Davey Tree Flipbooks

28 THE DAVEY BULLETIN | September/October 2020 AN ORIGINAL EMPLOYEE-OWNER 1. The old people always say, "Time passes quickly," and it's true. Enjoy the ride. 2. As Warren Buffet once said, don't regret the decision you made that didn't work, but rather the chances you didn't take that did work out. 3. Take advantage of opportunities at Davey: Maximize your 401(k) contribution, consult with Davey's treasury department about ways to invest in Davey from the moment you are able to participate, and become an employee owner. 4. Live frugally. Budget seriously. Save and invest purposefully. 5. Regardless of your stage in life, find a good financial advisor and make sure you have a will. It was the 1970s, and George Gaumer knew he didn't want to be hauling brush, pruning trees and landscaping his entire life. Growing up in a family that deeply believed in tree and landscape care – his father, who owned a landscape and tree care business in Warren, Ohio, was named an honorary life member of the Ohio Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) – Gaumer knew trees would always be his roots. And as it turns out, they'd continue to be his future. Gaumer graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in marketing and consumer behavior and went to work at a tree care company in Columbus, Ohio. After three years in the field he took a job in 1977 as assistant advertising manager at Davey's corporate office. Two years later, he was named sales coordinator for residential tree care services and soon was a regional manager over the Southeastern U.S. In 1979, Gaumer was among 114 Davey employees who took part in the first employee stock subscription to help make the employee acquisition possible. During the early 1980s, Davey began offering limited landscape management services, and Gaumer started looking ahead toward what a separate landscape division could be, attending professional seminars and soaking up business ideas he could apply to Davey. The Commercial Landscape Service (CLS) division was established in 1996, but Gaumer spent years prior committed to developing Davey's presence in the landscape management market. With a team of skilled managers, Gaumer played an instrumental role in developing the division, establishing new clients, setting up new operating systems, and building training programs. Looking back, he considers that process and its outcome to be his greatest success. "From the very early days, we made plenty of mistakes, learned how to run the business right, and faced the challenges head on. We remained fully committed to the task we were assigned and fought to develop a viable division of which I will always be immensely proud," he said. "Organizations must change over time in order to grow and prosper. Not everyone embraces change, but when you are given the task of making changes and reorganizing, you must stay true to the mission. Good people will adapt and rise to the occasion. Just remember, when you get outside your comfort zone, you have the opportunity to learn so much more." Gaumer retired in 2013 as vice president and general manager, CLS. During his career he received the Gold Medal Award from the Professional Grounds Maintenance Society, the Trailblazer Award from the Professional Landcare Network, and was an honoree in Landscape Management magazine's People of the Year grounds care category in 1998. Gaumer and his wife of 45 years, J.T., live near Park City, Utah. Their retirement took more than a decade of planning, taking vacations out West to find property and ensuring a solid savings. In retirement, he enjoys hiking, snowmobiling and off-roading, along with golfing and skeet shooting. He is a guest lecturer at Brigham Young University and recently completed a term on the ISA Utah Chapter Board of Directors. GAUMER'S ADVICE FOR RETIREMENT PREPARATIONS: Retirees! Have stories to share about retirement or your life at Davey? To be featured, call 800-447-1667 ext. 8615 or email bulletin@davey.com. George Gaumer RETIREE CORNER

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