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About BJ Haines Tree Service

Like many good family traditions, the roots of BJ Haines Tree Service run deep. It all started with Joe’s dad in the 1950’s. Grandpa Bob started up “Haines Tree Service” all those years ago, laying the foundations for what would become a successful and enduring family business. By the time Joe was old enough to join ranks with his father, Grandpa Bob had more than 20 years of personal experience at his disposal. Eager to pass down the knowledge he had gained to his only son, Grandpa Bob happily invited Joe to become his full partner in the business. Together, along with Joe’s wife Bonnie, his mother Rita and a handful of crewmen, Grandpa Bob and Joe epitomized the term “sweat equity”. Their hard work paid off big dividends in word of mouth referrals as well as a very good name among the many municipalities who had contracted Haines Tree Service. The combination of private work and contract work allowed the business to develop a wide range of abilities and their growing good name ensured that they would have plenty of opportunities to keep their skills (and their saws) sharp.

Those sharp skills would come in very handy by the mid 1970’s. It was then that the first wave of “Dutch Elm Disease” began to hit the Twin Cities. Crews from across the state were called in to deal with the monumental task, and the fly-by-night operations arrived en masse. It didn’t take long for the powers that be to realize what the Haines’ have always known… that if they wanted the job done right they would need to rely more heavily on the experienced, hard-working, veterans and do away with the opportunistic novices. The demand on Haines Tree Service grew, and the Haines’ met those demands with an ever-increasing staff of honest, hardworking, “good ol’ farm boys”. By the time the Dutch Elm epidemic had been smothered in the mid 1980’s, Haines Tree Service had grown to a fleet of crews with 20 quality men and women working together to support the values the company had become known for: hard work, quality results, fair dealings and a fierce devotion to safety practices and standards.

Since then, Haines Tree Service has undergone several changes, including an update on the original family name, after the loss of Grandpa Bob. But the core values that launched the company in the 1950’s have never changed and are still very much at the heart of everything we do today. With almost 40 years of quality experience behind her,  Bonnie now leads a single crew of just 3 to 4 guys. Of the many things they’ve learned during their years in this business, one thing now dominates the Haines’ view of how a successful business must be run: quality control. When you call BJ Haines Tree Service, you will speak directly to a Haines family member. When we schedule a time to come view your tree(s) and deliver a bid, a Haines family member will show up at your property, look you in the eye and shake your hand. There will always be a Haines family member on-site to oversee a job from beginning to end. With our smaller crew Bonnie feels they can better keep an eye on things, ensuring that our high standards are met at EVERY SINGLE JOB. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Among our small but highly efficient crew now exists the next generation of Haines men. Mike Haines, Joe and Bonnie’s eldest child and only son, is definitely a driving force behind the current success of the family business. Mike’s massive work ethic, fastidious attention to detail, insatiable desire to learn and staggering energy level constantly raises the bar for all the guys on staff. His value to our success is immeasurable, and we are so very proud of him.

Today BJ Haines Tree Service is a small, family owned and operated business with old-fashioned values and modern equipment and education. Our knowledge of tree work is extensive and we are equipped to safely offer a full spectrum of services. We understand that each job is unique not only in its scale (from the smallest of shrub trims to the large scale removal of huge and dangerous tree’s) but in its significance in your life. We may be clearing a city-lot of buckthorn for builders one week, and the next week we may be called upon to remove a beautiful oak tree that has shaded a family’s yard for multiple generations. Whatever the task, you can count on us to handle it with the same care and attention that we would handle the tree’s our daughter’s children play beneath. Our company has always been about family values, and when you hire BJ Haines Tree Service to take care of your tree needs we take care of you like family.

Another strong branch emerged in the Haines family business with the addition of our son-in-law, Anthony Myhra, to the payroll. Equal to Mike in work ethic, no small feat mind you, Anthony also brings a wealth of mechanical knowledge to the table which has been invaluable to the quality maintenance of our machinery! Together Mike and Anthony have made an unrivaled team and they continue to raise the bar for what quality work looks like in the tree business.

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about our family’s business and values.

-Cari Myhra (daughter of Joe and Bonnie, sister of Mike, and bearer of the grandbabies!)