Davey Tree Flipbooks

31 July/August 2019 | THE DAVEY BULLETIN A 40-YEAR CAREER FULL OF UNLIMITED OPPORTUNITIES 1. Value a company that cares: "I was sitting there during my interview. I saw a crew come in and I saw a guy getting out of the truck who was a foreman, he must have been in his sixties. I said, 'he's still working here. This is physical work.' Hershel Hawkins said he used to be the best climber and worker here. He told me that as he's gotten older, he's slowed down, but we've kept him working and we take care of him. I remember thinking, 'I want this company to do that for me,' and they did do it for me." 2. It's in the little things: "It's the little things that Davey does that other companies don't. All that stuff adds up. People would ask, 'How do I get to this certain position?' I told them if you complete trainings, we will help you to get there. I used to try to get my fellow workers to become better arborists. It's like anything, the more you know about something, the better you get at it. And the more you like it, the better you get at it. And when you add that up, it makes everything better. 3. Contributing to success: "I learned if you're trying to recruit candidates to start working for you, have a good, long interview and figure out who they are as a person. Doing that stuff at the beginning helps you down the road, because you'll have a more successful hire. We all need to contribute to the growth of a worker and making them successful. 4. Back up your quality: "I've gone out to a client's house and they were upset that we broke something on the property. I've gone out there, fixed it and ended up with an increase in sales." 5. "Do it right or not all." If you were to describe Paul Wilkinson's career with Davey, it's safe to say that he did a little bit of everything. But ultimately, he would come full circle to end his career with the Davey Tree Surgery Company. Wilkinson was hired in October 1976 as a climber with the Surgery Company in Santa Clara County, California. A year later he was promoted to foreman. In 1980, Wilkinson transferred to the East Bay area. He was only there for a few months before being promoted as a general foreman on the PG&E Diablo account. "Howard Bowles gave me an offer I couldn't refuse," Wilkinson said. "The biggest thing was the stock option when the company became employee-owned. I bought in on that right from the beginning." In 1986, Wilkinson was promoted to area supervisor, PG&E Diablo account. Then in 1993, he attended the Davey Institute of Tree Sciences (D.I.T.S.) in Kent, Ohio. "They didn't send a lot of utility guys. It was mostly for residential back then," he said. "But I got in. Before I went to D.I.T.S, I became a certified arborist. It was a big help." In 1994, Wilkinson came to work for Davey's corporate safety department. His territory consisted of everything west of the Mississippi River. Throughout his time in this position, he worked with employees across all Davey service lines. In 2003, Wilkinson transferred out of the safety department and worked as a sales arborist in the East Bay R/C office. He was promoted to district manager of the East Bay R/C office in 2009. Eventually, Wilkinson would return to the Surgery Company in 2010 on the PG&E Diablo account until he retired in 2017. WILKINSON'S CAREER ADVICE: 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. RETIREE CORNER Since retiring, Paul Wilkinson has been spending lots of time with his four grandchildren.

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