Editor’s note: Made in Tarrant is an occasional Q&A series on small businesses started in Tarrant County. Submit your business here.
Price Right Trees has provided tree services, plant health care and landscaping solutions throughout Fort Worth and Tarrant County for more than 10 years. The company serves homeowners, new home builders, remodelers and commercial builders. It is a family-owned business based in Haslet. Price Pitstick owns the business with his wife, Erika.
Contact information
Website: Price Right Trees
Phone: 817-675-8565, DFW office| 580-291-0025, tree farm
Email: info@pricerighttrees.com
Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | TikTok
The Fort Worth Report’s Shomial Ahmad spoke with Price Pitstick about the origin of his landscaping business, how the company responds to severe storms and what tips he has for homeowners. This interview has been edited for clarity, grammar and length.
Shomial Ahmad: How did your business start, and how has it grown over the years?
Price Pitstick: Our journey began as a simple lawn mowing service out of a buddy’s van in Arlington, where I grew up. I was 16 years old, and it was my first job. I quickly developed a passion for it. Initially, I viewed this venture as a side gig, but after high school, my plans changed. I became a full-time minister and also operated and managed my growing landscape business. On a mission trip to Israel, I met my wife, Erika, who helps out with the business. We have not only been great partners in life but also in business. Her support has been invaluable in achieving our success.
Today, I lead a large team that includes office staff, estimators and a 10-man crew. Our business has grown exponentially since our early start. We’ve done a few big projects with the Arlington ISD, where we trimmed and removed a large number of trees. Our peak seasons are in the spring and fall while the winter months are our slowest. However, during that season, we offer Christmas light services in addition to our normal services.
Ahmad: What kind of work do you do after major storms?
Pitstick: Our phones are constantly ringing, and our schedule has been very booked since the storms that swept through the metroplex around Memorial Day. Despite the long days, we are committed to assisting everyone affected by the storm.
We are currently dealing with numerous fallen and split trees, many of which have been completely uprooted by extreme winds. We are cutting, removing, chipping and hauling the downed trees and branches. To efficiently manage the high volume of calls, we prioritize the most urgent cases and are hiring more skilled tree climbers.
Ahmad: You’re a certified arborist. What does that mean, and what kind of expertise do you bring to the job?
Pitstick: It took a lot of hard work to become an ISA Certified Arborist and to maintain it. It involves the study of arboriculture, soil science, and how to maintain, evaluate and diagnose different trees and shrubs. This expertise is what sets our company above the rest. With a certified ISA arborist, we can treat more specific issues and save more trees with plant health care options instead of always just removing the tree. Of course, there are times when the “tree medicine” may not be enough, and the tree still has to be removed, but the goal is to preserve and help as many trees and shrubs as we can.
Ahmad: Do you have any tips and advice for residential homeowners?
Pitstick: I recommend having an ISA Certified Arborist evaluate your property at least every two years to help maintain what you have, which can also prevent more costly future projects. Healthy trees are much less likely to break or fall from harsh storms and cause more damage. Tree fungi can develop and spread quickly, so the first signs of wood rot, losing bark, tree ooze or tree galls are when you need to call an ISA Certified Arborist.
Ahmad: You have a tree farm. Why did you start one and can you describe it?
Pitstick: In 2021, a unique opportunity came up to purchase a tree farm in Garvin, Oklahoma. Our amazing farmhand, Benito, operates the day-to-day care at Price Right Tree Farm. We have 11 different species, 250-plus trees ready to go to new homes, and hundreds more will be ready this fall. We wholesale trees for builders, commercial projects or even residential projects when more than 10 trees are purchased at once.
Ahmad: Do you have a favorite spot in Tarrant County, where you especially like the trees?
Pitstick: TCU has some of the most beautiful trees around. They preserve their greenery well, and the trees just bring the campus to life. And I might be biased, but I personally love the trees on my own property. Since moving to Haslet from Arlington and now owning some acreage, we have planted about 25 trees and have nurtured them. They are really beautiful. I love seeing things grow and bloom from the work that we do with our hands. It’s symbolic of the growth of our company as well.
Shomial Ahmad is a higher education reporter for the Fort Worth Report, in partnership with Open Campus. Contact her at shomial.ahmad@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
Republishing is free for noncommercial entities. Commercial entities are prohibited without a licensing agreement. Contact us for details.
