64 | FORESTRY NZIF: Saathof Forestry Services Success built on forging relationships Richard Loader Ed Saathof: “Our growth has been about establishing relationships and partnering up with our clients for that real long-term vision.” Proudly working with Saathof Forestry Services Our passion is understanding our client needs, listening and working together to achieve excellent results. Talk with Leon, David or any of our experienced and capable teamabout your accounting or secretarial requirements. “STRAIGHT OUTTA CLIVE”, HAWKES BAY FAMILYOWNEDANDOPERATED LOG CARTAGE SPECIALISTS PH: 021 767 535, EMAIL: bealeloggers@gmail.com Find us on FACEBOOK Boutique is perhaps not the usual word used in forestry circles, but for father and son forest management business, Saathof Forestry Services, it underlines the personalised service and relationships forged with their customers. Based in Havelock North, Saathof Forestry Services was established in 2017 by Ed Saathof, following a successful career working for a corporate forester. With forestry in his DNA, Dave Saathof followed his father into the industry, completing a Bachelor of Forestry Science before taking a role with Rayonier Matariki in Southland. Dave joined the business in 2018, after his dad called him and said, ‘let’s see what we can achieve together.’ “We’re now 50/50 co-directors,” says Dave. “The partnership has been a real strength — you know, the guy with the lifetime of forestry experience and a lot of respect within the industry and from our clients, and then myself bringing in the technical aspects, new ideas and energy, and taking a share of the workload.” Engaging trusted contractors to carry out all operations from forest preparation and silviculture, to harvesting, roading and carting, Saathof Forestry Services operates throughout Hawke’s Bay from Wairoa right down to Southern Hawke’s Bay. “From the start in 2017, the business has gone very well, and grown quite organically without much marketing. We’re now looking after 3500 hectares, logging between 60,000 and 90,000 tonnes per year. Our growth has been about establishing relationships and partnering up with our clients for that real long-term vision. Dad and I have this father/ son relationship and we’re often partnering up with these good Hawke’s Bay farming families who have a similar set up, with a family member taking over. A lot of our clients really like that. We’re fully accountable and will here in the next thirty years.” In addition to forming valued relationships with their clients, which include farmers with woodlots, investors and larger corporate foresters, Ed and Dave have also partnered with local forestry contractors, many of whom are also intergenerational. “I see our contractor workforce as an extension of us. These are people who go out and do a good job. That boosts our reputation and hopefully we pick up more clients, which means more work for them. We try to use local contractors as much as we can. A couple of planting crews come from out of the region, and they’re just good people who like working for us.” Carbon consultancy including registrations and carbon management is another string to Dave’s bow. He says that over the last couple of years clients have increasingly wanted to talk about carbon, and it has been about
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