Darrell Gates of Chattahoochee Valley Forestry Services, Inc., in Clayton, Alabama, said one of his most important principles is to give his clients the level of service he would want. When he first started consulting, this meant offering proposals centered on what he thought was best for their land rather than first learning the clients objectives.

He laughed about a project he completed many years ago. He proudly took his client out to see his recently thinned tract, and the client responded, What are we gonna do here, plant cotton Where Gates saw well-thinned trees, his client saw empty space. Now, he says listening comes first: I always tell my men you cant learn anything when youre talking.

Gates worked first in industry and struck out on his own in 1980. Thirty-five plus years later, his full-service consultancy includes two other full-time registered foresters, a forest technician, and an office manager. We also have ArcMap, GPS units, data recorders, and database management, he said. It improves productivity, but is also something that distinguishes us from our competition. Although he was a reluctant convert to computers in the beginning, Gates makes an effort to stay on top of technology. The forest industry has been good to me, and I look forward to many more years of service, he said.

Contact Darrell A. Gates, RF, ACF

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