By Rita L. Sherwood
Dylan Carney can tell you a thing or two about cutting down trees; after all, it’s a family affair. He grew up watching his dad, Steve, run a tree business called Petaluma Stumps and Trees about 30 minutes from Marin County, California, and at age 15 started working for him. Soon after, he worked for Swift Tree Care in Marin County.
Now 35, Dylan owns his own company, Destin Stumps and Trees. He states, “My goal is to provide the best quality work at an affordable price.” Dylan also works with an expert climber when the situation warrants it, named Brandon Culpan, who’s from Navarre. Dylan says, “I’m so grateful for Brandon’s help when I need it. He’s a great guy who is very safe and excels at the crane removal of trees, as no job is too big or too small.”
Dylan says every day is different when working in this business, and he likes the variety. Some days he drives around and provides free estimates, and on others he might have one or two jobs per day. He says every job is like a puzzle, as he safely cuts down each tree overhanging a roof or obstructing a particular view etc. Generally speaking, it could be a problematic situation, or something as simple as fine pruning to get that beautiful view back. One thing he knows for sure, with his vast experience, he can cut down a tree in 30 minutes vs. a homeowner spending five hours on it, as the job typically is something that needs his expertise.
And how did this California guy get to Destin? That’s easy he says, “I met my wife, Rachel Prescott, while she was modeling in California. The interesting part is not only did I meet her at a Grateful Dead concert, but also she was from Destin! My uncle played bass for the band, and they hired me to photograph them from 2005-2008 at many of their big concerts.” He says they played at big venues like Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall. Rachel at the time was modeling for Gap, Toyota and Levi’s. They lived together for several years before having a destination wedding in Destin. Fast forward, Rachel became pregnant and they both decided to make the move to Destin, as California rent and the cost of living was just too expensive.
For the next five years, Dylan was able to take advantage of his photography experience and shoot beach and wedding photos in Destin. But when COVID hit, that business dried up, as well as his part time bartending. He realized that as much as California was shut down because of COVID, that his family’s tree business was still going strong. He says, “It really was a no brainer to get back into the tree service, because I missed it anyway. It truly was a blessing in disguise.”
His wife Rachel is also a local business owner and opened a ballet studio almost one year ago. Studio6twenty5 is on 625 Harbor Blvd., and focuses more on classical ballet instead of competition ballet. Rachel, a former Northwest Ballet student, is thrilled to be back home in Destin teaching her students ranging in age from 2-76. Her own dad (76) takes a class! Check out her website at studio6twenty5.com to find a class and register.
Dylan and Rachel are proud parents of Beatrice who’s age 5, and by the way she loves Koalas!
To get more information about the services Dylan provides, go to Destintrees.com, or contact him at 850-889-8700.
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