Simple hobby turns into business

By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
    What started as a hobby has grown into a complimentary side job for Raymond Jay of Houlton. Jay, who works as a full-time salesman for Maine Distributors, owns Ray’s Stump Grinding.
    “I have been stump grinding since May 2012,” said Jay. “I have done over 130 stumps since May.”
Contributed photo
GRINDING — Raymond Jay of Ray’s Stump Grinding of Houlton works to remove a stump from a homeowners lawn. Jay has removed more than 130 stumps since he opened in May. Along with the stump service, Jay also provides firewood from the trees he has removed. He also does brush cleanup and trims limbs on trees and shrubs.
    Jay began cutting down trees when he was using firewood for his own heating source. But, the whole undertaking began with a favor.
    “A friend of our’s had some trees that needed to come down … they were out over his house … and he just couldn’t pay to have the trees removed,” explained Jay. “I needed firewood at the time, so I told him if you give me the firewood, I would remove the trees. He said, ‘have at it.’ I cleared 10 cord of wood away from his house and his garage. It worked out really well.”
    Cutting down trees isn’t something Jay just decided to do one day.
    “I’ve been cutting down trees since I was 13,” he said. “When I was cutting down trees for people and using the firewood, they wanted me to grind their stumps. So, I went and bought a stump grinder and promoted [the business] from there.”
    Ray’s Stump Grinding is fully insured, has reasonable rates and clean up is included in the price.
    “I take all the shavings with me, if the customer doesn’t want them,” said Jay. “I make sure the area looks nice.”
    Jay offers tree removal, grinding stumps, brush clean up, trimming, pruning to “whatever needs to be done,” he said.
    Jay is working with a local cemetery to remove trees and is open to doing other cemeteries.
    “There is no job too small,” he said. “I just want to go in and make my customers happy. The best part is seeing a smile on their face when I leave.”
    Jay said the business has taken off better than he had anticipated.
    “I never expected it to grow [as quickly] since it was a hobby, but it has grown. Business has been phenomenal,” he said. “Most of my business has been by word of mouth — I just started advertising in the paper — and it has just been amazing.”
    Jay, along with his wife Bettina, a full-time pharmacy technician, work the business together.
    “We enjoy it,” said Jay. “I don’t know what is more surprising to the customer, the price or the end results. We try to make it convenient for the customer. As soon as we can get to them, we will.”
    Jay doesn’t have more employees because he doesn’t want to lose the customer relationship.
    “You really need to be there with your customer,” he said. “To have that friendship with them. That is what the relationship is based on. You are building a friendship. I have people who want me to come back to have coffee with them.”
    Another aspect of Ray’s Stump Grinding is the addition of firewood.
    “I don’t know how people are finding out about the firewood, it is nothing I have advertised,” he said. “I used to do firewood back in the early ‘90s. I’ve got the wood so I would like to expand it back up to at least 100 to 200 cord a year again.”
    Right now, Jay has 40 cord of firewood to cut and deliver.
    Last year, a gentleman came to Jay when he found out he was starting to get back into the firewood and he gave him some money and said “You know where I live. Bring me my wood.” Jay felt good that a previous customer would come back again.
    With his schedule filling, Jay’s short-term goal is to get done the jobs he has lined up before snow flies, but his long-range plan is “to see the business continue to grow the way it’s been growing,” he said. “I might even expand. God has been good that is for sure. It’s been such a blessing to see how it really has grown.”
    In winter ice storms, Jay will be available to help customers remove limbs or trees, as well.
    “If someone needs me, I will come,” he said. “As long as I can get to whatever is down, I will take care of it.”
    Jay is also planning on adding new services in the spring.
    “Not sure how far [the business] will go, but it has just been amazing,” said Jay. “It was something we started doing to help out a few people and it has grown from there.”
    Jay can be reached by calling 538-7270 and offers free estimates. Ray’s Stump Grinding is also on Facebook. “Wherever someone needs me, I go,” he said.