jimmy Williams

>> >> >> >>

Bowen Kehn Cody Markhart Hector Torres Jessica York

DIVISION 10 cont.

LCUF >> Trae Barr >> Jeanette Burdick >> Gerard Coughlin >> Larrissa Forney >> William Garner >> Lawrence Griffiths >> Kane Hassel >> David Liebhart >> Garrett McRoberts >> John Muegge >> Vivienne Sheen >> Troy Woolard >> Fernando Zaragoza

Regional Supervisor >> Michelle Chaffee

DIVISION 15

LCUF >> Thomas Houck

DIVISION 20

ON THE MOVE DIVISION 10

CUF >> Eric Annis >> Joely Camacho >> Luke Clouse >> Kyle Dulin >> Hunter Frasier >> Kyle Grashoff >> Forrest Juhasz-Adams

CUF >> Joseph Ballew >> Brian Bloomfield >> Timothy Detels >> Justus Edens >> Ryan Harbison >> Nicholas Harover >> Charlie James >> Jennifer Miller >> Tristan Moorehead >> Michael Mullins >> Juan Sanchez

LCUF >> Leland Bowers >> Dylan Haiduk >> Miranda Watson

Regional Manager >> Jason Allen

MANAGEMENT

Regional Coordinator >> Julianne Lee

Senior Vice President >> Josh Beaver Vice President >> Matt Searels

Regional Manager >> Nick Ringer

DIVISION 25

CERTIFIED

CUF >> Scott Arnold >> Joshua Brooker >> John Cottrill >> Blaine Curry >> Kenneth Doles >> James Gilbert >> Heather Griffith >> Christian Harris >> Mark Hedden >> Mark Hedden >> Bill Hunt >> Zachary King >> John Kost >> Fredricke Morgan >> Aaron Richcreek >> Erica Showalter >> Thomas Walters >> Mark Whitaker

New International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborists®

DIVISION 10 >> >> >> >> >>

Kristin Baker Jonathan Casas Christian Deviney Nate Matteson Vivienne Sheen

DIVISION 15

>> Miles Schneider

DIVISION 25 >> Maya Chuck >> Blaine Curry >> Paul Myers

LCUF >> Thomas Ordway >> Kelly Saylor >> Tammy Wright Regional Coordinator >> Travis Brugler Regional Supervisor >> Lorenzo Villanueva

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Along the Lines SAFETY EDUCATION & TRAINING

Safety Happens Last

By Bill Spencer, Safety Manager The motto “safety first” may have a nice ring to it, and it certainly looks good on a hard hat sticker, but very often in our industry we don't find safety at the forefront in the minds of workers and employers alike. Lack of training, workplace distractions, or simply the pressure to maintain high productivity are only a few of the reasons why we don’t always find safety at its rightful place at the top of the podium. Safety should, and indeed, must be the number one value at any successful organization, but making this philosophy a reality involves a lot more than just whizzy gadgets and catchy slogans. So, what can be done to help keep safety in the spotlight?

RETURN TO BASICS

Often times the root cause behind any stagnant safety program isn’t a lack of new ideas or initiatives, but a failure to recognize and address the tried-and-true elements of occupational safety. Never assume that your team “already knows” the difference between lagging and leading indicators, is familiar with the Heinrich incident pyramid, or is aware of the inherent danger of UVM work. Be sure to prioritize incident factors based on probability and severity of risk, putting greater emphasis on those that are more probable and could cause the most harm.

Yes, new technologies and ideas can be exciting and can help reinvigorate the team, but older, more proven methods always have the upper hand when it comes to being effective simply because they’ve been around longer, they’ve been tested, and have been fully explored.

DEFINE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS

Situational awareness is mentioned a lot, but seldom defined. Before beginning to inform your team yet again to “maintain situational awareness,” consider first to provide them with a useful definition.

Situational awareness is defined as: the perception of environmental elements and events with respect to time or space, the comprehension of their meaning, and the projection of their future status (Endsley, 1995b, p. 36). It’s each of these components together that make situational awareness an important but often elusive concept in any situation. One form of training that can help increase the situational awareness skills of a team is known as Kim's Game (Keep in Mind game). The game involves a tray with various items such as spoons, pencils, and any other items the team would be familiar with.

The participants are given one minute to view all of these items before they are covered up or taken away. The participants then individually list the items that they saw, with the person giving the most correct answers deemed the winner. Kim’s game helps to emphasize how limited human memory is, with most people only being able to memorize about three to four, which is an important consideration at any jobsite. A modified version of Kim’s Game can be tailored to a UVM setting in the field to help participants gain practical insight into situations that can arise while on the job.

and getting them involved in identifying leading indicators.

ENSURE PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY

Probably one of the greatest discoveries to emerge from behavioral science is the idea that the best way to bring about a change in one’s behavior, is to create a change in their environment. We like to believe that simply giving someone information is enough to bring about real change. Unfortunately, saying something like “If you do this, you might get hurt” just doesn’t always cut it (by the way, showing gruesome pictures doesn’t work either).

However, introducing a change to one’s environment can have a much larger effect. The best part about this concept is that it doesn’t even need to be a big change or intervention. Something as simple as a change in schedule, a change in personal protective equipment, or a minor alteration of a work method, can have a big result. While it’s true that in many of the environments where we work there is a limited ability to create change, there are still many environments where employers do have options to affect the

Psychological safety is the ability to show and employ oneself without fear of negative consequences of self-image, status, or career (Kahn 1990, p. 708). It can be further defined as “a shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk taking” (Edmondson, 1999). In psychologically safe teams, team members feel accepted, respected, and are willing to say what’s on their mind. This is crucial to fostering a speak up culture in any organization and requires leaders and co-workers to be receptive to feedback as well as ensuring suggestions are addressed with respect and consideration. If we want our teams to in fact say something when they see something, we must be fully committed to their psychological safety and be willing to listen to all voices and opinions whenever they surface. This is a vital component to engaging the team

DELIVER YOUR MESSAGE USING STORY Be sure to make use of strong narratives to help carry the weight of your data and statistics. Facts are useful but can begin to ring hollow if they’re the only information being relayed to the team. Remember that humans have been listening and relating to storytelling far longer than we have been looking at graphs and analyzing data. Look for real-life examples that involve vivid imagery, and don’t be afraid to get personal to help strike an emotional chord with your audience.

Above all, make sure to practice your story in advance of telling it to your audience.

It doesn’t have to be scripted (in fact, it’s probably better if it isn’t), but be sure you have at least practiced it once or twice before delivering it in a safety setting.

TO CHANGE BEHAVIOR, CHANGE THE ENVIRONMENT

Continued on page 49

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decision-making process of their employees. Think about what your team wears, the tools and equipment they use, and the work locations they frequent as potential opportunities to bring about behavioral change.

MAKE SAFETY SOCIAL

Humans are a social species who often like doing things in groups, or at the very least, our behavior certainly changes when we perform actions in a group setting rather than as a solo individual. Job briefings, tailboard trainings, and team stretches, can all be made more compelling and more memorable by performing these activities together as a team. The same is true for praise and recognition, which is always more salient and meaningful to the individual, as well as the team, when delivered amongst a wider audience. Make it a policy to praise in public, and coach in private, and never miss a chance to get your team together in a group setting whenever possible.

Bibliography: Edmondson, Amy (1 June 1999). "Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams" (PDF). Administrative Science Quarterly. 44 (2): 350–383. doi:10.2307/2666999. JSTOR 2666999.

Endsley, Micah; Jones, Debra (2016-04-19). Designing for Situation Awareness (Second ed.). CRC Press. p. 13. ISBN 978-1-4200-6358-5.

