Erik Euteneuer

How long have you been with CTS?

21 years

What is your professional experience/trade, beyond CTS?

Most of my professional background is at Carr's Tree Service, but I have a variety of roles at CTS that go well beyond arboriculture. 

Explain your motivation for this line of work? (What gets you excited, what makes you look forward to a day at work, etc)

Most of my time at CTS in recent years is "office work" So I really look forward to spending time in the field with a crew, training them on climbing, rigging, crane work or plant health care.  

What jobs/roles have you served for CTS?

I've had just about every position you can at CTS. I started as most do as a groundsperson, and after about 9 months became a crew foreman. I held that position for about 9 years working for many of the power companies and doing residential work. Then became a general foreman, overseeing GRE and Stearns Electric. I transitioned into more and more residential work both estimating and working on the crew. Plant Health Care appealed to me and has grown into a large part of my role. I now oversee PHC and work to grow those services company wide.

In the next year, what is something new you would like to experience or learn at CTS?

I'm intrigued by all of the new technology coming into arboriculture, in both equipment and software designed to help make our jobs safer, more efficient and less labor intensive. I enjoy training new PHC technicians and helping them into new opportunities at CTS. I would also like to obtain a drone pilots license, to utilize them in new services- including tree and right of way inspections.

What advice would you give yourself back on your first day working for CTS with the knowledge you now have?

This job is what you make of it. Know that you are doing important work that greatly benefits your customers and the general public. Helping keep people and their property safe by reducing tree hazards, and maintaining a reliable electrical grid is rewarding work. Not everyone can do this job and you should be proud of it!  Take all precautions for working safely, and never stop learning.

Tell the story of your favorite job, experience or memory working for CTS

Storm work is always rewarding. Helping people get back to normal after a destructive storm is a great feeling. One job stands out where an elderly woman had at least a dozen trees fall on her home. She was so grateful to have the job done safely and for far less money than another company quoted her. She kept making us food, lasagna for lunch and plenty of cookies. Anytime we can make someone truly happy with our expertise. 

Is there anything else we should know about you as a person that makes you who you are outside of your days at CTS?

I love the outdoors. Hunting-Fishing-Hiking with friends and family is how I like to spend my time outside of CTS. I also enjoy putting wood from tree removals to good use by turning it into firewood, milling it into lumber and various woodworking projects