Davey Tree Flipbooks

26 THE DAVEY BULLETIN | July/August 2023 front GALLAGHER ENJOYS TRAVEL AND SPOTTING DAVEY TRUCKS Retiree Mike Gallagher left home in Ireland as a young man and traveled to Australia, Africa, and Canada, working as a mechanic along the way. Once in Canada, he started in northern Manitoba, but ended up in Edmonton, Alberta, where he met his wife, Ellanore, where they still live today. During the early 1980s recession when unemployment rates were high, Gallagher joined High Tree Services Ltd. by standing in for six weeks for an apprentice who had left to finish school, then ended up staying on after the six weeks ended. He began his Davey career following the company's acquisition of High Tree Services Ltd. in 1986. Gallagher retired from the Edmonton Shop as shop foreman in 2016. "When I first started, the shop was a small operation with me and a few other employees maintaining and rebuilding equipment as needed," Gallagher said. By the time he retired, the shop had grown in employee numbers and was continuously improving their equipment and staying up to date with technological advancements. "I hired a few young people that were knowledgeable and willing to learn, and I kept up with technology until I left," Gallagher said. "It was a struggle trying to keep up with it, but to me, keeping up with that was quite an achievement." Gallagher is also happy he became an employee owner at the recommendation of one of his mentors, Rod Soder- strom, who retired as vice president and general manager of Davey Tree Expert Co. of Canada, Limited, in 2014 after 45 years of service. Soderstrom founded High Tree in 1969. "Rod told me he was personally invested in the stock program, so I bought in and had no regrets," Gallagher said. Retirees! Have stories to share about retirement or your life at Davey? To be featured, or to nominate a fellow retiree, call 800-447-1667 ext. 8615 or email bulletin@davey.com. "I always recommend it to other employees and made sure they knew it wasn't to get rich quickly, but if you put in a little bit every week or every month, and just forget about it, it becomes a long-term benefit." These days, the Gallaghers enjoy traveling around the U.S. and Mexico. Mike enjoys gardening and golfing. In the winter, he and Ellanore stay in their second home near Coachella Valley in Indio, California, where their three chil- dren and three grandchildren go to visit them. Gallagher still likes to visit the shop and gets excited to see the Davey trucks around Edmonton and the U.S. "It was a good place to work with a good atmosphere and there were good people running things. No matter what hap- pened, you were never alone. If you needed help, you could give someone a call and they would help you out in any way they could," Gallagher said. ADVICE FROM MIKE GALLAGHER: 1. Buy stock! You won't get rich quickly, but it's a great benefit to have when you retire. 2. Invest and pay into your retirement plan. 3. If you have children pursuing post-high school education, take advantage of The Davey Tree Family Scholarship. My daughters Christy and Shawna both received scholarships through that program. 4. Work hard to stay up to date with new technology and information. Left: Mike Gallagher enjoys working in his vegetable garden. Above: Mike Gallagher with his wife, Ellanore. RETIREE CORNER

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