Davey Tree Flipbooks

35 January/February 2019 | THE DAVEY BULLETIN 25 YEARS OF SERVING CLIENTS 1. "Do it right or not at all": "Make sure you don't get hurt and do the job right. Our motto was 'Do it right or not at all' and that's important. I tell my kids that when they are doing things. Don't try to cut corners to get the job done quicker." 2. Keep clients happy: "It's important to keep your clients satisfied, be kind to them and courteous. If they complain, you want to handle it, so they feel better and want you back again. When any complaint was registered by a client, I was there immediately, and I bent over backwards to make sure that client knew that they were important to us. I would have our crews back to take care of the problem. The clients were No. 1 in my mind and I wanted to make them happy. I had some wonderful clients in Louisville and they liked me." 3. Life-Blood of the Davey Company: "When hiring workers during my time as foreman, general foreman or district manager, I always tried to instill in them the priority of honesty, good workmanship, getting along with fellow workers, and above all, making sure our clients were happy and Imagine working before one-person chain saws, chippers and bucket trucks were invented. Davey retiree Wally Niedert doesn't have to. Niedert started at Davey in 1951 on a line clearing crew in Elgin, Illinois. He came to Kent, Ohio, in 1953 and completed D.I.T.S. After D.I.T.S., he became a foreman for tree care work in the Chicago area. In 1965, he was named general foreman and supervised residential operations in Illinois. Then in 1967, he was promoted to district manager for the Louisville, Kentucky, office and retired from that position in 1976 after 25 years of service. One favorite memory of Niedert's is working at the estate of P.K. Wrigley, who owned the Wrigley Gum Company, the Chicago Cubs, and Wrigley Field, in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. "It was at least 30 acres, and he used to take me around the property in the sidecar of his old Indian motorcycle," Niedert said. "He was a wonderful man." Niedert also worked at the estate of Col. Robert McCormick, who owned the Chicago Tribune. "He was a growler. He would fuss at you from the balcony off his bedroom," Niedert said. "But we always made him happy and we worked there for many years." Niedert remembers the roughly 200 elm trees that lined the driveway of McCormick's estate that led to the south end of his farm. The trees were treated for Dutch elm disease but, eventually, had to be removed. "During my 25 years, none of my men working with me or under me ever had a lost-time injury, for which I was very proud," Neidert said. "Safety has always been important to the Davey Company and I'm sure it still is today." NIEDERT'S LESSONS LEARNED: During retirement, Wally Niedert spent time traveling with his wife across the country. He has eight children, 27 grandkids and 14 great grandkids. Niedert still cuts down trees at 91 years old for his neighbors. He also grows trees from seed and gives them to his neighbors. Niedert says this is what keeps him young. Retirees! Have stories to share about your life at Davey? To be featured, call 800-447-1667 ext. 8615 or send us an email at bulletin@davey.com. satisfied with the completed job. I let them know that satisfied clients are the life-blood of the Davey Company and that's what keeps us in business." 4. Love what you do: "I loved working with my hands and mind. I liked getting out every morning into the sunshine. I learned how to work and how to do it right. It was important to me." RETIREE CORNER

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