Meet the Acorn team
Owner John Borgen • ISA Certified Arborist • # MW-5664A • Blue Helmet
I am the owner and operator of Acorn ArborCare, and I look forward to the opportunity to help care for your trees, shrubs, and entire wooded landscape.
My Background:
I earned an AAS in Parks & Natural Resources from Kirkwood Community College in 2000 and a BS in Wildlife Biology and Scientific & Technical Communication from University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point in 2004.
I started doing arboricultural work in 2004 in Wisconsin at a great tree care company, Hamm's ArborCare, where I established the base of knowledge in tree care operations that has helped me get where I am today. I have been doing tree care work as a seasonal/part-time job along with other professional endeavors ever since. I have been working full-time as an arborist in the Iowa City area since my family and I moved back in 2012.
While living in Wisconsin (for 12 years) I worked for the WDNR State Natural Areas Crew, managing the most pristine and biodiverse lands in the state. I provided contract services to, and later worked for, the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands doing Timber Stand Improvement on state forest lands. I have also done many years of bird research, including Peregrine falcons, American Kestrels, and Common Loons for the WDNR, the USGS, and private researchers.
Virginia Miller • ISA Certified Arborist • # IW-0012A • White Helmet
Virginia spent her childhood traveling around Minnesota to visit state parks with her father, a forester for the DNR. She completed her undergraduate degree at the UW - Madison, where she majored in marketing and management. Virginia spent five years operating her own small business, Miller Tree Care, before coming on board with Acorn ArborCare.
Virginia earned ISA certification in 2017, and completed the Urban Forestry Graduate Certificate from Oregon State University in December of 2017. She is also a certified pesticide applicator, and has been doing EAB treatments locally for the past 4 years. Virginia is passionate about planting the urban forest of tomorrow, and loves finding planting spots for unusual tree species.
Ross Spenler • ISU Forestry Graduate • Pink Helmet
Ross is an Iowa native who earned his undergraduate degree in Forestry from Iowa State University. He has been working in the tree care industry for over 7 years and is a skilled tree climber and operator of heavy equipment. He is a passionate outdoorsman and particularly enjoys hunting deer and pheasant and fishing. He has worked for both public works departments and private tree care companies before joining the Acorn team.
Will Hartman • BA English, MA Linguistics, UI • Orange Helmet
Will worked for a number of years in the lawn and landscape industry, before being bit by the tree bug in Madison, WI. Though he didn’t get any superpowers, Will honed his arboricultural chops at a company with a serious focus on safety and proper tree care methods, which gave him the strong base on which he’s built since joining the Acorn team in July of 2020. Will is also a licensed pesticide applicator, and enjoys zapping EAB and keeping other tree diseases at bay. Will’s hobbies include pronouncing words correctly, rake twirling, and referring to himself in the third person.