Spring has sprung, and we are shifting our focus to the great outdoors. During this time when we are confined to our homes, the outdoors experience is limited to our backyards. You may be looking around at your trees, plants, lawn and wanting to make your property the best that it could be. For great ideas & service, you should consider contacting HMK client, Joshua Tree, a multi-level residential lawn and tree care company.
Founded in 2005, Joshua Tree has been servicing the Lehigh Valley providing exceptional lawn, tree, and plant care to its residents. Celebrating their 15th anniversary in 2020, Joshua Tree continues to focus on their core values of education and training and providing an excellent customer service experience. Joshua Malik, owner of Joshua Tree, began the company with 13 years’ experience in the general tree care and plant health care industry. He had worked for various companies gaining extensive arboricultural knowledge and professional leadership skills. A natural leader, Joshua was inspired to branch off on his own when he realized the area lacked trained professional arborists and full tree care services that concentrated on tree preservation and tree development services.
Over the last 15 years, Joshua Tree has implemented enhancements to their services and experienced incredible growth. In 2005 the business was operated out of a three-car garage behind Malik’s family home. The focus was primarily on general tree care and plant health care. As their client base grew so did Joshua Tree’s fleet equipment. By 2009 the company had outgrown the original location space and moved to their current location in Stockertown, PA. Lawn care services were introduced in 2012. However, it was not until 2017 that the demand for the lawn care began to boom. The company embraced the growing need and focused on building out this division. Now with over 2,000 residential clients, Joshua Tree is introducing their newest line of service, Pest Control. They offer perimeter/indoor management and mosquito, flea and tick control.
Malik contributes the company’s success to the trained professionals on staff and their ability to provide an excellent customer experience. “Joshua Tree has always believed in training employees to offer the best professional care to our client’s property. We currently have 10 certified arborists, hazard risk assessors, PA licensed applicators, and staff with EHAP (Electrical Hazards Awareness Program), first aid, CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation), tree climber and equipment operator certificates,” states Malik. He credits his team as being the most rewarding element of running his company. “I’ve been very fortunate to surround myself with awesome people. Watching them grow personally and professionally brings a great deal of joy to me,” adds Malik.
Running the multi-service company does not come without its challenges. Like many businesses, securing the right talent to meet the needs of their continual growth is a hurdle for Joshua Tree. They require trainable individuals who value continuing education in their field and have good character in order to fit the company’s culture. Finding those individuals through regular marketing and recruiting can be difficult. Joshua Tree tackles this challenge by focusing on promoting from within. “Taking current employees and providing opportunity for professional development is key,” says Malik.
During the current pandemic, Joshua Tree has faced new challenges. Their industry is considered essential which allows them to continue to be operational. They did shut down for a week when COVID-19 entered their area, and there was a high alert for possible exposure. Since then they have been up and running with safety protocols in place. Joshua Tree is communicating with its clients requesting permission to continue service. They have implemented daily all-hands communications within the company to inform, educate and reinforce SOPs, BMPs, and possible next steps. They have trained their personnel to respond to client questions or concerns and are enforcing all CDC and state required cleaning and sanitation protocols. Staggering start times, limiting crews to one person per vehicle, and minimizing shared equipment and tools has become their new normal. The requirement of gloves and masks has also been implemented.
Joshua Tree partners with HMK Insurance for both their commercial insurance program and their employee benefits. Malik first connected with HMK Commercial Insurance Advisor, Ryan Rispoli. He and Ryan developed a strong professional and personal relationship over the last few years. Malik values the relationships he has built with his entire HMK team including the account executives who service his account. Malik credits the HMK team as being responsive and very thorough, and friendly people he enjoys communicating with. In turn, HMK is proud to be considered a trusted partner of Joshua Tree and values the fantastic service they provide to our area.
To learn more about Joshua Tree, their experts and their services visit their website at joshuatreeexperts.com
