Oct. 2, 2025
What if your tree guy was a tree gal who leads with craft, faith, and community—and channels her business into veteran support? Meet certified arborist and ultra-endurance athlete Amy Nikai, one of Nebraska’s first female-owned, ground-level tree company leaders, as we trace how proper pruning, honest bids, and storm relief can grow into a movement that funds the 50 Mile March and honors military families. We start where roots meet purpose: why trail running drew Amy into arboriculture, how certification changes the way you cut for long-term canopy health, and why she refuses shortcuts like lion’s tailing. Then we go deeper into service. Amy recounts donating a week of chainsaw work after the Elkhorn tornadoes and building playgrounds with local partners—a blueprint for how trades can be the backbone of resilience. Her business philosophy is simple and rare: educate first, price fairly, never pressure, and drop the bill when jobs finish faster. The result is trust, not just transacti…