It’s the classic story: the largest employer in a small town closes shop, employment in the town dries up, and the townspeople struggle to get by for generations to come. But when the owners of a Great Lakes-based commercial and utility tree care company decided to put the business up for sale, they opted for a different route: they decided to put their employees — and the town first.
“They could have sold it for a big number to a capital goods company, but the owner said, ‘Look, we’re…