Kahn, William A. (1990-12-01). "Psychological Conditions of Personal Engagement and Disengagement at Work". Academy of Management Journal. 33 (4): 692–724. doi:10.2307/256287. ISSN 0001-4273. JSTOR 256287.

Safety Stewards At CNUC, we like to say safety doesn’t happen by accident. In fact, it’s our safety slogan. It helps keep us accountable for our own safety and that of others, or as we call it – being a safety steward. The following employees recently ran into situations in which they exemplified being a safety steward.

1. CUF Haley Pope and CUF Jerrod Norton were driving down the street inspecting their circuit when suddenly they noticed some farm equipment stuck in the middle of the road. Haley and Jerrod then noticed that the equipment was badly tangled in service wires that had been strung across the road.

The person operating the farm equipment informed Haley and Jerrod that the wires were sparking badly when they hit them.

The team informed the equipment operator to stay back from the wires and machinery, while they contacted the authorities for assistance. Shortly thereafter, the fire department arrived to secure the scene, and a few minutes later, the team was notified that the utility was on their way to the location as well. Nice job, Haley and Jerrod!

You provided the necessary assistance at a crucial moment to help protect others and get the situation stabilized!

2. CUF Rosalyn Trulove was working on a routine patrol in an area where a pole replacement project was taking place.

Rosalyn was driving down the road when suddenly she heard yelling from the crew up ahead and saw one of the primary wires snap where the crew was working! Rosalyn was far enough away from the incident to be safe, and quickly positioned her vehicle in the road with hazards and strobes activated to alert traffic. Two workers ran towards Rosalyn with cones and additional support to provide traffic control. No one was injured during the event, and the crew was able to secure the scene without further incident.

Great job, Rosalyn! By being at the ready and taking action, not only did you keep yourself and members of the public safe, but also you provided aid to the crew onsite that needed the helping hand!

3. CUF Jason Ciaffa was driving to his next location when he suddenly encountered two downed primary power lines on the north side of the road. Jason immediately activated his strobes and assessed the situation. He repositioned his vehicle at a safe location and positioned traffic cones to warn oncoming vehicles. Jason then

informed his supervisor and kept the public at a safe distance from the hazard. A few minutes later Jason’s supervisor called to confirm that the lines had been deenergized, and crews had been dispatched to the site to make repairs. Jason then gathered his gear and equipment and continued on his way. Nice job, Jason, for being prepared, taking the time to assess the danger, and preventing others from receiving any harm!

4. CUF Adela Collins was driving to her next location just after dawn when she suddenly spotted a recent head-on collision between two vehicles. A bystander was standing in the middle of the road while it was still dark to prevent further collisions as people typically speed through the area. Adela singled the bystander and slowly came to a stop in the road and turned on her strobes to alert other drivers and secure the scene until a fire rescue team could arrive. Nice job, Adela — not only did you stay on the lookout and spotted a dangerous road hazard, but you helped keep those involved safe by alerting other drivers and first responders of the incident.

SAFETY AWARENESS • SAFETY AWARENESS • SAFETY AWARENESS • SAFETY AWARENESS

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Along the Lines

Around the Grid COMPANY

Phil Chen becomes new member of the Right-of-Way Stewardship Council Congratulations to Research and Development Manager Phil Chen on being named a board member of the Right-of-Way Stewardship Council (ROWSC)! The ROWSC is an accreditation program that has established standards for responsible right-of-way vegetation management along corridors.

Learn more about the ROWSC at https://dovetailinc.org/ program-rightofway.

Matt Searels named President Elect of ISA Southern Chapter CNUC Vice President Matt Searels was recently named president elect of the ISA Southern Chapter. This is a position elected by current members of the Southern Chapter Board and will have a duration of four years. Matt has been an active member of the chapter for several years prior to his election. “I have always had a passion for the outdoors, and I see this as an opportunity to support sustainability efforts and continue giving back to my community,” Matt shared. “My hope is to magnify the work that the chapter already does to keep building knowledge and awareness.”

Congratulations, Matt!

Photo Club Winners 2021

People + Vehicles Category: Thomas Houck, Lead CUF

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Funny Category: Peter Scranton, CUF

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Tree + Landscape Category: Patrick Larsen, Regional Supervisor

Along the Lines

DIVISION 20

Senior CUF Making New Discoveries in the Field On a hot July day under a Liberty Utilities electric transmission right-of-way, Chet Ellis, a senior CUF with CNUC, stumbled upon a couple of unidentified plant species.

Working on Liberties’ ROW Habitat Program, it was Chet’s job to inventory plant species under the right-of-way for the utility. Unclear on a few species he had found, Chet took to the internet and posted pictures to the Missouri Native Plant Society Facebook page in hopes of finding an answer.

He immediately got a response.

“There were a few excited people on the Facebook page that helped me identify the unknowns down to the species level and they even suggested that these discoveries could be new occurrences for the county I was in,” Chet explained. “Two very skilled and helpful botanists told me there was no county data for either species in the most well-known databases.” The species found – Melanthium virginicum and Dichanthelium leibergii, were looking to be the first recorded occurrences in Hickory County.

Intrigued, Chet researched the process for making these species records official.

He turned in physical specimens of the plants to Malissa Briggler, state botanist at the Missouri Department of Conservation, along with maps to the location, pictures, and the “Plants of Conservation Concern” form.

After a few tense weeks of waiting on news, Chet received confirmation from Malissa that the two species he found under the right-of-way were, in fact, M. virginicum and D. leibergii, and they were the first recorded occurrence of those species in Hickory County.

Malissa informed Chet that D. leibergii was a species that is tracked by the Missouri Natural Heritage Program (MOHEP), an essential data source for tracking rare species at the international, national and state level. He also received news on two other species he had reported on - Malvastrum angustum and Portulaca Pilosa. These were also tracked

by MOHEP, and while they were not new county records, they are now being tracked as new recorded populations of the species.

The formal letter also acknowledged Chet, CNUC and Liberty Utilities for their efforts, “Thank you again for notifying us of these important plant populations,” said Malissa. “This work will expand our knowledge of the distribution of Missouri flora and the status of rare species.”

Chet was not alone in his efforts. Having the support and confidence of his CNUC supervisor Larin McCulley and Liberty Utilities Vegetation Manager Jason Grossman to execute the ROW Habitat Program was essential. “If it weren’t for them giving me the time and space to work on this exciting new program, it

Malvastrum Angustum

wouldn’t have happened,” said Chet. He also acknowledged the crucial help from amateur and professional botanists he had networked with online.

Chet was ecstatic that he was able to make this discovery, “It was totally unexpected, and I think the biggest feeling was surprise,” said Chet. “When we started this project, I didn’t anticipate we would make this kind of impact. Our primary goals are integrated vegetation management, developing sustainable plant communities, and making this new approach viable for the utility; so, finding species in previously unknown locations wasn’t even on our radar.”

By taking the time and effort to stop and investigate, Chet was able to help expand the knowledge of these rare species and make an impact on the botanical community.

“We have effectively expanded the range map of several species, three that are rare and of conservation concern in Missouri– just by having eyes out on the right-of-way,” Chet added. “It contributes to the knowledge of the botanical community and has made the utility industry and our company an important contributor to that botanical knowledge.”

Portulaca Pilosa

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Along the Lines

Around the Grid Tour des Trees CNUC CUF Karen Jenkins, LCUF Tom Ordway, Regional Manager Matthew Searels, Director of R&D Randall H. Miller and Manager of R&D Phil Chen will make the over 440 mile trek across Iowa this September for the 2022 Tour des Trees. The Tour des Trees is a multiday, supported bike tour that starts in Des Moines, Iowa and ends in Nebraska City, Nebraska.

