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Vollmer, who earned a master’s degree in wildlife from East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania, has been operating Eco-Bound since 2002 when he left his job as a GIS coordinator for a New Jersey consulting firm. At first, Eco-Bound only handled tree plantings for private contractors and Ducks Unlimited. But soon his business began to grow.
“We were always waiting for the fencers to get done, so I bought fencing equipment and got a fencing crew started,” said Vollmer. “Then we found ourselves waiting for the guys to do the crossings, and so we bought some more equipment. Now we basically do the whole job.”
The company also has a land clearing machine to control invasive species, such as multiflora rose, stripe maple and autumn olive. He is a certified applicator, able to handle stump spray applications. He even has a no-till drill for plantings.
“The availability of no-till drills in the state is limited, and there’s a long waiting list,” said Vollmer. “We’ll also be doing it for the municipalities, as well, because they’re very apt once invasives are removed to have warm season grasses planted.”
In addition to local municipalities, Vollmer has built several strong partnerships throughout the territory that Eco-Bound reaches. Scott Reinhardt of Ducks Unlimited has used Eco-Bound for several projects and has been more than pleased with the results.
“Ninety-eight percent of the landowners we’ve worked with are agricultural producers, whether they have a dairy farm or a beef operation,” said Reinhardt. “That farmer has got a lot of things to do. He’s up before the sun milking, and typically he’ll never get his list completed by dark. The last thing he needs to do is chase a contractor wondering who of the five people will show up that day to finish his project. With Eco-Bound, he’s only got to worry about one person coming, and Dave has a background in and around agriculture, so he can talk knowledgably to the farmer and answer his questions.” According to Reinhardt, Eco-Bound has helped Ducks Unlimited restore more than 30 miles of streams.
Pat Fasano, the projects coordinator for the Octoraro Watershed can also attest to Eco-Bound’s effectiveness. This past summer, Fasano had a $100,000 contract to spend within 90 days. Eco-Bound allowed him to manage the project.
“The good news was that I found a big chunk of money. The bad news was that I had to spend it all by September 30th,” said Fasano. “Normally I would have contracted with an excavator to put the stream crossings in, and a fencing contractor to do the fencing, and a landscape contractor to do the tree planting. It worked out great to have Eco-Bound do the work because they did all of it. It made my job a lot easier not having to meet with three different companies.”
For Vollmer, the quality of the work is just as important as a healthy bottom line. His background in wildlife helps his ability to communicate with the landowner, and his knowledge of the process has allowed him to build a business that is constantly expanding to meet landowners’ needs.
For more information on Eco-Bound, call David Vollmer at 1-866-268-1499 or e-mail .
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