Sorry for late reply, 

Have you surveyed your locale for its forage availability? One tree will feed a lot of bees, but one tree is of interest to the bees for a very short time (1-2 wks max?). They need diversity and choices to thrive for 52 weeks. Location is everything, I have bees in 3 spots within 3 miles. All the spots perform differently even though they are adjacent to the same creek system. in fact I had to abandon one spot due to losses. (golf courses?)

Depending on your elevation and geographics your bees may have to fly a long ways to find groceries.  Where will they get water? You may need insulated hives, some insulation for sure.

Did you find bees? If not, you might consider getting some local bees from a club member.  And register for the swarm list, there are many sources for local bees. The first swarms are the best as they have a queen that has overwintered and come out strong.

I cringe at the perceived need for Russians, they can be very aggressive.   It is very pleasant to be able to pop a top and not have bees fly at you.

Also I feel You will find better survivor rates on bees with localized genetics.

Most of the commercial bees have been genetically selected for the almonds/migratory pollination and if not sold, overwintered in the south for the early start needed to have the populations required by the almond growers. 

Commercial bees are your only option in some cases, in which case I would make queens and split early and get your first round of localization ASAP for better overwintering. This will give you a leg up on building your own line of bees.