Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Beals- Grandelis.
Hi Stephanie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started as a little 11 year old girl planting trees on her family tree farm known as Sunny Meadows, in Utica, PA. Then life took me on various paths where I earned a BS in Biology & a Masters in Education. Teaching HS Biology, AP courses, and general science until COVID-19 shut down the world. Unfortunately, hiring a newly graduated teacher on staff full time was not a priority for many schools. So, I slung beer at our local brewery until trees became a part of my life once more.
I had a nest egg saved up. So, I funded our company investing in all new gear, hiring an attorney to make everything legit, and establishing the company Great Mountain Tree Service.
At first we were no different than most of the local tree crews surrounding us. The only difference is there was a woman on crew who had her sights set on becoming an Internationally Certifed Arborist, who eventually wanted to teach adults how to do what we do.
But first, I had to earn it and earn it, I did. Running my first company meant being the manager, the customer service representative, the HR team, the advertising department, and the one who kept track of the books for the accounting team. On top of that, I
Had to learn field. One of the requirements of aquiring an ISA certificate is 3 years in field and then taking an exam in 12 different areas of the industry.
Those levels ranged from knots, gear, municipal development, tree biology, and safety to name a few. The industry also requires continuing credits to keep your ISA up to date or a retest every 4 years.
From sweat, some blood, tears, and lots of grueling hours I became one of the best groundies around. Rigging some of the biggest pieces of wood, using a chainsaw safely, and setting lines for my climber were just a few skills that became second nature.
How many women are in my industry? 3% of all arborists are female. How
Many did what I have accomplished? Less than 1%. Currently, I represent 40 women in the state of PA who are certified arborists.
Hanging my hat on the Great Mountain Tree Service in Franklin, PA. I am heading south for a new adventure.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Owning your own company and working it has it’s own set of struggles. Productivity and staying on task was the hardest box to check .
For example, if the climber was having a bad day and didn’t want to work or the weather that was supposed to be good turned into a total rain day, it pushed our schedule back. That was a struggle because a lot of your customer base take the time off of work to be present for the tree work.
Another one of the biggest struggles was when the gear would not cooperate. Trying to set a safe line in a tree could result in 10 throwballs every inch of throwline in the upper canopy because the tree “ate them”. A saw that would go haywire could shut an entire day of production down as well.
We’ve also dealt with chippers that didn’t want to chip the day we needed them to mulch all the branches for the job.
It’s not really about what could go wrong but how well you are at either finding an alternative or staying positive through the chaos.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a female arborist representing 40 women in the state of Pennsylvania. I have a BS in Biology, an MEd and have co-owned my own company for 6 years.
While I ran the company, I also worked the field landing myself the only female / groundie around.
As my professional experience fine tuned, I started to diagnose and treat trees in the area for pests and pathogens.
I became an advocate for keeping mature trees up and educating homeowners to the importance of this.
I became known as the “Tree Whisperer “ and am one of the only tree doctors in a 60 mile radius.
I am also a print model. I have been featured on the cover, as the feature model, and as the featured interview.
As an arborist, I have been featured on a podcast, and this will be the third magazine article written about me.
What does success mean to you?
Success is measured by determination and perseverance. When everyone else wants to give up, keep going.
Pace means nothing but endurance is everything.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Stephalicebeals
