Anecdotal Lead
An idea I have for the anecdotal lead is how Tom Scarborough came up with Tom's Tree Place.
"While he was in college, Tom started a tree spraying business. One of his customers said 'we can never find you, you don't have a place of business' and he said 'Well that's because you people that have all the land won't sell me some.' So he got a place on West 34th, back when 34th street was a two-lane highway, and that's where we are sitting right now."
Alex Scarborough
CENTRAL THEME: A news story highlighting Alex Scarborough, a CASNR alum, and his family-owned business that helps the Lubbock community in many ways.
Family Man
A wife, Shellie. 3 kids, Abbey, Bailey, and Lexie.
Abbie graduated from Texas Tech with a degree in agricultural communications, I plan on interviewing her later and asking about all the outreach Tom's Tree Place is involved in.
Texas Tech
Chanellor Montford brought Alex in to help re-design campus and give it a whole new look.
Occasionally gets asked to teach for a semester.
"When they're feeling really desperate, they call me to teach a class for a semester."
2 horticulture classes, 3 landscape classes
Served on the CASNR Advisory Board, a sounding board composed of recognized individuals in agricultural sciences and natural resources
Pig Roast
"Our advisory are the ones who get to select who's going to receive the awards of the 3 speakers you get to hear."
Tom's Tree Place has done multiple projects on the Texas Tech campus.
Photo opportunity: Get a picture of Alex in front of one of these projects he helped design.
Has worked on North Overton since 2000.
Jones Stadium
Student Union Building
Will Rodgers & Soapsuds statue
Planted live oaks at the Broadway entrance
Graduated from Tech in 1983 with a bachelor's of landscape architecture.
Tom's Tree Place
Photo opportunity: I already got a good amount of pictures of the actual building and what's inside. I just need portraits of people.
Photo opportunity: I plan on getting a picture of Alex standing in front of the Tom's Tree Place sign. Also more pictures of him doing things around the shop.
Offers
landscape maintenance
"One of the areas that we maintain is North Overton. We did most of the work in North Overton. All the sidewalks, the street lights, etc."
landscape construction
hardscape & softscape
"Landscape construction is kind of two different aspects. We call one group hard scape, and they're the guys that do the concrete walls, brick pavements, that kind of stuff. And then we have soft scape and that's all the trees and things that get planted."
nursery
landscape design
Outdoor plant needs and materials
45 employees
"We have people that have been working here for 20, 30, and some 40 years."
Hires a lot of students
Background
Tom's Tree Place is a family-owned and operated landscape company located in Lubbock, TX and established in 1950.
Zephyr Tree Farm
"We have another business called Zephyr Tree Farms. We have 54 acres where we grow trees."
Tom's Tree Place was started by Tom Scarborough, a WWII veteran that fought in Pearl Harbor.
Graduated from Texas Tech with a degree in Horticulture.
Subtopic
