17
March/April 2022
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THE DAVEY BULLETIN
OAKS AT HIGH SCHOOL PROVIDE UNIQUE TRAINING OPPORTUNITY
Connor Clark, sales arborist, East Columbus office, often
drives by his alma mater, Thomas Worthington High School
in Worthington, Ohio. Not surprisingly, he noticed some
large oaks in need of pruning.
Clark submitted a bid with the school, and invited fellow
alumni of the high school, Matthew Salvator, skills trainer,
Davey Institute, to walk the property with him. Together, they
developed a plan that would not only help the trees but help
train Davey employees as well. "We came up with a game
plan, and the school approved. It's not very often where you
get to bid a job specifically for training," Clark said.
Three crews with a total of nine climbers pruned 13 oak
trees over three days in January. Using the school's oaks,
Salvator led training covering climbing, ground rigging
operations, operating a loader, and aerial rescue.
The aerial rescue training was the most beneficial part of
the production, Salvator said. "For climbers, when you
have people on the ground, you expect them to be able
to rescue you and know the process. When we get these
opportunities to have formal training, it's that much better,
and creates a real morale booster for employees. It makes
them feel invested in the company," Salvator said.
Employees from the Columbus East office work in a large oak at Thomas
Worthington High School. The client, Worthington City School District,
ordered more tree care after seeing the results at the high school.
Connor Clark appears on the far left, and Matthew Salvator is on the
far right. Employees (not all pictured) who worked at the school included
Brian Clary, climber, Keith Culbertson, S&S technician, Erik Foster,
climber, Alec Fries, foreman, James Kasper, climber, Sam Kukor,
PHC technician, Moices Ortuno, climber, Philip Root, climber, and
Addison Stalling, trimmer.
To hear Connor share his
story on Davey's Talking
Trees podcast, listen to the
"Arborists' Most Unique Stories
Over the Years" episode at
TalkingTreesWithDaveyTree.
Buzzsprout.com.
Scan this QR code
to hear a Davey
Talking Trees
Podcast that talks
about this unique
training event.