Riders will spend up to six days riding through western Iowa and Nebraska, engaging with communities and raising funds for the TREE Fund. To learn more and donate to Team CNUC, visit https://tour-des-trees-2022. blackbaud-sites.com/teams/team-cunc.

Throwback to 2019. Randall H. Miller and Matt Searels

Nick Ringer awarded John G. Martin Award at ISA Southern Conference

CNUC Regional Manager Nick Ringer recently received the John G. Martin Award at the ISA Southern Annual Conference and Trade Show in March. This award is granted to an individual each year within the Southern Chapter who exemplifies the backbone and soul of our profession. Great work, Nick!

The Rewarding Success Program recognizes employees who exhibit the values of CNUC in an exemplary manner. 62 CNUC employees have been recognized through this program since September 2021. Congratulations to all recipients!

SAFETY

DIVISION 10 Anthony Hernandez Alan Hoffman Adam Johnson Toni Peduzi Son Pham Britany Pickering Jonathan Ramirez Palacios >> Aaron Reed >> Abigail Silva >> Fernando Zaragoza >> >> >> >> >> >> >>

DIVISION 15 >> John Diefenderfer

DIVISION 20 >> Justin Caldwell >> Kylie Rainwater

DIVISION 25 >> Claire Sedlak >> Tammy Wright

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EXCELLENCE DIVISION 10 >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >>

Jared Beaver Benjamin Briere Cole Clark Paul Corker Amy Gomes Gelson Gonzalez Angel Hernandez Hannah Hroblak Kevin Hunter Eduardo Juarez Dean Knapp Roberto Martinez Erik Owens Greg Senchyna Carly Simon Fernando Vazquez Dakota Workman Jessica York

DIVISION 20 >> Ryan Harbison

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DIVISION 25 >> >> >> >> >> >>

Greg Bemis Benjamin Brown Jordan Chinchilla Maya Chuck Randy Holtzman Kelly Saylor

TEAMWORK DIVISION 10 >> >> >> >>

Juan Hernandez Macias Angelina Johnson Robert Keleher Jennifer Kim

DIVISION 15 >> >> >> >>

Brian Luis Derrick McBride Andrew Pederson Zeb Rosenthal

DIVISION 25 >> Greg Bemis >> Tammy Wright

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INTEGRITY

FAMILY

>> Alexandria Bell >> Kenneth Parsons >> Jonathan Ramirez Palacios >> Quetzalyn Tepayotl

>> Greg Zeman

DIVISION 10

DIVISION 25 >> John Kost >> Paul Myers

DIVISION 25

KNOWLEDGE DIVISION 10

>> Russel Evans >> Alan Hoffman >> Jessica York

DIVISION 15

INNOVATION DIVISION 25

>> Koby Gutsch >> Amadeo Lamphier >> Miles Schneider

>> Jacob Marfin

DIVISION 20

DIVISION 30

>> Loren Ellis

>> Danny Fields

DIVISION 25 >> Maya Chuck

Along the Lines FIELD FACTS

Leveraging Partnerships Across Our Family of Companies: CNUC and SRGI Complete Joint Project in the Carolinas

By Mike Lewis, Regional Supervisor For 2022, CNUC and Spectrum Resource Group, Inc. (SRGI) teamed up to assist employees in search of work during the cold Canadian winter, and to provide an innovative solution to our client in the Carolinas, Duke Energy.

Together, our companies have developed a plan that could lay the groundwork for future collaborations across the Wright Service Corp. (WSC) family of companies for years to come.

Joshua Quaite, a project manager at SRGI, and Matt Searels, vice president of CNUC, were paired up as part of a mentee/mentor component of the WSC Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) program for the 2021 cohort.

During a job shadowing opportunity in the fall, Joshua mentioned that some SRGI field staff are unable to work through the winter months in Canada due to the nature of the work and the extreme cold temperatures. Matt suggested that CNUC may have temporary work to help those employees during the winter months and set up a meeting between management from both companies.

Duke Energy performs aerial side trimming operations on their transmission corridors every year during the winter months. Aerial side trimming involves flying a helicopter along the edge of the right-of-way (ROW) while a series of saw blades hang down from the helicopter and cuts vegetation away from the conductors. To perform this work safely, our team must walk every line corridor in the work plan before the pilot arrives to identify potential hazards in the ROW. We must also work with landowners

near the power lines to establish landing zones (LZs) for the helicopter to refuel and the mechanic to perform maintenance.

Once hazards have been identified and LZs located, our team provides ground support for the pilot; watching the piloted aircraft cut and calling out the previously identified hazards as the pilot approaches. Our role in this operation is critical to the safety of the pilot as well as the safety and reliability of Duke Energy’s electrical assets.

The work is temporary, usually only lasting approximately three to four months (January-April). Duke has contracted CNUC to manage this project since 2017 and relies on our ability to provide excellent service to complete the work. In the past, we have pulled field staff from the CNUC team at Duke Energy to assist, or we hire local temporary employees. Pulling current staff greatly inhibits our ability to maintain the day-to-day work that must be completed for our client. Hiring local temporary employees has resulted in teams with high turn-over rates. Our vision was to build a team that could grow and build on skills and knowledge gained over time.

complete projects on both sides of the border. Based on the successes of and the lessons learned from this year, we are excited to be able to bring a larger contingency of SRGI employees across to help with other projects next winter on the Duke Energy contract!

Special thanks to the following individuals who helped make this project a success: Jesus Vetencourt, Vice President of Canadian Operations, Wright Canada Holdings Ltd. Dean Marshall, Vice President and General Manager, SRGI Eric Nijboer, Division Manager, SRGI Jeff Edwards, Silviculture Supervisor, SRGI John Potter, Crew Leader, SRGI Katelynn Rozmarniewich, Field Tech, SRGI Sara Stone, Consulting Utility Forester, CNUC

That is where SRGI comes in. Through discussions with their management, we were able to identify employees who were looking for work through the winter and were dedicated to the success of SRGI and the WSC family of companies.

They also met the qualifications to cross the border and work on the project.

SRGI and CNUC worked side by side to complete the Duke air saw project ahead of schedule and exceeded our client’s quality of work expectations.

We are looking forward to leveraging this experience to find more opportunities across the WSC family of companies to

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SUBMIT A FIELD FACT!

If you would like to submit a field fact, please email info@cnutility.com.

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THE

SPECTRUM STANDARD WRIGHT OUTDOOR SOLUTIONS TERRA SPECTRUM TECHNOLOGIES

Second Annual Users Group Conference

By Nathan Jones, Senior Technology Consultant It has been a big year here at Terra Spectrum Technologies (TST).

We have added new clients to our portfolio and our team has expanded to meet the growing demand for FieldNote. Each passing day brings new opportunities for growth, both as a company and individually. We are careful never to stray far from one of our core beliefs – creating the best user experience of any software on the market. We truly believe that personally interacting with our clients is the best way to provide world-class customer service, while learning at the same time about how we can provide a better product. That is why on February 1 and 2 of this year we were very excited to host our second annual FieldNote Users Group Conference. The Users Group is our annual opportunity to gather all our clients together in one place and talk all things FieldNote.

Originally conceived as an in-person event, the pandemic forced us to host the event virtually for the first two years.

All current users were invited, as well as a select group of interested parties and

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clients from across North America.

The TST team has always strived to provide a product that is both userfriendly and highly functional, with client engagement being a cornerstone of that mission. That is why our Users Group is designed to encourage as much user feedback as possible. After introducing a handful of new features and going over some specifics about how the system operates, clients were given the opportunity to present on topics that were meaningful to their operation. After each topic was presented, time was set aside for audience participation. We find that often the most fruitful discussion comes when the TST team steps back and allows clients to interact with each other and exchange ideas and methodologies that are mutually beneficial.

