Davey Tree Flipbooks

Right around that time, in 1979, Heim became one of the first employee-owners when employees successfully bought the company from the Davey family. "Buying the company was the biggest thing we ever did, truly," Heim says. His advice to current Davey employees? "It's your company. Treat it like it's your company. And do it right, or don't do it at all," says Heim, invoking John Davey's motto. In his retirement, Bill Heim still works hard maintaining his lawn and landscape in Stow, Ohio. He is still in touch with his "big family at Davey" and even has a son, Akron R/C District Manager Scott Heim, working there now. "Be honest," Heim says. "Treat people like you want to be treated. And work for a living. Because hard work never hurt anybody. If you put your mind to it, you can make something out of yourself." RETIREE CORNER Fireworks exploded on Bill Heim's first day with Davey back in 1943–granted it was the Fourth of July. That fateful day, 16-year-old Heim started picking up brush in Pittsburgh. He didn't know it then, but he would go on to spend the next 46 years growing a career at Davey Tree. "Back then, you had the Christmas holiday off, but no other holidays," Heim says, laughing. Admittedly, Heim couldn't wait to start work. His father had lost everything in the Depression and died when Heim was young. "My mother raised us four kids on nothing," Heim says. The whole family had to pitch in financially. Dick Helm, a Davey man, heard that Heim's mother was doing washing and ironing to support and raise the family. Wanting to help, he offered Heim a job. "Even though I started at 60 cents an hour, it was a good job," Heim says. It was indeed a good job with good people, who helped one another whenever they could. Like the time his boss, Helm, lent Heim a brand new 1947 Chevy so he had a ride to his prom. Heim and his date were thrilled to cruise to the prom in a sleek new ride. That same boss also helped Heim climb the Davey ladder. "Finally, they started training me to trim trees," Heim says. "I wasn't the best when I first started, but I got the hang of it." Once he got started, Heim never stopped. "I worked all the phases in the field. I worked up through the ranks, climber, foreman, general foreman and supervisor. Then I was transferred to the Kent office." In Kent, Heim remembers how he started each day. The women in the mail room had a tiny, ceramic lion on their desk, and each time Heim passed it he'd growl. They used to say to him, "Mr. Heim, you're crazy!" Heim was crazy for Davey. "I lived Davey Tree. I ate Davey Tree," he says. "I was Davey green from the inside out!" With his passion and solid work ethic, Heim worked his way up to vice president and general manager of utility services. AN ORIGINAL EMPLOYEE OWNER "I worked all the phases in the field. I worked up through the ranks, climber, foreman, general foreman and supervisor. Then I was transferred to the Kent office." – Bill Heim March/April 2016 | 39

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