Owen Lee
owen.l@summitreforestation.com
902-691-7070
|
About Me:
Cash-money and mountains. Those are the things that got me to take the initial leap out of rural Nova Scotia into the great outdoors of very rural BC four summers ago. Although planting has granted me with all three, the characteristics that keep me coming back are considerably different: cultivation of work ethic, comradery and being able to get away from society and screens are all things I personally love about the job. By summer I may be a professional dirt monkey but during the offseason you can find me in Fredericton, New Brunswick where I am finishing my Bachelor of Applied Science in Software Engineering and accompanying minor in Mathematics and Statistics at UNB. In other words, lots of time spent in a chair looking at a computer. Planting is my vacation from the world of software development, getting me outside while still financing school. Come planting season you better believe I will be rip-roaring and raring to go after a long winter of coding and calculus. |
Industry Experience:
This will be my 5th season with Summit. I planted for 3 glorious summers and with consistent improvement and a spice of friendly competition found great success, finishing in the top few percentiles of planters company-wide. Last year my crew conquered their first season with me as crew boss. A crew of 100% rookies made us the underdogs but that didn’t stop us from having a killer summer and rounding out the season with the same 11 planters as we started with. This summer we will run it back with a new crew size of 17, many returners and optimism bordering on naivety
Expectations for crew:I would argue that the most important qualities for success in this line of work nobody, including myself, can teach you. If you can meet these expectations on a daily basis and don’t mind wet feet, you will fit right in on my crew.
Motivated and Goal Oriented: If there is one bullet point to define a baller planter it would be this one. Planting trees is grueling work. There needs to be a reason to get up every day and put in the hours.
Positive attitude: Refer to quote*
Mutual Respect: Everyone's contributions and opinions are valid and important and need to be treated thusly.
Willing and Eager to Learn: Tree planting is as complex as you want it to be and there are always new things to learn and refine. Continuously pushing yourself to learn new things will keep the job interesting and keep that pay check increasing.
What you can expect from me:Hard Work: At some point you have to put your head down and work. I cannot expect my planters to push themselves if I am slacking. I will be the hardest worker on my crew, and yes, that is a challenge.
Transparency: Nothing is more frustrating than not knowing the plan or receiving instructions without explanation. Clear rational discussion is a beautiful thing and ensures everyone is working together at maximum efficiency.
Proficiency: There are very few things in my life I have done as many times as planting a tree. Before moving up to crew boss, I ensured that I honed my craft. I am confident in my abilities and can help planters of any level push through their plateaus and achieve their full potential.
High Level Coaching: Developing structured ways to help planters learn the techniques and tools they need to improve their abilities on the block is one of my favorite parts of the job. This offseason I am working with Summit to formally create training documentation that will be used by the company in future years.
Sarcastic comments when you are sad in the rain: An occupational hazard, apologies, non-negotiable
Favourite Movie:
Step Brothers
Favourite Book:
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
Quote:
" I think I can. I think I can. I know I can" -The Little Engine that Could
This will be my 5th season with Summit. I planted for 3 glorious summers and with consistent improvement and a spice of friendly competition found great success, finishing in the top few percentiles of planters company-wide. Last year my crew conquered their first season with me as crew boss. A crew of 100% rookies made us the underdogs but that didn’t stop us from having a killer summer and rounding out the season with the same 11 planters as we started with. This summer we will run it back with a new crew size of 17, many returners and optimism bordering on naivety
Expectations for crew:I would argue that the most important qualities for success in this line of work nobody, including myself, can teach you. If you can meet these expectations on a daily basis and don’t mind wet feet, you will fit right in on my crew.
Motivated and Goal Oriented: If there is one bullet point to define a baller planter it would be this one. Planting trees is grueling work. There needs to be a reason to get up every day and put in the hours.
Positive attitude: Refer to quote*
Mutual Respect: Everyone's contributions and opinions are valid and important and need to be treated thusly.
Willing and Eager to Learn: Tree planting is as complex as you want it to be and there are always new things to learn and refine. Continuously pushing yourself to learn new things will keep the job interesting and keep that pay check increasing.
What you can expect from me:Hard Work: At some point you have to put your head down and work. I cannot expect my planters to push themselves if I am slacking. I will be the hardest worker on my crew, and yes, that is a challenge.
Transparency: Nothing is more frustrating than not knowing the plan or receiving instructions without explanation. Clear rational discussion is a beautiful thing and ensures everyone is working together at maximum efficiency.
Proficiency: There are very few things in my life I have done as many times as planting a tree. Before moving up to crew boss, I ensured that I honed my craft. I am confident in my abilities and can help planters of any level push through their plateaus and achieve their full potential.
High Level Coaching: Developing structured ways to help planters learn the techniques and tools they need to improve their abilities on the block is one of my favorite parts of the job. This offseason I am working with Summit to formally create training documentation that will be used by the company in future years.
Sarcastic comments when you are sad in the rain: An occupational hazard, apologies, non-negotiable
Favourite Movie:
Step Brothers
Favourite Book:
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
Quote:
" I think I can. I think I can. I know I can" -The Little Engine that Could