After two days of lively discussion, the second annual Users Group Conference came to a close and the participants went their separate ways. A short time later all participants received a special thank you gift from the TST team, which included a selection of snacks that were made in Iowa, our latest TST-branded hat, a pint glass (for drinking water), and a thank you note expressing our sincere appreciation for their participation. Plans are already underway for next year’s User Group Conference, including the consideration of an in-person event. TST is truly fortunate to have such a great group of clients, and we look forward to seeing them all again next year!

Terra Spectrum Technologies

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The TST team has always strived to provide a product that is both user-friendly and highly functional, with client engagement being a cornerstone of that mission.

BITS & BYTES

Welcome New Clients!

Liberty Utilities California

Welcome New Employees!

Mark Pritchard, Data Technician Matt Hollen, Application Developer Nibaldo Urzua, Technology Consultant

DEVELOPER DOWNLOAD

Life in Translation

VISION

By Nibaldo Urzua, Technology Consultant When someone asks you to write about yourself, it is hard to decide where exactly to begin, so I decided to start at the beginning. My childhood was a happy one. I grew up in Santiago, Chile with my sister and parents. We spent a lot of time enjoying outdoor adventures along the front range of the Andes including biking, hiking, camping, sightseeing and more. Early in life I learned to appreciate outdoor life and the importance of exploration.

My passion for adventure took me to a variety of places in South America and Europe throughout high school and college. After graduating from Industrial Design School in 1995, I firmly believed that outdoor activities were more than just a fun experience and I was convinced they were also a great vehicle for achieving important goals in personal and professional life. After graduation in 2000, I started working as a facilitator at ProQualitas Consultores in Región Metropolitana Chile. I worked for their outdoor educational programs, designing and building challenge and adventure courses.

In 2005, I decided to move to the United States for an 18-month internship, working with at-risk teenagers in wilderness programs. At first, my ability to read, write and speak English was limited, so I took several English classes and practiced with native speakers to improve my skills.

job planner. As part of my job planner responsibilities, I trained crews on mountain hazard tree mitigation, safety trainings, fire briefings and work studio; just to name a few. As I navigated through this role, I learned the value of being bilingual and being able to communicate with my crews in their native language.

During this time, I met Nathan Jones, who was a utility forester with WTS at that time, and little did I know that later in my career we would be working together at TST. Now in my current role, I provide bilingual training, support to customers and present our services to potential new clients. I really enjoy this position because I can use all my previous experiences to help assist our customers and help problem solve how we can enhance our products to make them better.

Over the years, I have really appreciated our parent company, Wright Service Corp., for providing such an accessible path for my professional development journey and for giving me the opportunity to further my skills and contribution to the organization.

When I am not presenting our FieldNote software to potential clients or helping our existing customers with their accounts, I am an avid cyclist representing the Go4Graham cyclist team. Go4Graham is a non-profit organization that promotes mental wellness through physical activity, connection and education. I also enjoy visiting new breweries, going to concerts, watching movies and spending time at home with my partner, Deb, and our cats, Linus and Don Julio.

Terra Spectrum Technologies is a leader in providing innovative, high quality software specializing in geospatial data collection and workflow management.

MISSION

// Provide simple, streamlined and scalable software that exceeds our clients’ expectations // Have comprehensive knowledge of the clients and industries that we serve // Have a positive influence on the communities we serve // Deliver attractive value appreciation to our employee owners // Give team members the training and opportunities needed to enhance their professional development and technical knowledge // Provide knowledge and technical support to clients with only in-house staff

VALUES

Security: We protect our customers’ data as if it were our own.

Innovation: We anticipate our clients’ needs and we deliver creative services and solutions.

Knowledge: We understand and adopt the latest technology trends.

Excellence: We continually strive to exceed our customer’s expectations – and our own expectations.

Integrity: We abide by the highest ethical standards.

It was in 2011 that I was introduced to a job opportunity with Wright Tree Service, and I started working as a groundsperson, hoping that my experience, determination and professionalism would eventually allow me to take on a larger role within the organization. Fast forward and two months later, I was promoted to

Teamwork: It is how we operate and we hold each other accountable.

Family: It is our foundation; it is who we are.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Giving Back New at TST this year, employees were encouraged to become involved in an organization they were passionate about that also focuses on some form of environmental conservation – anything from animal conservation to environmental conservation. To learn more about the amazing organizations team members chose, continue to read, and stay tuned for how they’ve been involved throughout the year!

TEAM MEMBERS: Travis Yordi, Vice President & Chief Architect and Dave Reed, Senior Product Manager ORGANIZATION: Pheasants Forever Travis Yordi: I’m a part of Pheasants Forever for several reasons, but first and foremost is their well-deserved reputation as The Habitat Organization. Habitat loss in Iowa has equated to less than one-tenth of one percent of our original prairie and only 5% of our wetlands remaining. Pheasants Forever focuses on habitat creation, improvement, and restoration to provide for abundant populations of our wildlife. The efforts of the organization lead to opportunities for everyone; people who like to spend time in the field hunting, people who like to hike, birdwatch, or those who just appreciate being in the nature. My hope is that my membership leads even more of these opportunities for the next generation.

Dave Reed: Pheasants Forever has over 130,000 members along with a long history of working towards creating or enhancing wildlife habitats on over 15 million acres across the country. Members work with farmers and ranchers to protect and improve soil, improve water quality, and enhance wildlife habitat on their land. I joined this organization because I believe it is important that we try and restore and preserve as much natural habitat as we can. To learn more about this organization and to find a chapter near year, visit https://www. pheasantsforever.org/.

highest peaks in Colorado. Ever since I was a boy, I have been fascinated with the idea of climbing the highest peaks in my home state. Of the thousands of peaks in Colorado, 54 of them exceed the magic height of 14,000 feet above sea level; the infamous “fourteeners”. It has always been a life-long goal of mine to climb them all, and although the responsibilities of life can sometimes get in the way, I still plan on reaching the goal with my current count being 40. All the peaks are different and present their own unique challenges, but one thing they all have in common is the attraction of hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.

This can have a large impact on a fragile alpine ecosystem, and the CFI is making a difference through active stewardship and public education. To learn more, visit https://www.14ers.org/.

TEAM MEMBER: Josh Plowman, Developer ORGANIZATION: The Tide The Tide is a part of the non-profit organization Only One. The Tide focuses and funds various projects to protect the ocean. I am currently donating money to the cause, but in the future, I think it would be awesome if we could use our FieldNote app to help map out the locations of habitats that need to be protected and use our software to manage the rehabilitation efforts. To learn more and donate to the cause, visit https:// only.one/invite/JOSHU785.

TEAM MEMBER: Nate Jones, Senior Technology Consultant ORGANIZATION: Colorado Fourteeners Initiative An organization that I am involved in is the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative (CFI). CFI is a non-profit that is dedicated to protecting and conserving the ecosystem on the

TEAM MEMBER: Matt Hollen, Application Developer ORGANIZATION: Waukee Lions Club I joined because it runs in the family; my dad and my grandpa were Lions Club members and I also wanted to give back to my community. The Lions Club of Waukee has a close relationship with the Waukee Parks and Recreation Department, and every

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year the club helps to plant trees, bushes, and flowers in the parks around our community.

They also have adopted a local park, Alice Nizzi, in Waukee and we help with cleanup and maintaining the grounds. To learn more about what the Waukee Lions Club does for their community, visit https://e-clubhouse. org/sites/waukee/.

TEAM MEMBER: Nibaldo Urzua, Technology Consultant ORGANIZATION: Go4Graham Foundation Go4Graham is a community-based movement to shred the stigma surrounding mental health by promoting mental wellness through physical activity, connection, and education. I support this organization because I truly believe in their mission to make mental health a more normalized topic of conversation. That is why Go4Graham exists – to provide a community and to start the conversation of the importance of mental health. For the past seven years, I have been an ambassador on the Go4Graham cycling team, competing in several races each year. If anyone has any questions about this organization/cycling team or would like to get involved, please do not hesitate to reach out or visit www.go4graham.org.

