Davey Tree Flipbooks

27 January/February 2024 | THE DAVEY BULLETIN RETIRED DISTRICT MANAGER GIVES BACK AND STAYS ACTIVE Mark Bennett left his job as a forest supervisor for the Department of Recreational Services in 1979 to start working on a tree care crew at Davey. He saw himself having a great future with Davey, as the growing company offered a variety of career and educational opportunities. In 1980, he attended and graduated from the Davey Institute of Tree Sciences (D.I.T.S.). In 1981, Bennett became a sales and service coordinator before making the move to the Richmond office as district manager in 1982, a role he stayed in until he retired in 2019. Bennett was a member of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. Throughout his career, Bennett watched both the company and his office grow. However, he is most proud of watching his fellow Richmond office employees excel at Davey. "I feel good that I've given other people opportunities," Bennett said. "A lot of people come and go, but there are a lot of employees who stayed and are excelling in the company." Bennett earned his own opportunities by mentors and retirees Ken Celmer, who hired him, and the late Clay Cole, who encouraged him. "Clay was a very supportive individual," Bennett said. "I was new and still learning when I went to Richmond, and he helped and got me through the tough times." One of his most memorable career moments included sending crews to help with Hurricane Isabel, a Category 5 Atlantic hurricane in 2003 that hit Richmond, Virginia. 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. "My goal was to make sure the region we were servicing would still be okay in the years following the storm," Bennett said. "Sometimes after a big storm, cities and territories have a hard time getting back to where they were, and I wanted to make sure that didn't happen." In retirement, Bennett continues to give back to his community, recently helping restore a park for kids on the Southside of Richmond with friends and church members. Bennett has spent time flatwater kayaking and biking trails like his favorite, the Great Allegheny Passage, that runs from Cumberland, Maryland to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. When he isn't biking or kayaking, he likes to visit his children and grandchildren, who live near his home in Richmond, Virginia, and take daily walks and spend time outside with his wife. Bennett is an avid swimmer, so much so he took a position as a lifeguard at his local YMCA, where he swims a few times a week. "I had no idea my career would turn out so well when I joined the company," Bennett said. "But I was proud of the group of people I worked with, and I feel like I had a part in making the company successful in the long run." ADVICE FROM MARK BENNETT: 1. Take a breath and enjoy what's going on around you. 2. Learn as much as you can and make a career out of it. 3. Push through the "rough patches" and be patient. 4. For fellow retirees, have a life plan, as well as a financial one. Left: Mark Bennett at his local YMCA in Richmond, Virginia, where he enjoys swimming and is a lifeguard a few days a week. Above: Mark with his bike on the Chickahominy River bridge along the Virginia Capitol bike trail in Williamsburg, Virginia. He bikes anywhere from 30 to 50 miles at a time. RETIREE CORNER

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