Ryan Kliest is a very busy young man with a work ethic that some say has faded away in his generation. Ryan runs the Moonscape Crew on a daily basis. He is a skilled tree climber and an electrician. He also doubles as our fleet technician for Graf Tree and Moonscape. This means he is responsible for maintenance and immediate repair on more than ten work trucks and vans along with various equipment such as wood chippers, stump grinders, and Bobcats. Without his remarkable work ethic, this would not be possible.  Here is a brief interview with Ryan...

Ok, this is a classic picture. It reminds me of old logging photos from the early 1900's. What was it like climbing that tree?

It was exciting and I had a huge adrenaline rush the whole time. I was going up to install a couple of LED Downlights to light the ground from above. I've been up plenty of big trees but this was the first REALLY BIG tree I had climbed.It was also one of the trees I couldn't wait to get out of because it was a very cold morning. For a climber with only 2 years experience it was defiantly a scary climb and it was the first of many.

Tell us what Moonscape is doing with LED lighting.

We are doing our part by being kinder to the environment and our customers. We are saving our customers money on their energy bills and maintenance costs. They have an over all much better effect because LED has a sharper light on the surroundings that they illuminate. This makes it look clearer compared to the old Mercury Vapor lights which have a foggy effect on the landscape. The items being illuminated with the LED lights have a better contrast to the darkness than the Mercury Vapor bulbs do.

Is it a "greener" product?

Yes it definitely is. For one there is no Mercury in the lamp itself so LED lights do not harm the environment. Another reason LED lights are “greener” is because they use a fraction of the energy that mercury Vapor bulbs do, along with using less material to install.

You are responsible for the Moonscape crew everyday in its daily operations and also manage to keep the Graf Tree fleet running smoothly. This sounds like a lot of work. Describe where you get your work ethic from.

I don’t know where I learned it from, but I know that I have a certain drive that keeps me going and a drive to get everything done 110%. I take a lot of pride in the work that
I do, which in turn makes me want to work harder every day.

What is your favorite part of this job?

My favorite part of the job is when we are all finished with installing a new job and seeing it at night. I am able to take a step back and look at all the things we have accomplished and the landscapes we have transformed.

What is your least favorite part of this job?

The time that is consumed.  I wish I could do a lot more work in less time so that I would be able to enhance more properties.

What are your goals professionally and personally?

One of my main goals is to make sure the company is able to grow because of the work that I put into it, everything else will just fall into place. My only major personal goal that I have right now is to be able to start a family and continue to be happy.

What is important to you outside of work?

Some of the most important things to me outside of my work is my girlfriend, Eleanor, church, and God. Also taking the time to enjoy my life by doing the things that I like to do like fixing stuff, making other things better, riding my bike and working out.

Thanks Ryan, be careful out there and Good Luck!