TEAM MEMBER: Ting Zhang, Senior Product Manager ORGANIZATION: National Wildlife Federation The National Wildlife Federation is the largest, most trusted conversation organization in America. Through habitat protection, restoration and management, the National Wildlife Federation aims to help various species from becoming extinct.

Right now, I am just giving back by donating money, but in the future, I hope to volunteer with the organization. To learn more, visit https://www.nwf.org/.

GreeNews SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANTS

MOURNING THE LOSS OF

Sustainable Environmental Consultants President John Harsch The Wright Service Corp. Board of Directors and executive leadership announced the unexpected loss of Sustainable Environmental Consultants (SEC) President John Harsch in January as a result of a vehicle accident.

Chairman and CEO Scott Packard said, “With a profound sense of loss and sadness, we mourn the passing of a remarkable leader and advocate for sustainable practices and regenerative agriculture. His work transcended many fields, most notably through EcoPractices®, in environmental practices, natural resources and conservation.”

Under John’s leadership, SEC became a leader in providing innovative solutions to better the planet through sustainability risk management, agriculture

compliance and engineering, and erosion control. SEC provides a range of environmental services needed by food companies and their agriculture supply systems.

John had over 25 years of experience in environmental practices, natural resources, and conservation. He was instrumental in SEC’s growth since starting the company in 2008 with three other investors, where its first line of business was agricultural engineering.

He helped move the company into erosion control, supporting agriculture through engineering and compliance services, and created the EcoPractices® platform to support food and agriculture companies with sustainability risk management. He also played an integral role in putting together the agreement to join Wright Service Corp. and become part of an employee-owned family of companies in 2012.

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John was a founding board member and director of the Wright Foundation for Sustainability and Innovation that fosters innovative sustainability initiatives that make a positive impact on our planet.

Packard stated, “Our deepest condolences extend to the Harsch family and all who had the privilege to work with John as he truly believed and I quote, ‘Sustainable practices and regenerative agriculture are the future’.”

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VISION

Sustainable Environmental Consultants is a leader in providing innovative solutions to better the planet.

2021 in Review EcoPractices®: Supporting Your Regenerative Ag Goals in 2021

MISSION

Recognize the responsibility of organizations and individuals to be leaders in protecting our environment.

We desire to provide transformative sustainability solutions that minimize risk for our customers, our communities, and our planet.

VALUES

SAFETY It is everyone’s responsibility – we each own it.

INTEGRITY We abide by the highest ethical standards.

TRANSPARENCY We take pride in our independent authentication process of reliable traceability.

SUSTAINABILITY We value action over definition when it comes to sustainability because it’s our passion.

RESPECT We exhibit it toward our team, our customers and the environment.

COLLABORATION We recognize we will move the needle on sustainability only through partnership and cooperation by many.

INNOVATION We anticipate our clients’ needs and we deliver creative services and solutions.

FAMILY It is our foundation; it is who we are.

2021 was the year “Regenerative Agriculture” entered the spotlight with features in Forbes and the New York Times. It’s no surprise #RegenerativeAg is the new trend in the sustainability space.

But it’s not a new concept at EcoPractices or to the farms and food supply companies we serve. It’s the foundation and principles many across the United States rely on daily to keep their farms and production possible.

Since 2016, our EcoPractices platform has helped farms and food companies support their regenerative ag practices by establishing baseline metrics and validating on-farm practices. Utilizing these metrics and data helps farms and food companies support their regenerative ag goals and sustainability marketing.

In 2021 we continued to support regenerative agriculture efforts as our team of agronomists and scientists quantified and verified field-level practices across several key regenerative agriculture pillars including: • Soil Health • Water Quality • Carbon Emissions • Biodiversity Of course, without the hard work of the farmers, producers, and food companies implementing these efforts the following metrics and our success would not be possible. For that, we thank them!

Soil Health 26% of the fields we monitored in 2021 utilized natural manure on their farms which helps increase organic soil matter. Increased organic matter means healthier soil which leads to less soil erosion and increased resilience.

In addition to improving soil health, these efforts resulted in a major cost savings in 2021 due to increased commercial fertilizer costs. Across our monitored farms, over $17 million was saved when compared to applying commercial fertilizer.

Water Quality Utilization of natural manure also impacts water quality by improving soil health. By implementing sustainable practices, such as natural fertilizer, farmers saved nearly 10,000 (9,178) metric tons of NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) runoff from entering local watersheds and ecosystems.

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Carbon Emissions 64% of the acres we monitored used no-till or reduced till farming practices which uses less equipment passes in the field when compared to conventional farming practices. By reducing equipment passes, farms are able to reduce their GHG emissions and carbon footprint.

Biodiversity Of the over 45 diverse crops verified in 2021, 31% of the acres monitored were cover crops. Cover crops increase biodiversity by improving existing ecosystems, building resilience against diseases and pests, and increasing habitat for pollinators and beneficial insects.

And that’s not all.

What’s next for EcoPractices?

In 2022 we will continue to expand our efforts with food and beverage companies as well as non-profit organizations focused on reducing environmental impacts in the agriculture industry.

As consumer pressures continue to build on those in the ag and food supply sectors, we strive to highlight the hard work already in progress and the improvement efforts towards reducing environmental impacts.

Industry Speaking Engagement In April, our director of agronomics Anne Dinges had the opportunity to speak at the North American Meat Institute Environment, Labor and Safety Conference in San Antonio, Texas, where she provided an industry update on greenhouse gas management alongside other panel members.

Media Mentions

In The News Sustainable Environmental Consultants Applauds USDA ‘Climate-Smart’ Pilot Projects WEST DES MOINES, Iowa Feb. 23, 2022 – Sustainable Environmental Consultants (SEC), a sustainability verification provider for agriculture systems, applauds the Department of Agriculture’s dedication of $1 billion in support of measured and verified “climate-smart” pilot projects.

These projects focus on the on-farm/on-ranch practices which are associated with greenhouse gas emissions and/or carbon sequestration including but not limited to: cover crops, reduced or no-till management, manure management and nutrient management.

SEC was excited to receive mentions in the following media publications: • Yahoo • Yahoo Finance • Successful Farming • GreenBiz

Team Travels Between farm visits and client meetings, our team has been traveling a lot this spring. From California to North Carolina and several places in between, we’re glad to be traveling again and making these visits in person!

“As a true third-party provider, our team has been dedicated to providing science-based measurement and verification practices for on-farm practices since 2008,” said Scott Packard, CEO, Sustainable Environmental Consultants. “Sustainable practices should be tied to measurable data and we’re happy to provide the solution.”

Sustainable Environmental Consultants looks forward to helping public and private entities meet the required quantification, monitoring, reporting and verification of climate results necessary to participate in the climate-smart commodities program.

To learn more about our services and EcoPractices® platform visit our LinkedIn page.

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In The News continued Sustainable Environmental Consultants Announces Industry Changing R3™ ROI Tool for Regenerative Agriculture Practices WEST DES MOINES, Iowa March 17, 2022 – Sustainable Environmental Consultants (SEC), a sustainability verification provider for agriculture, has announced the release of their new R3™ ROI Tool to provide farmers and the supply chains they serve with customized data about the financial and environmental benefits of implementing regenerative agriculture practices.

“Consumers are passionate about the environmental impact of their food and this tool will help meet increasing consumer demands by placing a tangible value on implementing regenerative agriculture practices,” said Doug McCorkle, Chief Science Officer, Sustainable Environmental Consultants. “The R3™ ROI Tool is bridging the gap between purpose and profit.”

