Winner of the Vermeer and Saluting Branches AX17 Brush Chipper Announced
In 2022, Vermeer and Saluting Branches — a nonprofit organization that honors American service men and women by organizing volunteer tree and landscape care for the property dedicated to veterans — worked together to give away a one-year lease of a custom-wrapped Vermeer AX17 brush chipper. This summer Vermeer and Saluting Branches announced Josh Guin of Oak Bros Tree Care and Removal in Bloomington, Illinois, as the winner of the one-year lease.
Vermeer unveiled this custom chipper at the TCI EXPO in Charlotte, North Carolina, last year and have featured it at tradeshows and expos to promote Saluting Branches and help raise awareness of the organization and their mission. As part of the campaign, people were encouraged to visit the Saluting Branch website to register for a chance to win a one-year lease of the Vermeer brush chipper machine. Vermeer also sponsors the organization’s annual Day of Service in September, an event that organizes volunteer tree and landscape care at properties dedicated to veterans.
“Partnering with Saluting Branches has been a great experience for Vermeer. We have been able to honor those who have served for our country and to present someone with the opportunity to give back to the veterans within their community,” said Vermeer Executive Vice President of Forage and Lifecycle and Chief Marketing Officer, Mark Core.
“What this AX17 brush chipper does is encompass who we are as Saluting Branches and who it is we want to be to the veteran’s community. We have so many veterans that come out of the military and come into our industry, I think this pays homage to the ones that are working and the ones that inevitably gave it all,” said Brian Bruce from Saluting Branches.
Upon receiving the Vermeer AX17 brush chipper, Guin will partner with veteran groups around the Bloomington area to help select 12 veteran families to receive free tree care work at their homes. At the end of his one-year lease, Guin plans to invite all 12 families to a supper to meet with his team and celebrate what the veterans have done for our country.
