Titan Spotlight on Friest Tree Experts LLC
It’s not every day you come across a family-owned business that began almost 40 years ago with one man simply providing community members firewood for their everyday needs, like keeping homes warm or making pizzas, to then go on and develop into
a fully staffed, well-recognized, and highly demanded company specializing in tree care operations across four different states. When you do, it’s a special thing you can’t help but want to learn more about.
That’s where Alex Friest of Friest Tree Experts, LLC out of Harrisburg, South Dakota comes along. The seeds for this company were planted back in 1974 by Alex’s father, Doug Friest. Doug served his community in Harrisburg as a power lineman,
during which time he and his crew were cutting down trees for their work left and right. Eventually, Doug noticed the firewood being left behind from their projects on a regular basis, free for the taking, and in that he saw an opportunity. On
the weekends, Doug then made it his mission to head back to the job site, pick up the leftover wood, split it himself, and sell it. He continued this venture on weekends and nights while continuing to provide for his family as a lineman during
the day.
Fast forward to 2005, and after 35 years of dedication to lineman work, Doug decided to close that chapter of his life and officially start a new one. He bought his first piece of Case equipment, expanded what was once a side job, and started his
own tree removal business, Friest Firewood Express. Those roots continued to grow with the company’s next big milestone being hit in 2008 when they began branching their services out to meet the needs of the local South Dakota power companies
– their biggest customers and jobs yet. Friest Firewood Express evolved to include any and all tree care operations as the impact from positive word of mouth carried them forward. In 2020, Alex bought the company from his father naming it
Friest Tree Experts LLC.
Where They Are Today
Today, Friest Tree Experts LLC is owned and operated by Doug’s son, Alex, and is one of the largest privately owned tree companies across the Midwest. Both Friest Tree Experts LLC and the original Friest Firewood Express still co-exist today with
Doug leading the firewood sector full time and Alex growing the rest. From tree removals, trimming, and stump grinding to all your firewood needs – they handle it all with the highest standards and utmost pride. In the last few years, they have
continued to see an uptick in both the geographical expansion of their company’s footprint and in the scale of the jobs they’re taking on.
We’re always removing trees for power companies year-round, but the coolest projects are the ones we get to have a ton of amazing equipment at. For instance, we have a project this Fall in Iowa to remove trees around transmission lines that will go on for about three or four miles. It’s a larger project with more guys and more equipment, and the end result is that much more rewarding. Our mission is to help make electricity safer and more reliable, so when trees become a hazardous problem in instances like this – we’re here to help.”
Customers of Titan Machinery
The Friests have been employing Case equipment since day one and can be found purchasing equipment and parts from local Titan Machinery dealerships across the states of South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, and Nebraska. When asked what’s driven them
to choose Case after all these years, they’re not afraid to share that “these are the best skid loaders on the market.”
According to Alex, “there’s no other skid loader out there that can match that level of balance,” a feature vital to operations frequently involving the navigation of ditches to get the job done. In fact, Friest
Tree Experts LLC and Friest Firewood Express are such loyal and frequent customers of Case Equipment - they now own their very own fleet of skid loaders, each individually painted at the factory to align with their company color. The unique equipment
features don’t stop there, though. Currently, Friest Tree Experts LLC is also the only company in South Dakota to have specialized attachments that go directly onto the front of their equipment. Most recently, they purchased a brand-new
Case Excavator that is equipped with a rotating grapple on the front end, as well as a chainsaw allowing them to cut trees down right from their cab. These above and beyond features paired with the reliability of the equipment is what sets Case
apart from the rest. Alex also shares that as a result of being recognized for their work with the power companies across their footprint, specifically the results they've experienced with Case equipment, they too have become Case customers.
"We then chose Titan Machinery specifically because of their expansive network and leadership in Case skid steers. No matter where we are in our current footprint, there is always a Titan Machinery team within reasonable distance ready to assist us."
The Future for Friest Tree Experts LLC
While the company has seen immense growth and success in just the last few years alone, the goal to expand further still lives – even if a bit slower now.
“It’s like a football game that never quits. When we were initially growing, it was at a quicker rate. We were playing more offense than anything. We’re still growing now, but you could say we’re playing more defense as we protect what we have and all that we’ve worked hard to grow. We do still have big plans though, especially as U.S. manufacturers begin to produce more equipment faster. We'll continue moving further South and further East. Above all though, we will continue to be a company that’s second to none and blows our customers away with the work our great employees do and the safety they provide. We’re very lucky.”
In the area? Learn more about and contact Friest Firewood Express and Friest Tree Experts LLC below!
Friest Firewood Express and Tree Co.