Wauwatosa Business Spotlight: At Hoppe Tree Service, listening may be the most important thing

There are fewer than 600 certified master arborists worldwide, and Fred Hoppe is one of them.

Not bad for a guy who thought he'd spend his life in an office.

"I thought I'd focus on the business side," admitted Hoppe, co-owner of Hoppe Tree Service.

In fact, for years, Hoppe thought he might not get into the family business at all.

"I never really had any other job. I never had summers off. I always went to work with my father, but it was never anything I thought I'd do my whole life. Then, in college, I realized I had a great opportunity to continue a family business that was doing well. And there's something very rewarding about taking care of the urban canopy, the urban forest."

Last summer, Hoppe and his older brother, August, officially became the latest members of the family to lead that charge, taking over as co-owners of Hoppe Tree Service and its new off-shoot, The Urban Wood Lab.

Fred and August actually have been running the company for almost 10 years. But with their father Dean's recent semi-retirement, it seemed time for the brothers to step into the enterprise their grandfather (and Fred's namesake), Frederick Hoppe, started in 1972 after doing tree work for nearly 40 years.

Together, they lead a team of about 25, including 13 certified arborists, planting, pruning and removing trees, shrubs and other greenery for homeowners, businesses and a handful of municipalities throughout Waukesha and Milwaukee counties, with clients as far south as Racine and north to Port Washington.

"It's an exciting job," Hoppe said. "Every yard is different, every tree is different. There's some days were you say, 'Wow, I'm pruning this gorgeous vista view on Lake Michigan, swinging in trees. But there's also those days you're tearing out buckthorn from the back side of a lot, and you wouldn't wish it on your worst enemy."

Despite the buckthorn, Hoppe said the toughest part of the job is figuring out what people really want.

"People might say, 'I want this tree pruned.' But you've got to get out of them what they mean: this branch is too low or this branch is over my house. It's about finding out what their needs are. The most important thing I do is listen."

And doing it while not only maintaining ties to a community that has supported three generations of the Hoppe family — Frederick Hoppe graduated from Wauwatosa High School, known today as Wauwatosa East — but also in a way that can help employees build their families as well.

"Our guys are arborists, not just guys with chainsaws," Hoppe said. "We really love providing a great place to work where people can support their families and feel like they have a career instead of a job."

JUST THE FACTS

BUSINESS:Hoppe Tree Service LLC 6115 W. Bluemound Road

WEB: www.hoppetreeservice.com

PHONE:(414) 257-2111

OWNERS:August and Fred Hoppe

INCORPORATED: 1972

TYPE OF BUSINESS: landscaping

PEARLS OF WISDOM: "We're taking care of people and trees, leaving a legacy leaving something for the future."