Meet the Team!
The Independent Tree team provides quality tree services throughout Northeast Ohio
Alan Kraus
Founder
ISA Certified Arborist OH-5219A
ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualified
TCIA Certified Tree Care Safety Professional #2269
About Alan
Alan Kraus was first introduced to tree work in high school while landscaping and was quickly hooked. In 1995, he began to focus his abilities on arboriculture and has been working with trees and shrubs ever since. Alan founded Independent Tree with the goal of providing quality tree work for his local community in the industry he loves.
Alan works hard to keep up to date on arboriculture education so that we can bring our clients the best the industry has to offer. He also conducts educational seminars for various organizations. Alan helped form the Ohio Independent Arborist Association, OIAA out of a need for more local arborist education and training.
Outside of Independent Tree, Alan is passionate about history; he loves traveling, reading, music, skateboarding, and spends most of his time outdoors.
Lisa Carrelli-Kraus
Office Manager | Marketing Manager | Partner in Crime
About Lisa
Lisa is the Office Manager here at Independent Tree and partner in crime to Alan Kraus. Lisa received her BFA in art from Kent and is responsible for most of Independent Tree’s design work and marketing. Outside of the office, Lisa is a textile artist, who loves to garden, travel, backpack, roller skate, and spend time with her husband, Alan, and their dogs.
Will Carr
Arborist Representative | Plant Health Care Manager
ISA Certified Arborist ML-0425A
ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualified
Certified Landscape Technician (CLT/LIC)
ODA Licensed Commercial Applicator
ISA Certified on Oak Wilt Education
About Will
Will got his first taste of the green industry back in high school where he worked his summers at a landscape firm. Will has a B.S. in Physics with a minor in Chemistry from Kent State. Always having a love of the outdoors, he came back to the landscape industry after college. During his several years in management at a leading landscape firm, his desire to specialize in arboriculture grew and he landed at our doorstep in the summer of 2019. Will’s extensive background in the green industry as well as his project management expertise make him a strong asset on the Independent Tree Team.
In his free time, Will keeps busy doing recreational tree climbing and rock climbing 2-3 times per week; he practices Jiu-Jitsu 1-2 times a week, takes frequent 12-15 mile day hikes on his weekends and is an avid reader.
Dennis Boyd
Arborist Representative
ISA Certified Arborist OH-6193A
Certified Tree Care Safety Professional 02360
ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualified
ODA Licensed Commercial Applicator
About Dennis
Dennis was introduced to tree work in 2005 at Morningstar Tree Service in Newbury, where he worked for 8 years. He then spent some time working in the public sector at the Metroparks and Geauga County while also running his own tree service.
Dennis is active in the ISA tree climbing championships, and in his free time, Dennis enjoys golfing & camping with his family.
We have known Dennis for a long time as a talented & honest professional, and we are excited to have him on our team.
Zach Coffield
PHC Manager | Sales
ISA Certified Arborist MI-4706A
ISA Certified on Oak Wilt Education
ODA Licensed Commercial Applicator
About Zach
Zach joined Independent Tree in the spring of 2023 as our new Plant Health Care Manager. Zach has a Bachelor of Science in Biology & Environmental studies. After graduating college, Zach worked a couple of years for the parks service in Natural resources & as a park ranger in Toledo. At the Parks, he found his love for trees and transitioned to working in the private sector. For the past 3 years, Zach worked for a tree, shrub & lawn care company in Michigan, where he ran their tree care division. In 2023, after getting married, Zach and his wife wanted to be closer to family and moved back to Ohio, joining our team at Independent Tree.
In his free time, Zach enjoys spending time with his wife, fishing, hunting & drawing.
NIC RATAICZAK
Senior Crew Leader | Climber | Operator
ISA Certified Arborist OH-6542A
TCIA Certified Tree Care Safety Professional
About Nic
Nic is our senior employee here, joining Independent Tree in the spring of 2007 on the grounds crew. Taking quickly to climbing, he worked himself up to be one of our main climbers, as well as a crew leader. Nic is an ISA Certified Arborist and a TCIA Certified Tree Care Safety Professional (CTSP) and helps with our safety and training program. Nic also competes in the Ohio Climbing Championships.
Outside of work, you are likely to still find Nic up in a tree; his other interests include skateboarding, traveling, being outdoors, and spending time with his family and wife.
LINUS GLADY
Crew Leader | Climber | Plant ID Guru
ISA Certified Arborist OH-6986A
ODA Licensed Commercial Applicator
About Linus
Linus came on as an intern from the Tri-C Plant Science & Landscape Technology program in 2015 & is now one of our crew leaders. Linus is an ISA Certified Arborist. Linus’s plant ID is top notch & he loves sharing his knowledge with his co-workers & clients.
Aside from being an arborist, Linus enjoys canoeing & fishing, and he coaches High School hockey.
Katelynn Konik
Climber | Operator | Plant Health Care Technician
ODA Licensed Commercial Applicator
About Katelynn
Katelynn’s interest in the green industry grew from gardening and out of a desire to be self-sustaining. She followed her path, first in agriculture and then leading her to arboriculture and Independent Tree. Katelynn is a climber and operator and assists as a Plant health Care technician; she loves the diversity that each position gives her, from working as a team on the tree crew to the individual work of Plant Health Care. Above all, she loves to be learning and working outside in nature constantly.
In her free time, Katelynn loves gardening, kayaking, hiking, tree climbing, singing and writing.
John Mackay
Climber | Plant Health Care Technician
ISA Certified Arborist OH-6996A
ODA Licensed Commercial Applicator
About John
John came on as an intern from TRI-C’s Plant Science & Landscape Technology program in 2017. In addition to his Associates degree from Tri-C, John has a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in biology from The University of Akron. John is a licensed pesticide applicator. John is one of our climbers and fills in as a Plant health Care Technician.
In his free time, John does a lot of propagation, whether it’s starting plants from seeds or cuttings, he loves “geeking” out on plants and spending time with his family.
Chloe Rudge
Customer Service | Sales Support
About Chloe
Chloe is the friendly voice on the other end of the phone here at Independent Tree. If you are a client, it is likely you have spoken with Chloe at some point. Chloe is always eager to lend a helping hand and does so with a smile. Chloe has a BA in Communication.
Outside of the office, Chloe enjoys spending time outdoors, especially in the summer, and also enjoys walking and hiking all year round, decorating, and spending time with her husband and family.
Interested in working with us? Join the team!
