Equipment and Deep-Rooted Connections Help Tree Business Branch Out

Chad Benton built his tree business one stick at a time – literally. The owner of East TN Tree Service Inc. reflected on his first year after starting the Knoxville company, recounting how he loaded all the brush and logs by hand. Years later, with a bigger crew and a fleet of Bobcat® machines, Chad relies on honesty, a dedicated work ethic and the close relationship he's forged with the team at his local Bobcat dealership to drive the growth of his business. 

The Roots of a Business 

While starting a business may seem glamorous, Chad Benton is clear about how he struggled in the early days of establishing a name for his tree removal, brush and lot-clearing operation.  

“I had a climber who would get in the tree, cut the tree down, and I’d clean it up,” Chad says. “If you can be honest and have a work ethic that no one can match, that filters through your company.” 

Chad and his team were doing all the work by hand for the first year. Everything changed when he began to invest in equipment to boost his productivity.  

More Than Just a Salesperson 

Amid a fleet of Bobcat loaders, excavators and other compact equipment, Chad and his crew are thankful for not only the machines, but the personnel supporting them.  

“You can’t scale any business without good equipment and good support for that equipment,” he says, noting that his relationship with the local Bobcat dealership in Knoxville is irreplaceable. The salesman he works with, JD, offers valuable insight not only on the best products, but how Chad and his team can use those products to scale the business most efficiently.  

“I don’t know about the forever-changing landscape of equipment,” Chad says. “I don’t have time to study that.”

When JD suggests a new tool to improve productivity, Chad trusts it. Currently, Chad’s fleet of Bobcat equipment includes an MT100 mini track loader, a T740 compact track loader and an E60 compact excavator.  

Finding the Perfect Brand 

Safety is a huge concern for Chad and his team. After all, cutting down massive trees is what they do every day, and that’s a dangerous job. The safety features and reliability of Bobcat equipment are a perfect match for that ethos. 

Beyond safety, there is tenacity and a dedication to hard work that resonates within both East Tennessee Tree Service and the Bobcat machines they use. 

“People know, when we show up, more work is about to get done,” Chad says. “Bobcat is the perfect brand for what I do.”