Davey Tree Expert Company

The Davey Tree Expert Company
Employee owned
Industry Green Industry
Founded Kent, Ohio, United States
1880 (origins)
1909 (incorporated)
Founder John Davey
Headquarters Kent, Ohio, United States
Key people
 Karl J. Warnke (CEO)
Services Arboriculture, Horticulture, Environmental and Consulting Services
Revenue IncreaseUS$789,911,000 (2014[1])
Owner Employee owned
Number of employees
 8,000
Website www.davey.com
Davey tree trimming operation Superior Township, Michigan
Corporate headquarters in Kent, Ohio.

The Davey Tree Expert Company, also known as Davey Tree, is an American multinational employee-owned corporation that provides tree, utility, lawn care, and environmental consulting services in the green industry throughout the United States and Canada. It is the largest residential tree care company in North America and was founded in 1880 making it the first national tree care company.[2][3][4] John Davey, its founder, is considered the father of the science of tree surgery and arboriculture.[5][6][7] The company's core services include tree, utility services, large tree moving, commercial grounds management and consulting services. It has been employee owned since 1979 and is the largest employee-owned company in the state of Ohio and one of the top 20 largest in the United States.[8] Davey is organized in two segments, Residential and Commercial, and Utility.[9]

The Davey Tree headquarters are in Kent, Ohio and the company was incorporated on February 4, 1909.[10] John Davey was the President, and his son, Martin L. Davey, became the general manager and treasurer.[11] The company, along with its subsidiaries, provides a wide range of arboriculture, horticulture, and environmental and consulting services to private companies, public utilities, local, state, and federal agencies, and various industrial, commercial, and residential customers.[12][13] More than 8,000 people work for the company.[14]

History

In 1873, John Davey at age 27 traveled from Europe to America and began working at Standing Rock Cemetery in Kent, Ohio. He transformed the cemetery with new plantings of trees, shrubs and flowers.

Davey planted hundreds of trees along the Kent streets and around homes in the community and performed a modest amount of tree work. He became determined to gain acceptance of his methods for the care of trees, and he decided to write a book.[15]

In 1901, The Tree Doctor was published, a milestone in the career of John Davey and the science of tree preservation.[16]

By 1915, Davey Tree was growing and expanding; during the period from 1915 to 1920, the company expanded more than fivefold.[17] Today, the company continues to grow and it has revenues of more than three-quarters of a billion USD.[18]

Employee Ownership

The Davey Tree Expert Company has been employee owned since 1979[19] and is the 15th largest employee-owned company in the U.S., according to data from the National Center for Employee Ownership.[20] (The 2015 Employee Ownership 100 list includes the nation’s largest companies that are at least 50 percent owned by an employee stock ownership plan or other broad-based employee ownership plan.[21]) The recent list also names Davey as the largest employee-owned company in Ohio.

Environment

In 2013, Davey Tree published its first corporate social responsibility report in which its chief executive officer, Karl Warnke, states "We are dedicated to being responsible corporate citizens to ensure today’s business practices are not detriments to tomorrow’s landscape. As environmental stewards, we must be accountable for our actions each day."[22] According to data from the report, the company achieved a 95-percent wood waste recycling rate. It also reduced its water use and electricity use, as well as moved its fleet to energy efficient vehicles and GPS monitoring.

The company has been involved in many projects to help care for the environment with initiatives such as i-Tree,[23] software created by Davey and the USDA Forest Service used to quantify the benefit of trees,[24] as well as helping the National Park Service care for the trees at the Flight 93 National Memorial.[25]

Additionally, the company’s emergency storm response crews assist and help clean up from natural disasters, such as Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Katrina.[26][27]

Divisions

Davey operates in two segments, Residential and Commercial, and Utility. It also maintains research, technical support, and laboratory diagnostic facilities.[28]

The Residential and Commercial segment is involved in the treatment, preservation, maintenance, removal, and planting of trees, shrubs, and other plant life. The segment’s services also include landscaping, grounds maintenance, tree surgery, as well as the application of fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides.[29]

The Utility Services segment engages vegetation management around power lines, rights-of-way, and chemical brush control services; and natural resource management and consulting, forestry research and development, and environmental planning services.[30]

