THE REASON FOR THE SEARCH

Tree Care Partners initiated this search following a clear decision by the founder and board to replace the GM. EBITDA compressed from historic highs (35%+) down to the mid-20s, and the business lost momentum despite strong demand, operational stability, and a highly tenured workforce.

The founder—highly respected and still involved at board level—recognised that the next phase required a commercially minded, industry-native GM who could lead decisively, grow backlog, and help the team transition from founder-led execution to scalable, professional management.

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THE PORTFOLIO COMPANY

Tree Masters - San Rafael is a premier tree care business operating in Marin County, California, with over 37 years of operating history and strong brand recognition. The business delivers a full suite of services including tree removal, pruning, stump removal, and—critically—high-margin plant health care, a major growth opportunity.

The company operates across:

• Residential

• Commercial

• Consulting & contractor services

Operations were already strong, hiring was not a constraint, and pricing was established on a man-hour model. The opportunity was not operational rescue—it was commercial leadership, margin recovery, and growth enablement.

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THE SEARCH REQUIREMENTS

The ideal candidate needed to demonstrate:

• Prior GM experience in tree care or adjacent services

• Strong sales leadership and self-generated revenue mindset

• Deep understanding of plant health care as a recurring, high-margin revenue stream

• Ability to lead and influence highly tenured crews (20+ years)

• Comfort holding teams accountable while building trust

• Capability to run the P&L autonomously and plan forward against budget

• Industry credibility to replace the founder as the commercial leader in the market

This role required a business builder, not a caretaker.

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THOUGHTS ON THE CANDIDATE

Daniel is an elite operator and an outstanding match for TreeMasters. His background aligns precisely with what the branch needs at this stage: deep Northern California tree care expertise, proven plant health care (PHC) growth capability, strong sales leadership, and a consistent track record of scaling branches both quickly and sustainably. I am extremely confident in this placement and very bullish on Daniel’s ability to elevate performance across both the team and the business.

Why He’s a Great Fit

• Deep industry expertise across Northern California tree care, spanning residential, commercial, and high-margin plant health care

• Proven revenue growth: Martinez scaled from $2.9M to $5.0M, and Rancho Cordova from $400K to $2.1M

• Significant EBITDA improvement, taking Martinez from negative margins to 15.9% EBITDA and outperforming EBITDA budget by 22% at Rancho Cordova

• Sales-driven leader who trains arborists to self-generate work, upsell effectively, quote on site, and close with urgency

• Strong turnaround capability, rebuilding teams, upgrading talent, and establishing a positive, accountable culture

• High operational discipline, improving crew efficiency, reducing non-productive time, strengthening safety, and increasing man-hour productivity

• High emotional intelligence and immediate credibility with tenured teams through an observe-first, coach-second leadership approach

• Natural alignment with Tree Care Partners’ collaborative, energetic, and transparent culture

Why I’m Bullish on This Appointment

Daniel brings the exact blend of industry knowledge, sales execution, PHC growth expertise, operational rigor, people development, and California market understanding that TreeMasters needs to accelerate into its next phase. His impact on backlog growth, margin expansion, sales capability, and team alignment should be visible quickly. He was the strongest possible fit for this role and a high-confidence appointment for the platform.

Mohammed Vali, Principal, Raw Selection