The Asplundh TREE is a family magazine, published quarterly for all employees and friends of the Asplundh companies. Subscriptions are not available, but a complimentary copy can usually be obtained by contacting Asplundh Corporate Communications, 708 Blair Mill Road, Willow Grove, PA 19090, e-mail: CorpComm@asplundh.com

Holiday 1999 Issue

• A Message From The President
• Subsidiary Spotlight: Asplundh Construction Company
• Merit Awards
• Hurricanes Floyd and Irene
• Management Updates
• Crews and News
• Orchids Merit Awards
• The Consolidation Trend

For more information about the Asplundh TREE Magazine or to request printed copies call 1-800-248-TREE or e-mail our corporate communications department. (C) 2000 Asplundh Tree Expert Co.

 

A Holiday Message From Asplundh's President

Seasons’s Greetings! Our holiday season is upon us and we have much to reflect on for 1999, the last year of this millennium. Everything we do will be for the last time this century. There are many events in our company’s history that I will always look back on with pride, but we have much to look forward to in the new century.

Once again, change is the driving force. Executive Vice Presidents Scott Asplundh and George Graham are taking responsibility for operations around the country and working with each sponsor to expand and improve our services. We are changing our administration operations with a move from decentralization to centralization. This change will give us the advantages of size and standardization while keeping the flexibility that our divisions need.

Our core business (vegetation management) continues to grow very rapidly. This growth is attributed to our customers’ drive to become the “best in class” with their vegetation programs. It appears that the utilities want to surround themselves with the very strongest suppliers they can find, and they are choosing Asplundh. No other company can bring the depth of experience we provide.

Today there are very few utilities that Asplundh does not work for in some capacity. However, with deregulation and increasing competition, not much information changes hands amongst utilities. Our networking of best practices and implementing performance-based contracts has brought value to many of our customers. We are able to take what works in one geographic region and adapt it to serve our customers in other areas.

Our diversification into ancillary services has had mixed results. Overhead and underground line construction have been very active, with four new and very talented managers designated this year. Our subsidiaries, Utility Pole Technologies, Outdoor Maintenance and Utility Meter Services, are now on a successful track again with management that is bringing these companies to a very high level of performance. American Lighting & Signalization has again been restructured and is expected to be more of a contributor in the near future. The Railroad Division has consistently added to the bottom line since its consolidation with SSI-Mobley, making them a leading player in their field. The GMC-Buick-Pontiac dealership and our Municipal and Infrared Divisions continue to perform at very satisfactory levels.

On the other hand, our subsidiaries Central Locating Service and Underground Utility Locating are struggling. Price wars continue, the work is highly seasonal, and the cost of constant training is a burden. There is a great deal of activity in this industry to merge and acquire other locating companies. I believe that if we continue with the basics of doing a good job with the operations we have, we will survive this period of turmoil and avoid the pitfalls of the past.

In our foreign operations, Australia and New Zealand are each showing good results and opportunities continue to grow in both countries. Our United Kingdom subsidiary Reade & Co. Utility Services was merged this year with Fountain Forestry, the premier player there in both utility and forestry services. We all feel this blend will bring success to both parties as the market develops. Here in North America, our Canadian operations again had a very good year with all five regions having a strong showing.

The year was relatively quiet for Asplundh on the storm front, even though there was severe damage from Hurricanes Floyd and Irene. These turned out to be more water events than wind. However, we did set a rather unusual record with almost 900 crews on the road at one time, mainly because it was so hard to predict landfall on these storms.

The economy here in the U.S. seems to keep going faster and faster, which makes for a very tight labor market. The challenge for all of us--from the top down-is to make Asplundh a good place to work, where employees feel appreciated for their contribution to the company. So let’s start right here. I, for one, would like to thank each and every one of you for a great job this year. Whether you’re in a field position or in an office, everything you do affects customer service in one way or another and I know the success of our company is due to your efforts.

To all our employees and customers around the world, may the holidays be joyous for all your family and have a Happy and Healthy New Century!

Christopher B. Asplundh
President Asplundh Tree Expert Co.

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