The first-of-its-kind tool, created in collaboration with Danone North America, is designed to give farmers a comprehensive view of their operations and forecast the return on investment of personalized sustainability and regenerative agriculture practices to drive increased adoption.

Using SEC’s EcoPractices® web-based platform, the R3™ ROI Tool serves as a benchmarking and comparison tool which uses farm-specific verified data to show the projected impact of change in farming practices, such as manure usage, tillage type, and cover crop implementation, allowing farmers to evaluate their specific operations.

“We understand the opportunity within our soil and the importance of regenerative practices and what they can unlock, environmentally and now financially, along with our responsibility to advance a sustainable and resilient future,” said Jennifer Simpson, Director of Agriculture, Danone North America.

The R3™ – Robust, Resilient, Reliable – ROI Tool, proposes targeted practices in conjunction with SEC’s Sustainable Continuous Improvement Plan™ (SCIP) which provides opportunities for farmers to advance regenerative agriculture practices on their farms. The plans are built using SECs independent third-party data with the goal of giving farmers credit for their current sustainability practices while providing science-based short and medium-term goals for improving their environmental impact.

Once a practice is selected, the R3™ ROI Tool provides models with forecasted returns on investment to help farmers understand the potential financial impacts regenerative agriculture can have on their farm to enable decision making and prioritization.

“Until now, implementing regenerative agriculture practices implied farmers would lose out on profits. This tool provides the data needed to help farmers and food companies make informed decisions to improve their environmental impact and profits,” said McCorkle. “Our R3™ ROI Tool will help increase regenerative agriculture adoption while keeping farm viability in mind.”

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA Sustainable Environmental Consultants (SEC)

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North of 49 0 SPECTRUM RESOURCE GROUP INC.

The Wright Effect

By Joshua Quaite, BSc, Reforestation Operations Manager This article was submitted in November 2021 as part of the LEAD Program capstone requirements to showcase professional growth during the program.

As our time in the Leadership, Education and Development (LEAD) Program draws to a close, I would like to utilize this capstone article to share my experience coming into the Wright family of companies as part of an established organization.

Ownership transition is a complex moment within a company stirring a range of emotions in employees from anxiety to excitement. The adjustments and changes implemented by Wright Service Corp. (WSC) following the acquisition of our company has benefited us greatly. In addition, my participation with the LEAD Program has changed my perspective of work life from just a “job” to a worthwhile cause and I shall expand upon why.

Our company, Spectrum Resource Group, Inc. (SRGI), operates mainly in northern British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, and was acquired by WSC in 2017 as the company’s first expansion into Canada.

During that time, I worked seasonally with SRGI as a production faller in winter within the mountain pine beetle program and joined on again in late summer to supervise herbicide crews in a forestry capacity. Outside these roles and during the rest of the year, I was employed by other companies gaining experience and a diverse perspective

within the forestry industry. When the acquisition was announced companywide, I remember hearing a general sense of unease and hesitancy among the boots on the ground. These feelings were mainly rooted in the unknown or the narrative that we were now beholden to shadowy corporate America. The unease seems laughable in hindsight but prior to 2017, an international entity or organization as vast as WSC had not previously existed in our sphere of industry which competes primarily for forestry work as a service provider.

Our clients, largely lumber mills and government, operate at an international scale but this was novel in SRGI’s niche of the industry. With time, we all learned more about WSC and our place within, and trepidation was replaced with a sense of inspiration. Albeit, with so many seasonal employees it took time to circulate our newly acquired knowledge through the workforce, but with perseverance it did.

transition could very much be the breath of fresh air our company and industry needed. Thus, I jumped in and signed on.

Not long into my position I began to observe tactile change. Within months I witnessed an injection of new equipment as our older fleet was retired. Soon, my worn out and beat up 1-ton pickup was replaced with a new F-150, much more fuel efficient and outfitted appropriately for the role, making a strong statement about professionalism. Other changes included a modernization of the company logo and website, standard letterheads and PowerPoints, new computer hardware was distributed, and cyber security protocols were implemented. Most of these changes were small and subtle, others significant, and a few were painful such as software and email transitions. However, all these changes had a net benefit and could be seen to align SRGI with an incredibly successful business model. I am thankful there was support available through the transition and I have much gratitude for

With this change came opportunity and there were great and equal parts of both for us at SRGI. For myself, opportunity soon presented in the form of a project manager role for the local utility at a consultant capacity with a commitment to SRGI as my sole employer. I read a good deal about WSC and the family of companies to learn about the history, mission statements, values and the employee ownership model. I contemplated the changes a company like that could make within SRGI and it was rather obvious that this Continued on page 62

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the IT department especially.

Operations here continued adapting and functioning rather well. In 2020, I was nominated by our division manager for the WSC LEAD Program and subsequently invited to take part. At the time, I was not entirely aware of what this would mean or entail but twenty-four individuals much like myself were chosen to participate amongst the five thousand Wright employees. The bi-annual program would include personality assessment and training, courses in public speaking, joining of a professional association relevant to our industries, seminars on leadership, planning and the assignment of a mentor to help guide us along the way. The program was quite immersive and no half measure from my experience.

I witnessed firsthand how invested our company is with their employees and how the mission statement, values and vision are integrated with intention.

Our group came from eight companies across WSC and had roots in operations to consulting to accounting. Despite not being able to meet in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were able to connect and learn remotely about each other. Our ability to share stories, advice and ideas across the continent offered

insight into each other’s unique roles and perspectives. Many of these individuals and their pursuits were not on my radar prior to the LEAD Program, but through this I quickly realized there is great diversity both dedicated and talented within the company. I simply had a limited grasp of the extent of the endeavours occurring beyond my operation.

Perhaps of most value in the LEAD Program was the opportunity to have a mentor and shadow them at their work for at least three days. These mentors are executives, regional and operational managers; leaders who have proven their merit but were distinctly separate from our own operation, division, or subsidiary of WSC. My mentor was Matthew Searels of CNUC, and I was able to confide in Matthew throughout my journey and learn from his valued perspective and experience. This was incredibly beneficial to ground the topics I was studying in the program as he was exemplifying them daily. It must be said again that for me, the job shadow was the most impactful component of the program as I was given access to thoughts, ideals and epiphanies that likely would have taken years to formulate. Thanks to my time with Matthew, I was able to see CNUC’s

mission, values and vision thoroughly integrated into daily affairs and a division running like a well-oiled machine. Having the opportunity to step out of my sphere and observe someone else’s without my own routine and duties compelling my attention gave me an opportunity to focus on what is different there at that moment from what I know and am accustomed to. I was able to begin painting a target or vision for where I would like to guide my interactions and operations.

In summation, I am incredibly grateful to be part of the Wright family and even more so to have taken part in the LEAD Program. I am fortunate to have witnessed the “Wright Effect” from inception at SRGI and found much good to come of it from physical resources to accountability to employee engagement. With regard to my own personal development, lessons learned in the LEAD Program have made me more effective, accountable and much less stressed. Great things can be achieved when you gather and train a group such as this and I very much look forward to collaborating with these talented and driven co-workers in the future. The Wright cause is one that will stand the test of time.

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

A Conservation Collaboration

By Breanne Truman, A.Ag, FIT, Project Manager According to best estimates, there are 6,000 mountain caribou found within British Columbia and Alberta1. The southern mountain caribou population found within British Columbia has been given the status of threatened due to an increase of predation. This increase of predation is the outcome of habitat alterations as a direct result of industrial activities and natural disturbances.