Research and Development

John Davey was committed to improving the technology and tools needed to advance tree care research. His passion for scientific study led him to develop the Davey Institute of Tree Surgery in 1908.[31] The training facility was staffed by experts and also provided employees with the skills and tools needed to advance tree science. Today, the company still provides basic tree science as the educational foundation for its employees.[32]

Scientists and technical advisors at The Davey Institute guide field service teams in diagnosing and prescribing products, application procedure, and pest and disease cultural practices.[33] The company also assists college students in the green industry through its Arbor Day Grants.[34]

Davey Tree also partners with organizations to advance tree-care science and provide community outreach programs promoting tree maintenance, such as American Forests, International Society of Arboriculture, Tree Care Industry Association, and TREE Fund through programs like the National Register of Big Trees and fundraisers like Tour des Trees.[35][36]

References

  1. ↑ "The Davey Tree Expert Company 2014 Form 10-K" (PDF).
  2. ↑ "Lawn & Landscape Top 100" (PDF).
  3. ↑ Abbott, R.E (August 1977). "Commercial Arboricultural Practices in North America". Journal of Arboriculture.
  4. ↑ "Ohio Chapter International Society of Arboriculture: Chapter History".
  5. ↑ "Davey: Father of Tree Surgery" (PDF). Heartland Science. The Ohio Academy of Science. 2005. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
  6. ↑ Grismer, Karl H. (1932). History of Kent (2001 Revision ed.). Kent, Ohio: Record Publishing (1932), Kent Historical Society (2001). p. 233.
  7. ↑ International Society of Arboriculture ISA website
  8. ↑ "The Employee Ownership 100". NCEO website. The National Center for Employee Ownership. 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
  9. ↑ "SEC Home, EDGAR System, Company Search, 10K".
  10. ↑ "Davey Tree 10K 2013".
  11. ↑ "Davey Tree, Detailed History". Kent State University Special Collections and Archives. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Davey.com, About Us".
  13. ↑ "Commercial Services & Supplies Company Overview of The Davey Tree Expert Company, Bloomberg Business".
  14. ↑ "Form 10Q July 2015, The Davey Tree Expert Company".
  15. ↑ "Kent State University Library, SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AND ARCHIVES: DAVEY TREE, DETAILED HISTORY’".
  16. ↑ "The tree doctor: a book on tree culture".
  17. ↑ "Ohio History Central’".
  18. ↑ "Form 10Q July 2015, The Davey Tree Expert Company".
  19. ↑ "Form 11-K DAVEY TREE CO".
  20. ↑ Stringer, Judy. "Crain’s Cleveland Business, Money doesn’t grow on trees, but Davey’s reputation grows with them".
  21. ↑ NCEO website. (2008). "The National Center for Employee Ownership.". Retrieved 2008-09-02.
  22. ↑ "CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2013, The Davey Tree Co."".
  23. ↑ "i-Tree.org Website".
  24. ↑ U.S. Forest Service (August 2010). "Northeastern Area State & Private Forestry News Notes" (PDF).
  25. ↑ "Honor Flight 93 Our Supporters". Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  26. ↑ "Davey Tree workers help clean up from Hurricane Rita ( (Vol. 44 Issue 10, p22))". Landscape Management. Oct 2005.
  27. ↑ "Hurricane Aftermath". Arbor Age. Dec 2005.
  28. ↑ "Commercial Services & Supplies Company Overview of The Davey Tree Expert Company, Bloomberg Business".
  29. ↑ "SEC Home, EDGAR System, Company Search, 10K".
  30. ↑ "Utility Services—Company Website".
  31. ↑ Abbott, R.E (August 1977). [file:///C:/Users/shafferm/Downloads/p0141-0145.pdf "Commercial Arboricultural Practices in North America (Vol. 3, No 8)"] Check |url= value (help) (PDF). Journal of Arboriculture.
  32. ↑ BAWDEN-DAVIS, JULIE (February 13, 2015). "Parade Online, Tree Training: Nation's Arborists Gather for Intense Program".
  33. ↑ "About The Davey Institute, Davey Tree Company Website".
  34. ↑ "Arbor Grant, University of Maryland College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Institute of Applied Agriculture".
  35. ↑ "Davey Tree Partners, davey.com website".
  36. ↑ "TREE Fund welcomes new Crown Partner, The Davey Tree Expert Company, STIHL, Tour Des Trees".
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