Celebrating 20 Years: An Employee Recollection with JB Toorish

I started with Arborjet the spring of 2009. At that time, Arborjet only consisted of a dozen or so employees. Back then, we shared warehouse space at corporate with another company, so space was tight. I was the second Regional Technical Manager hired by Arborjet, next to Joe Aiken (AKA Arborjet Joe). In the early years, we held strategic planning in asmall meeting room near the building entrance; these meetings were intimate, to say the least.

 

In the early years Arborjet only offered three pieces of equipment; the QUIK-jet, the TREE I.V., and the Air Hydraulic. The inception of the QUIK-jet Air, which superseded the Air Hydraulic, has proven to be a game changer in the arboriculture industry.

 

When I moved to Florida, I embraced the exciting challenge to grow the industry with Arborjet technology. Once I was settled, I realized the diversity of the plant material and pest issues in the deep south. I also had to learn a lot in a short period of time; I needed to learn and incorporate tree injection methodology as I went. I was able to work hands on with Joe Doccola, our Director of Research and Development, on projects such as spiraling whitefly. Projects such as these enabled Arborjet to become the leader in palm tree protection. To this day, we continue to grow as a plant health care company. Thinking back to a key moment in 2012, Arborjet had two territories, (Florida and Illinois) to hit one million dollars in sales, on the same day! It was exciting to see how far we had grown in just three years as a company.

 

 

Overall, it has been an amazing ride working with talented people and seeing how far Arborjet has come since company inception. Arborjet has always had a wonderful family atmosphere, which is fueled by our passionate employees.

 

JB Toorish
JBtoorish@arborjet.com
Southeast Regional Technical Manager