How Branch Out Came to Be

Branch Out Tree Service didn't start with a business plan, or a fleet of trucks, (we still have just one truck, sometimes two). From New York, to Alaska, to Driggs Idaho..

It started with getting a job working for a tree service at 15 years old.

Devin grew up in upstate New York and started working for a family friend who became his mentor, boss, and introduction to the world of arboriculture. What started as a job turned into something he really enjoyed, eventually leading him to earn a degree in Arboriculture from Paul Smith's University and become an ISA Certified Arborist.

After college, Devin wanted to try something new. He had grown up tele-skiing, so he headed out west and took a seasonal job building telemark ski bindings at 22 Designs here in Teton Valley.

What was supposed to be a summer job turned into several seasons.

Devin loved the valley and eventually started looking for a way to make a little more money realizing the cost of living here, was more than a young man with a seasonal job can afford. That led him to work over in Jackson, Wyoming, where he worked for a large-scale tree service.

The work was good, and he learned a lot. But he also realized that the fast-paced, long & early Teton Pass commute, high-dollar life in Jackson wasn't quite what he wanted.

The evolving plan of building a life in Driggs was becoming more clear. And living here isn't exactly cheap either. Devin knew that if he wanted to stay in the valley long-term, he needed to find a way to make a good living while also building a life that he actually enjoyed.

He had the experience. He knew the work. And there seemed to be a real need and room for good, local tree services. He liked the idea of building something of his own, having more control over his schedule and finances, and being responsible for the direction of his own business.

The thought was pretty simple:

“Why don't I just do it over here?”

Before Branch Out was born in Driggs, though, there was one more adventure.

In 2024, Libby convinced Devin to come to Haines, Alaska, where she grew up and spent her summers working, while wintering in Teton Valley, building ski bindings as well. The original plan was for Devin to find some seasonal tourism work in Alaska, maybe even drive a tour bus, or go commercial fishing.

Instead, Libby started hearing from people who needed tree work.

She told Devin to bring his saw and climbing gear, just in case.

So he loaded up his Tacoma, drove north, declined the bus-driving job, and spent the entire summer doing tree work in the rainforest of Southeast Alaska- & staying busy.

And these weren't exactly backyard ornamentals.

He was felling massive Sitka spruce, huge waterlogged cottonwoods, and climbing hundreds of feet up trees next to homes in rural Alaska where there was nearly no equipment to rent. Southeast Alaska is a different kind of tree country, and the summer gave Devin a crash course in what it actually takes to run a tree business on his own.

He learned how to do estimates, communicate with customers, send invoices, figure out what equipment he actually needed, and how to be responsible for the entire job from the first phone call to the final cleanup.

When Devin and Libby decided to make Driggs home year-round, the idea of starting his own tree service had already been tested. Branch Out Tree Service began in Driggs in the fall of 2025, alongside his summer job for the local Trail Building non-profit, Mountain Bike the Tetons.

Since then, the business has grown steadily, with a growing list of local clients and more work coming through the door every month and Devin has gone full time, employing a few folks and having Libby assist with the office work and website (& the blog writing).

In 2026, Branch Out expanded beyond traditional tree service into private trail design and construction, bringing several trail systems to life on Teton Valley properties. The trails have created more usable space for hiking or biking while also providing opportunities for fire mitigation and thoughtful land management.

The business is still growing, but the reason for starting it hasn't really changed.

Build something local and do quality work to make a good living and keep the valley home. Have some control over the life you're building along the way, maybe freedom in the off-season to travel or not miss the powder days.

And if you're wondering what Devin does when the tree-service season finally slows down?

He still spends a few months in the winter making telemark ski bindings at 22 Designs.

After spending the rest of the year being a busy business owner, he figures his brain probably deserves a few months of making ski bindings instead.