The old forests which caribou favored have been removed and has indirectly created seral habitats which invite other ungulates such as deer and moose into these areas. As result of deer and moose inhabiting these areas, wolves and other apex predators have followed and now have an easier time targeting caribou, a food source not as once easily available to them. With help from industry, these once hard to reach places now have easier paths of travel whether it be pipelines, roads, or other linear features.

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It is a government of British Columbia

Current distribution of southern mountain caribou subpopulations and local population units (Environment Canada, 2014)

initiative in collaboration with McLeod Lake Indian Band (MLIB). We are helping Caribou to regain their territories by creating a prescription to rehabilitate these linear features and polygonal disturbances (such as clearcuts) retired by industry that reach critical caribou habitats. The subpopulations of southern mountain caribou that are the focus of these A caribou at the Kennedy Siding public viewing location. rehabilitation efforts are the Burnt Pine, Kennedy Siding, Scott West and Hart Ranges populations (see Fig. 1 Current distribution of southern mountain caribou subpopulations and local population units, subpopulation numbers 8 and 14 are the focus areas).

Current work is being done at the Kennedy Siding demonstration site, located two hours north of Prince George and is a popular area for the public to view the caribou. The work we did includes ripping up former roads and landing strips to aid in planting tree for this summer on roads that have compacted soil. Other treatments at this site will include mechanical site preparation (mounding, ripping), roll back/spreading of coarse woody materials, and tree felling/tree bending which can be used to immediately reduce ease of travel and line-of-sight distances on linear features.

Because of the considerable range of habitat, our efforts will first encompass areas deemed as priority. Priorities are assigned to individual linear features and polygons based on selection criteria that include value to caribou, condition of the land, input from government biologists and if these features would have support of First Nation stakeholders. Once those areas are identified, they will be surveyed from the ground or air and given a recommendation for treatment.

We are excited to be part of the conservation efforts to help save caribou populations within the Omineca and Peace regions of the province, as well as supporting our partners at MLIB. 1 Environment Canada. 2014. Recovery Strategy for the Woodland Caribou, Southern Mountain population (Rangifer tarandus caribou) in Canada [Proposed]. Species at Risk Act Recovery Strategy Series. Environment Canada, Ottawa. viii + 68 pp.

VISION

Spectrum Resource Group aims to be the leading integrated vegetation management provider in Canada.

MISSION

To deliver the highest level of professional, safe and environmentally conscious integrated vegetation management solutions to the industry, public and our communities.

To invest in employee development to provide new and innovative services adding mutual value to our clients and vendors.

VALUES

SAFETY It is everyone’s responsibility – we each own it.

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY We support activities that benefit our employees and add value to their communities.

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY We strive to protect and improve all ecosystems.

INNOVATION We anticipate our clients’ needs and we deliver creative services and solutions.

INSPIRATION We provide a safe, healthy, caring and productive work environment to energize, engage and inspire our employees.

FAMILY It is our foundation; it is who we are.

Rewarding Success

The Rewarding Success Program recognizes employees who exhibit Spectrum’s values in an exemplary manner. Ten employees were recognized from the last three quarters. Congratulations to all recipients!

SAFETY - Kelly Leary

INNOVATION - Jacqueline Downs - Michelle Gagnon - Jon Head Huys - Enyinna Ukegbu

INSPIRATION - Donny Blyde - Richard Green - Myia Stauber - Morgan Thideman - Eric Torres

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NEW DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP

Spectrum has recently consolidated our wildlife danger tree assessment and tree falling services into one department under Mike Kozak and Matt Drew's leadership. Most of the work done in regard to falling has been ‘Danger Tree Falling.’ This is assessing hazardous trees and removing them so the work that will be taking place within 1.5 treelengths of said hazardous trees can commence without risk of a failure in the tree.

"The trees pictured here were at risk of imminent failure," explained Crew Leader Matt Drew. "They were rotten in the middle, had pre-existing rooting problems and had tops that were dead. This lets water into the trunk and starts the rotting process. The use of heavy machinery can cause vibrations that may trigger the decaying trees to fall."

MACKENZIE OUTDOOR ROUTE AND TRAILS ASSOCIATION

SRGI donated to MORTA to purchase a trail groomer for winter walking and fat biking!

Conflict Management

By Jennifer Davy A.S., BSc. (Hons.), Supervisor

Conflict is a reality of any jobsite, but it does not have to be as negative as our minds tend to go. When we allow a shift in our own perspective on how we view conflict and therefore manage it, it can afford us great personal and professional growth as we navigate different situations. As a supervisor with Spectrum Resource Group, I understand first-hand the challenges many of us in leadership have with providing guidance or course correction to personnel on our team, especially when the predicted aftermath may result in conflict.

By becoming better at managing conflict within our teams, it decreases time lost, increases moral and builds a basis for trust and loyalty, serving both the company and individuals that work so hard to make Spectrum successful.

Often, our own personal fears, lack of confidence, previous experiences or expected outcomes concerning the potential for conflict can be the driver for nervousness regarding a negative situation. This could be prevented by understanding how we process information, where our own bias naturally occurs and putting aside reactionary emotional responses.

Humans experience a world of information daily. To categorize the five senses, there is a clever system that arranges information into “webs” within the connections in our brain. Each of these inter-connected pathways allow us to make rapid decisions and react to our environment based on our personal historical knowledge. Normally, this system is excellent and allows us to navigate our world proficiently. However, there is a downfall in that it creates personal bias in accordance with what we have experienced. This can lead to conflict when we use interpersonal skills in situations that trigger our bias. It is called the “Fundamental Attribution Error.” This is your tendency to attribute one’s actions to their personality or character. Managing reactionary personal bias with emotional intelligence, self-awareness and shifting perspective is the key to conflict management. Mentoring our up-in-comers with the skills and tools they need to navigate turbulence within their teams allows for streamlined communication that is both transparent and effective. This in turn leads to higher retention rates of our most valuable assets, the people we have invested in.

We display our internalized predisposition in subtle ways. It can be defensive or aggressive body/facial language, tone of voice, or an unwillingness to actively listen to the other person. By falsely giving a person or scenario negative attributes and subconsciously acting on them, we set out to prove our own belief of a negative outcome. The early warning system that precipitates all of this is often a feeling of being upset or angry. This is an opportunity to shift perspective and employ emotional intelligence by pausing and actively investigating these adverse internal sentiments and recognizing our own bias.

My personal struggle with conflict in the workplace has often been precluded by my own actions and an unflattering perspective that others have had of me. While often inaccurate, it has been understandable. I did not yet have the tools and approach that I now possess. It has taken a lot of self-reflection, hard work and understanding different ways of engaging my team to create a low conflict work environment.

When we have undesirable emotions attached to any interaction, this is a very clear warning sign to STOP and ASSESS. Even in a moment of conflict with a colleague, it is okay to take a deep breath, request a moment, or walk away if you need to. I find imagining my physical self mentally taking a step back and removing emotional factors from the situation helpful to resolve where the issue is stemming from. It can be shocking the first few times you do this; our personal bias can be very deeply rooted, and we can feel very strong associations that may not be relevant to the current conflict. Actively managing our conflict can rewire the information webs in

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our brain, and lead to opportunities for growth. Recognizing our bias and shifting our perspective through logic-minded practice can allow us to navigate scenarios that may have become negative. This promotes motivation, trust, loyalty, and personal growth when done correctly.

READY FOR PLANTING SEASON

Understanding how we process information and actively managing our perspective, while recognizing our own personal bias is a key to being a good leader. If we actively engage in taking a pause and assessing a situation, we will inspire our team. Conflict is an opportunity to grow the trust between us and our team.

We Moved!

It is a sentimental thing, moving. A home, a city, or in this case an office.

This is the tree nursery where some of the trees that will be planted in the 2022 season! There are about 12 million trees at the PRT Red Rock nursery and about 275,000 in each of these photos.

