Ali & Max Milburn of Vertical Services, and new members of the Chamber this year, have everything taken care of for your holiday lighting needs! Max shares their story on this entry of #humansofjhchamber.

When Kanye West and his team’s six-foot wide drone was stuck in a tree, who did they call? Vertical Services. Jackson born Founder and CEO Max Milburn dropped everything. He was dressed nicely in a suit with fiancé Ali Dunford (now Milburn) and his family. They were on their way to Moose Creek Ranch for a tasting in preparation for their wedding dinner, but it could wait. Long story short, after climbing a tree in multiple stories in a suit and searching through the ground below for the battery as though it was an Easter Egg, they rescued the drone and its battery.

But that is only some of what Max and Vertical Services does. Vertical Services started with Max’s passion for rock climbing. “I saw a lot of a lot of my friends dedicate most of their lives to the sport. In the end they had nothing to show for it other than maybe bragging about the extreme routes they climbed,” said Max. He wanted to find a way to put his climbing skills to work. And did he ever.

Vertical Services are trained arborists specializing in technical tree removal, structural pruning, hazard assessment, fire mitigation, and disaster response. And when needed they’ll clean the windows of the highest of Jackson Hole’s buildings, meticulously hang holiday lights, and even perform chandelier detailing.

As a true born and bred Jackson Hole local, Max started working for longtime family friends. He continues helping his friends and other “regular folks” out…of course, as well as visitors, including world-famous rappers. He’s washed Vertical Harvest’s greenhouse windows…and even with the United States National Bird – the eagle. Max helped scientists perform studies that needed blood samples and feathers. He would climb the cottonwoods to a nest with two or three Eagle chicks that were the size of Turkeys. He would hood them, wrap their talons (for protection), gently put them in a bag, and lower them down to the scientists.

This article has been edited for length and clarity.


Clearly, Max is a renaissance man of all things heights. With the holidays just around the corner, contact Vertical Services to request an estimate for the holiday lights of your dream here.


Don't miss out on the Annual Town Square Lighting this Friday! - View Here | Don't miss out on Santa on the Square - View Here


This story is a part of #humansofjhchamber: The campaign places a focus on the faces of our local businesses and nonprofits. Learn about their inspirations, why they got started in their industry, and more! Find the Chamber on Instagram, @jhchamber. For information about the program, please contact Director of Membership, Elisabeth Rohrbach, elisabeth@jacksonholechamber.com or 307.201.2301.


Written by Director of Membership, Elisabeth Rohrbach.