Get To Know Leaf & Limb: Meet Greyson
Greyson brings humor, heart, and a genuine love of connection to everything he does.
The first thing I ask everybody is to introduce themselves however they want.
My name is Greyson Painter. I was born and raised in Raleigh, NC. I’m nearly 40 now, so a lot has changed here in the Triangle during my lifetime. My wife, Kelsey, and I have raised our three kids here – They’re 15, 12, and 7. My family is easily the most meaningful and energizing part of my life, we always seem to find a reason to laugh together.
Connection with others is central to how I show up in the world. I’m deeply curious about the human experience; where people come from, what shapes them, and how they relate to others and their environment. That curiosity has been a through-line in both my life and my work. Growing up with some real challenges sharpened my ability to find common ground with anyone and nurture empathy, which has served me everywhere since.
Professionally, I’ve been working in the tree care industry since 2007, with a couple of years in landscaping before that. So really, I’ve spent my entire adult life working outside, caring for the land, and giggling with co-workers.
What made you want to get into tree work as opposed to any other kind of work?
The honest answer is that I’d recently met an amazing woman from the foothills of NC. I was young and working my way through college, trying to figure out what came next. It felt important to nail down a purpose, find some opportunity, and begin building a life that would support a family long-term. A friend of mine had been doing tree work on the weekends and first introduced me to the idea of caring for trees as a career path. My love for Nature, adventure, and problem solving made it all feel seamless. 20 years later, I would say that I’ve been fortunate to continually find open doors and the courage to walk through them.
In 20 years, you must have some funny, scary, or just plain weird stories. Tell me one.
There was one tree where I altogether encountered a snake, a possum, and was stung by bees. This was early in my climbing career and was interesting for sure. As I began ascending the tree, I spotted a black snake slithering up the trunk, and it disappeared into a small cavity. I thought, okay, that’s fine - I know where she is now. As I climbed further up the rope and began entering the canopy, I met a possum clinging to a limb and accidentally knocked him off balance. He’s now hanging from the limb at eye-level and hissing at me. I continue ascending to some create distance, only to be met by bees emerging from another cavity and protecting their home. I descended quickly and was fine but had a heightened awareness of wildlife in trees after that!
Why Leaf & Limb?
I originally joined the L&L team here in the summer of 2014. There was a bit of a local buzz about this growing company, I had seen their trucks more frequently, and it sparked my interest. I ended up reaching out to Basil, so we met for coffee one day and hit it off. I was invited to a working interview, dazzled everyone (obviously), then came on board as a crew leader. About six months later, I took advantage of an opening, joined the sales team, and have been working in residential and commercial sales for the last ten years.
You’ve done nearly “all the things” in your 20 years in the industry, including long periods in both Sales and Operations at Leaf & Limb. What is your role now?
I joined our Executive Leadership Team, as Director of Sales, this past summer. I now support a team of ten people who work primarily in sales, consulting, and business development. This is a completely new adventure for me and everyone else, with so much to learn. I have enjoyed this journey so far, because it is much more internally focused on our team. Some of these individuals I’ve known and worked with for at least five to ten years, so helping them find success is deeply fulfilling for me.
It’s clear that family and connection to people are the most central things for you. How else does this show up for you?
Over the years, I’ve also worked to foster a connection with myself, my story, and my own body. I have grown tremendously from reading books, engaging with therapy, as well as pushing myself physically. I started training martial arts consistently about 10 years ago and it has really been good to me. As I’ve reached an intermediate-to-advanced skill level in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, I’ve earned some influence and teaching ability. For the last 6 years, I’ve enjoyed coaching with our youth program, which has been incredibly meaningful - especially watching kids, including my own, build confidence over time. There’s something powerful about helping someone realize they’re capable of more than they thought. That process builds confidence on both sides.