3810 18th Avenue in Prince George has been home to the various iterations of Spectrum since 1992. It has been a second home to hundreds of young people over the years and has seen many things – careers begin and grow, people come and go, marriages, births and loss. As they say, “If the walls could talk,” I am sure they would have stories to last a lifetime.

NEW, ON THE MOVE & CERTIFIED

We transitioned into our new location at the beginning of the year and are excited about moving forward and growing, creating new opportunities, and continuing to do what we do best!

The SRGI Office on 18th Avenue in Prince George

The new office location of SRGI. Our employees were able to enjoy the opening of our office by grilling out!

Congratulations to the following Spectrum Resource Group employees who were recently appointed and promoted!

ON THE MOVE Crew Leader Maria Balisi Nathan Beckley Josh Borthwick John Bronicheski Zakary Burford Krish Deepak Krish Deepak Jeyabalan Jen Ellis Kirsten Fisk Madison Hooper Megan Leslie Travis Mallia Max Malo Daniel Mascarenhas Hugh Morrison Mason Mowbray Ainsley Mutrie Mansoor Rahmani Kieran Thomas Sam Wrinkle Emily Wahlers

Project Manager Elliot Eisner Kelly Leary Reforestation Operations Manager Joshua Quaite Supervisor Emma Bellamy Donny Blyde Patrick Cobitz Mike Collet Matt Drew Daniel Fisher Michelle Gagnon Hengda Liu Jacinta McAndrew Ashton Prior Michaela Pye Safety Coordinator Steve Relkov

CERTIFIED

Fleet ody Hartman- Journeyman Automotive C Mechanic

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THE WRIGHT

PERSPECTIVE St. Patrick's Day Goodie Bags On St. Patrick’s Day, the Community Involvement Committee organized a goodie bag packing event where corporate office staff could volunteer to stuff bags with St. Patrick’s Day themed items, sanitary items and activities such as cards, sudoku and more. Fifty bags were packed and delivered to a local senior living community.

Earth Day Cleanup In celebration of Earth Day, nine WSC employees picked up trash on April 22 along the two-mile stretch of highway we adopted, located around the corner from our headquarters. Nearly seven bags of trash were collected during our first of four cleanups for the year. Well done team!

Thanks to our Community Involvement Committee for coordinating and the City of West Des Moines for providing resources and materials.

Holiday Giving Over the holidays, corporate office staff had the opportunity to give back to the Des Moines community with a canned food drive, adopt-a-family and a Toys for Tots drive coordinated by the Wellness and Community Involvement Committees of the WSC Culture Club.

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Wright Foundation for Sustainability and Innovation The Wright Foundation for Sustainability and Innovation (WFSI) exists to foster innovative sustainability initiatives that make a positive impact on our planet. WFSI wants to find solutions to the complex challenges facing our world today.

The Foundation’s vision is to facilitate positive action toward sustainable and innovative solutions in agricultural and environmental sectors that reduce carbon footprints and minimize risk for our communities.

GRANT AWARD PROJECT UPDATES Friends of Des Moines Parks On May 13, employees and community volunteers joined Friends of Des Moines Parks to plant 132 trees through grant funding awarded by WFSI. Des Moines Parks and Recreation and Trees Forever were onsite to provide direction and assistance.

Trees Forever Funding went toward three Trees Forever Programs – Planting Hope, Growing Futures and TreeKeepers. Trees Forever field staff continue to work with the projects, carefully developing planting plans and selecting trees that adhere to right tree, right place, right reason, right care.

Planting Hope

By November 1, 2022, WFSI grant dollars will have funded the planting of a projected 400 native trees in high need, high impact locations spanning across the derecho impacted area including two cemeteries in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Camp Mitigwa in Woodward, Iowa, and more.

Growing Futures In the Fall of 2021, the Growing Futures programs in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids employed 20 area youth, planted 1,099 new trees and watered 5,412 trees.

In the Spring of 2022, Growing Futures programs in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids anticipated employing 22 area youth, planting 1,463 new trees and watering 7,500 trees.

TreeKeepers The goal of the program is to build a cadre of TreeKeeper volunteers committed to serving as a voice for trees and the natural environment. By the end of the program,

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this cohort of 72 volunteers will be trained and ready to assist in the replanting effort across Iowa. Training consists of three, two-hour virtual sessions followed by a two-hour in-person walkabout. The walkabout is hosted by Trees Forever and city staff and gives participants hands-on experience in tree identification, invasive species management, pruning and tree planting. An in-person TreeKeepers course will take place in Fall 2022 in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids.

SECOND GRANT CYCLE

In January, we opened our second grant cycle, accepting letters of intent and applications through February 28 for two categories. Applications will be scored and grants will be awarded in the summer.

Tree Canopy Improvement WFSI has up to $100,000 to go toward one or more competitive grants for tree canopy improvement in the Midwest. The Foundation is looking to partner with a nonprofit organization that has a presence in the Midwest (Iowa and surrounding states) with a network to reach communities involved in the following canopy improvement efforts: • Increasing tree species diversity • Planting in urban and suburban areas and greenspaces Agriculture Projects WFSI has up to $75,000 to go toward one or more competitive grants for best regenerative agricultural management practice adoption in the Midwest.

The Foundation is looking to partner with nonprofit organizations, farmers, landowners or producers that work and operate in the Midwest (Iowa and surrounding states) that are interested in adopting best regenerative agricultural management practices that impact one or several of these areas: • Improve water quality • Reduce soil erosion • Increase soil health index • Reduce synthetic fertilizer use • Increase effective manure use as a fertilizer • Increase biodiversity • Reduce methane and nitrous oxide emissions

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SPROUTS & SHOUTS BABIES

Kerry Gene Jeffries

WSC Senior AP Clerk Nicole Barth-Jeffries and husband James welcomed their first child, Kerry Gene Jeffries, on December 5. Kerry weighed 5 pounds, 14 ounces and was 18.5 inches long.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to WSC Staff Accountant Lisa Fedeler and husband Brett. They expanded their family with the addition of son Tristan Adam Fedeler on April 28. He joins brothers Declan and Gabriel. Tristan weighed 8 pounds, 10.5 ounces and was 21 inches long.

Tristan Adam Fedeler

Courage on the Court In February, six employees volunteered to participate in Can Play’s Courage on the Court wheelchair basketball tournament in West Des Moines. Can Play’s goal is to increase the positive impacts on youth through the growth and evolution of adaptive and no-cost recreation programs. Can Play supplements the cost of recreation programs and adapts the play to the skill level for each child. Creating the opportunity to play despite the barriers.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! If you have news to share, please send your name, title, news and digital photo by email to news@wrightservicecorp.com.

WANT A PHYSICAL COPY OF THE WRIGHT PERSPECTIVE? If you’d like to receive a paper copy of the newsletter, please email marketing@wrightservicecorp.com.

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In Memory Sustainable Environmental Consultants (SEC) President John Harsch passed away in January.

Under John’s leadership, SEC became a leader in providing innovative solutions to better the planet through sustainability risk management, agriculture compliance and engineering, and erosion control. SEC provides a range of environmental services needed by food companies and their agriculture supply systems.

John had over 25 years of experience in environmental practices, natural resources, and conservation. He was instrumental in SEC’s growth since starting the company in 2008 with three other investors, where its first line of business was agricultural engineering. He helped move the company into erosion control by becoming a certified Filtrexx® manufacturer. John played an integral role in putting together the agreement to join Wright Service Corp. and become part of an employee-owned family of companies in 2012.

John was a founding board member and director of the Wright Foundation for Sustainability and Innovation that fosters innovative sustainability initiatives that make a positive impact on our planet.

See page 57 for article on John Harsch.