Photos by Submitted Photos
Long-time Huntsville residents may nd the name “Joe Martinez” all too familiar. If so, it is not surprising. the Martinez family has deep roots in the Huntsville area. In fact, the Martinez family was one of the first Mexican-
Jose and Zenobia Martinez, Joe’s grandparents, came to Huntsville in 1929. Jose was the first Mexican to become a member of the Masonic Lodge of Huntsville. He and his wife owned Martinez Restaurant, which remained open until 1981. roughout the years, the Martinez’s have owned several local businesses. Joe’s father owned Martinez Auto Repair on Sycamore, and also worked for TDCJ for 23 years. His cousins, David and Moses, also owned their own businesses in Huntsville. David owned Martinez Garage, and Moses owned Martinez Gulf on 11th Street, and both owned their own wrecker businesses. Joe has two siblings; one is a graphic artist and lives in California, and the other lives in Lovelady and works in development. Joe also has a step-brother and sister. they both live in the Conroe area. Joe’s mother, Maria Salome Martinez, was originally from Los Ramones, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, where she lived until she married Joe’s father and moved to Huntsville in 1967.
Such business-driven predecessors explain Joe’s motivation for owning his own business. His interest in the tree cutting business began at an early age. He was only 16 when a couple of guys invited him to go with them to do a little “side job.” He went to help them out and became interested. His parents had rental houses, Joe recalled, and
Joe met his wife Angela through a mutual friend. At the time, he was still working at the prison and was also volunteering at the re department, so he didn’t have a lot of time for dating, but they started going out. then, he and Angela were married in 2007. they have two wonderful sons, Brandon and Logan. Until recently, they had always lived in Huntsville but moved to Magnolia in 2017. “Angela is a teacher and was working for Huntsville ISD. then she went back to get her master’s” said Joe, “and soon after, she found a job at Magnolia ISD. At first, she and the boys were commuting back and forth, taking the back roads, and were constantly running into hogs and deer crossing the road.” For this reason, they decided that it was better for the whole family to move to Magnolia. “Although we had been looking to stay in Walker County, we found a house there that met both our needs.”
Although managing both jobs can sometimes get hectic, Joe admits he loves doing both. On his days o from the police department, he focuses on the business end. According to Joe, he is blessed to have a great business manager that shares his business ethic, and a very reliable crew, so he doesn’t have to be hands-on all the time. “They all know their jobs, and I fully trust them,” Joe proudly stated. Much of his tasks are handled from home and over the phone. He tries to do all the bidding himself, the invoicing, and all the paperwork. After he takes care of
According to Joe, Huntsville will always be his home. For this reason, it is important to him to give back to the community. Huntsville is also the place where his business got started. at’s the reason that purchasing all his equipment and insurance locally is one way he has been able to give back to his community. He also donates firewood to various local entities. “Until recently, I never advertised. I didn’t even have business cards. Everything was done by word of mouth, and it just grew.” Joe estimates that at least eighty percent of their business comes from Walker County. When some of the big apartment complexes were being built in Huntsville, they were hired to clear trees that were too close to the power lines, and when the city was working on the sidewalk project, they were once again called out to clear the right of ways for the sidewalks. they had to shut down a lane of traffic to clear those paths.
Joe also has a good network system with fellow tree cutters in the area, which is helpful when equipment is down. Currently, he has 6 employees, but in the past, he has had as many as 12 employees. On the weekends, he has 3 additional part-time employees. they are all experienced and insured, assured Joe. In many ways, Joe explained, “Trees are a lot like humans. If you cut your finger, you’re going to bleed until it heals. e same happens
Overall, Joe hopes to be able to continue working at the police department for many years to come, as well as continuing to grow his tree cutting business.
Family life is very important to him, and he tries to spend as much time as he can with his wife and children. They enjoy several activities together, which include: going fishing, going out to the movies, and although his rotating schedule only allows him to be o every other Sunday, they attend church as a family as often as possible.