Growing A Family Tree Business: Part 1

When it comes to making things grow, Walter Rumble knows his stuff. He has never proven that more than he has with his business, where he has grown it one son at a time.

Twenty years ago, Taylor Rumble was 8 years old and learning from his father on the job at his tree trimming and lawn care business. Walter Rumble, owner of Community Tree Preservation has had the pleasure of having his two sons, Lee and Taylor at his side for nearly 30 years. Now, the sons are running the business as Walter looks on with pride from semi-retirement.

His oldest son, Lee Rumble is currently in graduate school getting his Masters in plant and soil science and will no doubt be indispensable as they continue growing their father’s business. Meanwhile, younger son Taylor has taken on the duties of CTP ownership. Walter said recently of his son, “Taylor currently estimates jobs, dispatches crews, trains climbers and is a crew leader with men twice his age. A true gentleman, confidant, and entrepreneur.”

Clearly, Walter is proud of his sons…

Taylor can remember a time when Community Tree Preservation was operated out of a 1980 Datsun and focused mainly on lawn and tree maintenance. He was homeschooled in the evening by his mom and worked with his dad in the morning. In other words, Taylor and Lee were raised to be the best tree preservationists and arborists in Tennessee. And boy, are they proud of it!

It wasn’t until Taylor was 15 that his dad let him actually climb the trees at work (even though he may tell you that he got his practice in whenever he could). He fell in love with climbing so much that you could find him scaling fireplaces (among other things) at the family home.

Now Taylor Rumble is all grown up, dedicated to his work and has a passion for tree health. He’s very proud of the fact that the team at CTP values the well being of trees. Taylor recently said, “Tree preservation is an important part of urban development and it is equally important that it is done correctly. Trees add benefits to the environment and to your wallet by decreasing your energy bills.”

It is important, especially in Tennessee that we take notice of the beautiful landscape and surroundings. Often times, trees can be managed and maintained to avoid the destruction of these living pieces of history and that is what the crew at CTP is dedicated to doing.

Many times, the crew at CTP sees people “topping off” trees or effectively cutting them off at the stump, which can cause irreparable damage. Even when the tree is cut, the roots continue to grow dramatically to try and find a food source that has been eliminated by cutting the tree down. Taylor wants to remind us that trees are not like shrubs and cannot be managed the same way. They are all unique in their own way and Taylor and his team are here to help homeowners learn more about how to care for the beautiful landscape we have been blessed with here in middle Tennessee.