97 96 Growth Rings
New Opportunities Arise As the Pieces Move
e new decade started strong. e expansion of Davey's Residential/Commercial
service line continued, and in 1990 Davey bought properties in Minneapolis,
Houston, and Las Vegas for R/C operations. By the end of the year, Davey operated
68 R/C territories throughout the U.S. and Canada. Of those, 22 offered only tree
care, 20 offered tree and lawn care, and 26 offered tree care, lawn care, and commer-
cial services. is expansion of R/C and full-service operations coincided with a 13
percent increase in revenues for the R/C service line.
e year 1990 also saw significant growth in Utility operations throughout the
country. Davey Utility grew revenues by 9 percent through expansion of existing
contracts with clients and by acquiring a few targeted new accounts. Steady growth
would continue for the next several years as Davey's Utility services expanded both
their sales efforts and overall capabilities.
With revenue in the company's two main service lines up to start the decade, it
seemed a suitable time for a change in company leadership. Jack Joy announced his
retirement in 1990, and Gene Haupt followed suit in 1991. Both men served as
visionary leaders for Davey Tree through the employee-ownership acquisition and
helped guide the company to tremendous success in the 1980s. Haupt recalled in
a 2016 interview that he and Joy had talked at least once a month until Joy died in
2014. "Jack was one of my very best friends," Haupt said.
6
Celebrating Twenty Years
of Employee Ownership
(1990–1999)
Chapter 6
In 1990 Davey Tree worked with the Ohio
Chapter of e Nature Conservancy and the
Ohio Division of Natural Areas and Preserves
division of the Ohio Department of Natural
Resources to establish the Davey Woods, a
103-acre old-growth maple and beech forest
in Champaign County near Urbana, Ohio. It
is one of the largest and best remaining stands
of old-growth forest land in Ohio. Jack Joy is
pictured at the dedication of the preserve.
