Our Story

I was 17 years old and starting my senior year when I found out my girlfriend (now wife) and I had a baby on the way. My daughter Sophia was born one month before my high school graduation and was there in the audience as I walked across the stage to accept my diploma. You may be wondering what any of this has to do with a tree service, my answer – everything.

With a new family of my own to provide for and little real world experience, I did the only thing I knew how, what I had seen my dad do every day for the past 18 years of my life as a union carpenter – I set out to make a living with my hands, through sweat and hard work in the labor field.

I earned an entry level groundman position at a Commercial Utility Tree Company, clearing power lines and learning the ropes of the industry. I had no real interest in trees at this time, I simply had a need to put a roof over my family’s heads and food on the table. I started out from the bottom, doing the back-breaking work of dragging brush every day. I went onto learn the art of climbing trees through a few experienced guys on my crew who were willing to teach me their old school methods. Within three years I had worked all the way up to the highest-level position of a journeyman foreman, leading a tree crew of my own.

By now, with a three-year-old daughter at home and a stack of bills to pay each month, even with my full-time income we were living paycheck to paycheck. I emptied the small amount I had in savings to buy a beat-up trailer and a chainsaw and began hustling for side work in the evenings after work and every weekend. Even more than a hard worker and family man, I was a hustler at heart. Many around me had their doubts, they counseled me to seek out a formal education with my spare time instead, some even attempted to guilt me into staying small by suggesting I be content with what I had. I resisted and was fully committed to the idea in my heart and mind that I was capable of a life without limits to my time, finances, and freedoms.

During this time, the word “no” was not a part of my vocabulary. If there was an opportunity for money to be made, I confidently accepted whatever challenge was being thrown my way even when I didn’t know how I would execute it. With no real plan other than to make money, I continued along the path I had forged figuring it out one day at a time. This led to thousands of mistakes, many great stories and the official founding of Liscombe Tree Service LLC in April of 2016 – when I quit my full-time job at 22 years old and made a bet on myself and my side hustle to provide a better future for my family.

Since that day in 2016, with the irreplaceable support of a few loyal team members, LTS has grown exponentially. From a humble two-man operation all the way to the number one rated professional tree service in Saint Charles County. Our daily focus remains the same, to provide the highest quality experience to our customers – exceeding their expectations from the first phone call to clean up on the job site and earning their referral to family, friends and neighbors.

Our Companies bigger purpose has shifted over the years, what started out as a goal of providing a better future for my family has transformed into a mission of providing well-rounded lives and financially secure futures to our loyal LTS team members and their families at home. We serve the community with initiative, integrity and accountability, we leave work – at work, affording us the freedom and finances to enjoy the more important parts of life.

-Todd Liscombe / Owner