Liriope's Muse: Introduction

Hello! My name is Liriope Putnam, I am a student working on my bachelor's in business management and am helping my father run his tree company. Making me a 3rd generation tree gal. My dad, Eric Putnam, and I are working together to create this blog where we will answer common questions about trees, debunking common myths, and sharing facts on interesting topics!

Our family business, Putnam Tree Service, was founded in the 1970s by my grandpa, Charles Putnam, who was a retired bodybuilder and professional wrestler. (See Here to learn more about my grandpa) He was loved by all customers and created the culture, work ethic, and customer service practices that we still use today. As his children came of age, he began training them to be a part of the family business. Those being, Eric, Leif, Lea, and Mark. After the passing of their father, the sons went their own ways. Mark proceeded to work in construction and Leif and Eric branched off the family business and created their own. Leif went off to create Leif Putnam Tree Tech and Eric created Arbortech Consulting. After a few years, Leif too split and began his own construction company but Eric Putnam, my father, continued on the family business. Eric decided to further his studies in arboriculture and received his arborist certification in 1993. He continued to study and in 2014 he became a Board Certified Master Arborist, 1 of less than 20 in Texas and only a few hundred in the world! Holding a BCMA Certification is the peak of one’s arboriculture career. It is the highest certification, comparable to a doctorate degree! In fact, less than 2% of all certified arborists are Board Certified Master Arborists.

Arbortech Consulting was founded in 1993, and used updated technology, practices, processes, and systems that streamlined the estimating and production process to give customers the best services efficiently for rock bottom prices while creating a rapport with them so we can continue to care for their trees. After what seemed like a lifetime of working in the tree industry, Eric Putnam decided to retire. In doing so, he chose to sell his company in 2018. But because he is truly passionate about what he does, his retirement didn’t last long... In fact, within a few months he began working with trees again! And in 2020, Eric went on to create another tree business named Eric Putnam BCMA, Inc.

Eric Putnam BCMA, Inc. is a great improvement to the previous family business. We are dedicated to giving trees the best care possible without all of the unnecessary upselling or gimmicks. We make it our mission to not only treat the trees but to help educate homeowners to understand their trees.

As for me, I never saw myself being a part of the family business. I always thought I would pursue a career in medicine or engineering. In June of 2022, I graduated both high school and college with a diploma and associate's degree in general studies. The following August, I moved to Orlando, Florida with my boyfriend for a year. It was there that I grew and formed a new outlook on life, and working in my family business didn’t seem like too bad of an idea anymore. In fact, I was proud to come back and fulfill what I felt was my destiny. You see I come from a family of entrepreneurs, for multiple generations all of my relatives own their own small businesses (some have a few) and it’s almost a tradition in my family to work for your parent’s/family’s business. So, I moved back from Florida in September of 2023 and began working with my father's company. Something that has always set our family business apart is our genuine care for the health of the trees. We have made it our mission to save trees and I am proud to have the privilege of being a part of this family company!