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Customer Testimonials
“We appreciate the time and attention that your Arbor Patrol team takes to maintain the overall health and appearance of the trees, bushes and general grounds. As they say, you can only have one first impression and the impression the grounds make on both residents and visitors alike is always positive thanks to your caring maintenance. Just as the trees continue to grow and blossom under your care, we hope our relationship with SavATree does the same.”
William Toedter
Southampton, NY
“After four different unsatisfactory visits with so-called arborists, I found SavaTree... I was most impressed with the professionalism of David [my arborists] and his colleagues. They were most knowledgeable, fair with their assessment about what needed to be done, yet very attuned with what my concerns. I highly recommend them without any hesitation. In a field where there is an abundance of folks looking to take advantage of consumers, SavaTree, David and crew strike me as incredibly honest and proud arborists who do a fantastic job.”
Debbie Durkin
Silver Spring, MD
“I am a new and highly satisfied customer of SavATree. For 50 years I have lived in the same house in the Greenhaven area, and in that time I have never had a tree company that gave me such fine service.”
Joan Kleinbard
Rye, NY
“It is always a pleasure working with SavATree as your company provides the best plant, tree and lawn health care that we have experienced at the Ives. Always professional, courteous and responsive to our needs, SavATree’s services have provided our employees and patrons with pleasant outdoor experiences in an insect free environment for several years.”
Kathleen G. Gallagher
Executive Director
The Charles Ives Center for the Arts
Danbury, CT
“For over 14 years, I have entrusted the care of my trees, plants and orchard to SavATree. Their highly qualified arborists have exacting standards and understand how to maintain the health and form of the various species of trees on my property. I admire the artistic skill that goes into the pruning and love the colorful blossoms, fruits and foliage that flourish as a result of their impeccable care.”
Martha Stewart
Katonah, NY
"Efficient, high quality, professional competence — all at a competitive sum. At first [Alison] Pottage won me over by her solid knowledge as an arborist, then the crew did their job to her specifications on our 60 to 70 foot oaks within a remarkable period of time -- and left the grounds quite clean.”
Bob Busser
Philadelphia, PA
Click here to read all testimonials“You take on a job, call it a problem, gigantic or small, and you go to it. True Professionals. I am at peace for having found SavATree. Sometimes bills are paid grudgingly. I pay with respect to a company whose pride lives up to its logo. It’s love of what you do and I thank you.”
Sam Fink
Great Neck, NY
SavATree Consulting Group
Meet Mike Galvin, a 2011 ISA True Professional of Arboriculture
From the June, 2012 issue of Planting Seeds, a publication from the International Society of Arboriculture
Mike Galvin, who lives and works in Washington, D.C., is the director of the consulting group at SavATree, an East
Coast-based professional tree care company employing ISA Certified Arborists. Galvin is committed to the urban tree
canopy, an effort he spearheaded in our nation's capital and in nearby Baltimore, Maryland, to help cities use trees
to meet clean air standards.
We caught up with Mike to find out what he's been up to since being honored as an ISA True Professional of Arboriculture.
One year ago you were among seven ISA members chosen as the 2011 ISA True Professionals of Arboriculture. What has changed in your life during the past year?
The biggest change, by far, was when I was named director of the consulting group at SavATree last September, shortly after being named a True Professional.
SavATree's consulting group has experienced tremendous growth in the past year. In addition, we worked for a number of notable clients on a variety of priority
landscape projects. The assignments are diverse-from inventory to tree management during construction to expert witness services-so it has been exciting for me to
be a part of it all.
So how has being a True Professional impacted your work as an ISA Certified Arborist?
I am always an ISA Certified Arborist, but telling others I am also an ISA True Professional of Arboriculture has
been incredibly helpful to me when I am introduced to others, especially those outside of the tree care industry.
I use the True Professional logo on my emails and in presentations. My goal is to let them know more about me as well as the honors program.
Knowing I am a True Professional also creates a certain comfort level with a prospective partner or client. It lets them know
they are talking to someone credible. I am received even more warmly by people in the arboriculture industry who never knew me
in the past. It's a great networking tool.
If you could pinpoint the greatest threat facing arborists right now, what would it be?
When economic conditions are challenging, it is always tempting for customers to go with the lowest price to save money. Unfortunately, turning a
blind eye to cost could mean the person on the job doesn't have insurance or isn't properly trained as an arborist. It can be tough for practitioners, too.
They may wonder why it's necessary to carry a lot of overhead when they can't compete because others are playing a different game with a different set of rules.
I believe arborists should always commit to being the best. It is tough to keep that thought sometimes, especially when the phone is not ringing with potential jobs.
But the day will come when the offer will be there to care for those specimen trees on some priority landscape and your credentials and commitment will be the deciding
factor that got you there. Nothing is more satisfying than knowing that.
What are you most proud of having accomplished in your career?
I would say because of the scope and effect, my work on the urban tree canopy assessment and setting goals for cities trying to achieve clean air standards has been the biggest source of satisfaction. It is premised on the fact that more trees in better condition can make cities more sustainable and viable. It is critical that this idea resonates with people in order for it to be a success.
What is the best advice you can give other arborists and tree care experts on how to improve their image with customers?
The most important tool that an arborist can have is credibility. The first aspect of being credible is becoming a master at your craft. Learn all that you can about arboriculture. Secondly, offer to others what one writer calls the "say-do" principle. This means being able to clearly communicate your intentions, and then simply following through on your commitment. This builds trust and confidence.
What projects are on the table for Mike Galvin in 2012?
First and foremost, my goal is to expand the client base and relationship network for the consulting group at SavATree. The relationship between people and trees in cities has long been a favorite subject of mine, and we are fostering some real solutions to help both people and trees. I'll keep working on the editorial boards of the American Society of Consulting Arborists' (ASCA) Consultant and the Society of Municipal Arborists' (SMA) City Trees publications, and I am slated to be program chair for the Mid-Atlantic Chapter International Society of Arboriculture (MAC-ISA) annual meeting. In addition, I am a co-principal investigator for the National Science Foundation (NSF), and a grant is allowing me to take a closer look at urban ecosystems. An active and exciting year lies ahead and I am looking forward to it.
To learn more about Mike and the SavATree Consulting Group, click here