History of R&W Tree Experts
Al Senior (Charles Allen Willever) was born in Paterson and raised in West Paterson. A natural entrepreneur and mechanic, he made a tractor out of a Model T with 2 transmissions and ran a blade off of the drive shaft. During the Depression, he would use this to cut wood and then deliver cords of wood to sell. After World War II broke out, Al Senior partnered with Bob Rafus in 1947 to establish R&W Tree Experts (Rafus & Willever, hence the name R&W). After several years, Al Senior assumed full control of R&W Tree Experts. Al Senior's son, Al Junior (Charles Allen Willever) was born in Paterson and raised in Wayne. He was the tallest of 3 boys and perfect for climbing trees. He started working for his Dad at age 16. Al Senior. and Al Jr. worked well together. Al Junior's son Jim was taken under the wing of Al Senior as a teenager in 1978, and came on full-time in 1980. Al Senior and Al Junior were excellent teachers and taught Jim how to climb safely and efficiently. Jim has a tremendous amount of respect for his father and grandfather. He describes his grandfather as the toughest man he’s ever known, both mentally and physically. Jim says, “as tough as my grandfather was, I never met a man as trustworthy and fair with his workers and customers. To him, the customer was always right.” With over 60 years of experience and tradition, R&W has experienced many changes and innovations in the arborist industry. In 1947, the trees were all topped and done with hand saws. They eventually used smaller, lighter chain saws. In the late 50’s and early 60’s, they did land clearing using chain saws and fire to clear the land. They’d knock trees down and transport branches on flat bed trucks, and use bulldozers on the land being cleared. In 1967, they purchased their first wood chipper. In 1969 they bought their first dump truck. R&W has never believed in using spikes to climb and trim, as it is not good for the trees. Jim proudly continues the tradition set by his father and grandfather, of giving 110% on every job, and inspiring the trust of his customers. |
