Davey Tree Flipbooks

91 90 Growth Rings its tree, shrub, and lawn care services by 1990. Both Cowan and Funk spoke to the media about the new concept. Funk also authored an article in the December 1988 issue of the Journal of Arboriculture in which he explained that it was plant health care that made trees healthy and not pest control – thereby the need for pesticides can be reduced, as a healthy plant can better withstand pests and diseases on its own. In 1987 Davey tree care appeared on a national stage, as employees pruned and fertilized trees at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. e work, which involved 13 other tree care companies, was done in preparation for a series of celebrations held to mark the 200th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution. Later that year, then President Ronald Reagan would give a speech on the grounds as part of the "We the People" Bicentennial Celebration. Davey donated the work, which was part of a beautification project sponsored by the National Arborist Association, predecessor to the Tree Care Industry Association. Variety Is the Spice of Life – Diverse Assignments in the 1980s In Louisiana, Davey cared for some of the country's most prestigious oak trees: the Seven Sisters Oak, the Tenneco-Pakenham oaks, the Dueling Oak, and Oak Alley Plantation, among others. Perhaps the most famous, the Seven Sisters Oak in Mandeville stood as the National Champion on the American Forests National Register of Big Trees – a program that once enjoyed a lengthy Davey sponsorship – and the Champion Oak of Louisiana as recently as 2017. In 1986, some of these oaks had already been under Davey care for 65 years. Davey also cared for some high-profile properties in St. Louis in 1986, for example the estate of August Busch, who owned both Anheuser Busch and the St. Louis Cardinals. e property included a 32,000-square-foot mansion situated on 22 acres. In 1986, Davey marked 23 years since the start of its relationship with the Utah Power and Light Company, and Davey dedicated 46 employees to Utah Power to maintain its lines throughout Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming. But the Utah Power account wasn't the only long-time Davey client in the mountainous areas of the west- ern U.S. Davey enjoyed lengthy relationships with the Public Service Company of Colorado and the Idaho Power Company too. Like the Utah Power account, these clients fell under the management of Merle Talbot, who relied on men whose Davey careers dated back to the 1950s and 1960s. Gene Riddle was the account manager for Utah Power and started with Davey in 1951, and by 1986 he was less than five years from retirement. Robert A. Poe had start- ed with Davey in 1963 on the Colorado account and had become a supervisor in 1986. Fortunately, he would not retire until 2000 after becoming an area manager for Utility services out West. Clayton Fitch had started on the Idaho Power account in 1954 and would eventually become account manager. ese men developed a bit of a cowboy reputation due to their relative isolation from company offices and other operations. ey were respected for what they were able to accomplish more-or-less on their own. ey cultivated successful relationships that benefitted both Davey and its clients. Other self-driven Davey managers delivered similar results in other parts of the country. In Michigan, where Davey primarily provided transmission right-of-way maintenance for Consumers Power, account manager John Fulk enjoyed what had grown into a 43-year partnership by 1986. Fulk had started with Davey on the same account in 1950 as a groundperson. In West Virginia and Pennsylvania, Bill Bence served as account manager serving clients including Ohio Edison and the Duquesne Light Company. By 1986 Bence was promoted to vice president in Utility services. Chapter 5 Davey cared for some of the most prestigious oak trees on the Gulf Coast during the 1980s, including the historic Seven Sisters Oak. is ad appeared in the August 1987 issue of National Geographic touting Davey's care for the landmark tree. Davey commercial crews work to renovate the lawn at Blossom Music Center in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in 1987.

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