NURTURE
BRANCHING OUT NATCHEZ TREE COMPANY PAUL MEEHAN LEAVES A CAREER IN SOFTWARE TO START NATCHEZ TREE COMPANY
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Paul says starting a new business has its share of challenges, especially entering a brand-new industry. So before starting Natchez Tree Company, he reached out to top landscape contractors and farmers for advice.
“You couldn’t script something as opposite as what I’ve gotten myself into,” Paul says. “But I’m so fulfilled. I love being outside all day, being my own boss and creating something. Whether it’s software or farming, it’s all about delivering a quality product.”
“Two things stood out,” he says. “There was a shortage of Grade 1 trees alongside outdated and inefficient production practices. With farming, you have second, third, even fourth generations still doing things the same way. That’s not always bad, but there have been a lot of improvements since then, too.”
fter graduating from the University of Tennessee, Paul Meehan moved to New York and then Nashville for a career in the software industry. Today, he’s in Mississippi, growing 20,000 trees on his family’s farm outside of Memphis.
Paul meehan
It turns out that Paul’s timing couldn’t be more perfect. He started his business in 2018. Fast forward three years, and there’s a bigger need for trees than ever—due to a range of causes from the pandemic to the Texas ice storm. “I’m hoping we’re coming onto the scene at just the right time,” he says. “This summer, we’re going to have thousands of trees ready for harvest—we specialize in Grade 1 shade and evergreen trees for the Southeast and South Central landscape.”
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One advancement Paul is especially familiar with is technology and software. With only five employees, he relies on a lot of data to assist him with everything from pest management to irrigation. Natchez Tree Company uses Tempest, a sophisticated onsite weather station, and Arbré Tech for inventory management and customer orders, which uses RFID tags. “When a customer calls to place an order,
Pro Landscaper USA South
May/June 2022 43
