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38 THE DAVEY BULLETIN | November/December 2019 REMEMBERING SPEECH AT ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY 1. Davey's a Great Decision: "They kept me employed for the rest of my career. I was looking for that stability and some sort of path toward retirement that I didn't see at my other places of employment. I consider myself very fortunate." 2. Employee Ownership: "To come to Davey to live their structure of employee ownership was by far one of the best things I did in terms of preparing myself for retirement. Being an employee-owner and the company doing as well as they have since I started has been tremen- dous. I love the company for it." 3. Continue to Improve: "If you do your best and continue to improve, you are going to be recognized. Op- portunities for promotion will always be there for those who exhibit that behavior and want to give their best. Look for ways to improve the com- pany through your actions and that will pay major dividends throughout your Davey career." 4. Customer Impressions: "The people who made the most impact on the clients weren't me or the other sales staff. It was the field employees. If you don't have employees out there doing what you told the client they were going to do and giving them their undivided attention, the formula isn't going to work. Manage with that in mind. The employees are the most important and my job as a manager was to make them successful. If they were successful, we were going to satisfy clients and going to grow as a territory." Retiree Bill Aitken came to Davey in 1993, returning to Long Island where he grew up and served as the district manager for the Long Island R/C office for 21 years. "The reason I went to Davey is because I felt so much insecurity at the other companies I worked for, that I wanted to work for a company where I felt that if I did my job well I was going to be secure," Aitken said. "That's exactly how it turned out." The highlight of Aitken's career came in 2009, when he spoke during a National Association of Landscape Professionals (previously known as the Professional Landcare Network [PLANET]) event called Renewal and Remembrance, which was a workday at Arlington National and Historic Congressional cemeteries. He gave the dedication and keynote address at Arlington National Cemetery. Davey was heavily involved with the event and was approached to provide a speaker, preferably a veteran. Aitken served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War and Bruce Semeria, then operations manager for northeastern R/C services, nominated him to be the speaker. "It ended up being a thrilling affair and I loved every minute of it," Aitken said. "There were about 500 people there. It was emotional and I'll never forget it. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to do it and represent the company." Hundreds of tree, landscape and lawn care professionals from across the U.S. spent the day mulching, cabling and installing lightning protection for trees, pruning, liming over 200 acres, planting and aerating the soil. The volunteer services and products were valued at more than $200,000. "My speech was about the fact that we were there to dedicate ourselves to Arlington," Aitken said. "The gardens there are beautiful and a symbol of our country, and the green industry wanted to do something they believed in and wanted to help. The volunteers were dedicated to the greater force of freedom for our country." 21 YEARS OF 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. Bill Aitken, his wife Lisa and their granddaughter Lily, 2. In retirement, Aitken has been traveling, plays piano for his enjoyment and loves being a grandfather. He's always had an interest in wine. According to Aitken, Eastern Long Island is one of the best wine regions in the country. He took a job at a winery last year during the harvest season, when the grapes need to be protected from birds and other grape-loving animals. He helped put up nets and watched the harvesting process. He said he was interested in the biological process and learned a lot. RETIREE CORNER

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