Our Tree Service History: The Truth About Superior Service
Our Tree Service History of Jason Pence Tree Service Fort Wayne
The roots of Jason Pence Tree Service Fort Wayne reach back decades before the company’s official founding. In 1966, Jason’s grandfather, Levi Pfister, returned to his hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana, after living in Gibbon, Minnesota. While in Minnesota, Levi saw a Vermeer stump grinder in action for the first time. Watching the chips fly, he immediately recognized the potential for this specialized equipment in Northeast Indiana’s tree care market and knew he wanted to launch a stump grinding business as soon as he got home.
![]() | Levi’s operation, based in Leo, Indiana, served the Fort Wayne and Auburn areas for more than two decades. A skilled and industrious man, Levi was not only a beekeeper and farmer but also ran a part-time tree service, offering stump grinding and selective tree work from 1966 to 1988. In 1988, at the age of 80, Levi made the bold decision to expand into a full-time tree removal and trimming business. That same summer, during his final break before graduating from Leo Junior-Senior High School, Jason began working alongside his grandfather full time, gaining valuable, hands-on experience in safe tree cutting, stump removal, and proper equipment handling. |
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Under Levi’s mentorship, Jason learned not just the technical skills of the trade, but also the principles of hard work, customer service, and safety that would later define his own company. For several years, Jason contributed to the family business, honing his craft in everything from precision trimming to hazardous tree removal. When his uncles eventually took over the operation, Jason decided to establish his own path. In February 1992, Jason Pence Tree Service officially opened in Leo-Cedarville, Indiana, as a one-man operation dedicated to providing reliable, professional tree care to the Fort Wayne community.
From those humble tree service history beginnings, the company grew steadily into a trusted local brand known for its ability to handle projects of any size with skill and professionalism. Over the years, Jason expanded from a single crew to multiple teams, investing in specialized equipment such as aerial lift trucks, high-capacity chippers, and modern stump grinders to increase efficiency and safety. Today, our crews are fully insured and trained to meet industry standards, enabling us to tackle large municipal contracts, complex commercial land-clearing projects, and a full range of residential arbor services with equal confidence.
Now serving the entire Fort Wayne metro region, we provide expert tree removal, trimming and pruning, stump grinding, storm damage cleanup, and tree health consultations. What began with a single stump grinder in 1966 has grown into one of the most experienced and respected tree service companies in Fort Wayne. The dedication to hard work, honesty, and customer satisfaction instilled by Levi Pfister continues to guide our team every day, ensuring that each project reflects the legacy of quality and care that has been in our family for generations.