Davey Tree Flipbooks

129 128 Growth Rings were. But that's how you find out. I saw a different skillset that operations were in need of. First and foremost, he had an engaging personality and greater potential to utilize these interpersonal skills. e company needed these qualities at the highest level someday as he further developed them. And his dedication, you could see early on he was dedicated to the Davey culture. And he engaged himself. He bought stock. All those little things you look for." A decade after its establishment, the Davey Resource Group had started to branch out. Its service offerings now included asset management, planning and auditing services to utility clients and wetlands management services. is was exemplified by the resource group's acquisition of an asset management firm in Georgia that provided field inventory and GIS mapping services to utility clients. is move was in part created by market conditions that saw utility companies outsourcing more of their auditor and pre-planning work. "My background had been in utility services in part, we had a strong presence and reputation in that market- place, and opportunities came up for the resource group to move more towards the utility space," Covey recalled in a 2018 interview. "It was a combination of all those things." e resource group had experienced success in the utility asset management market alongside growth in the contract forestry services. e resource group made several acquisitions from 2005 through 2008 that expanded its service capability in utility and ecological services. Under Covey's initial leadership in 2005, the resource group set and accomplished ambitious revenue goals. en, five years later, a strong leader from within DRG, Brent Repenning, was named vice president and general manager of the resource group. Repenning further escalated DRG's capabilities and growth rate in all services offered. In 2005, the resource group recorded less than $33 million in total revenue. By 2015, that number would surpass $100 million. Another big move around this time came when the company officially created the Commercial Landscape Services line, or CLS, which was the result of formally sepa- rating commercial grounds care operations from the R/C service line to establish an autonomous business unit. is new service line consisted of grounds maintenance, landscape installation, and golf and sports turf. George Gaumer was appointed vice president and general manager of CLS. Dan Joy, whose time in the Columbus R/C office involved numerous large commercial properties and led to shattered sales records, was named vice president of CLS. Creating the service line completed work that started in 1995 when Davey launched commercial services. In announcing CLS, Warnke said the change aligned with company strategy to stimulate greater market focus, and it proved more descriptive of the services Davey provided. "George [Gaumer] and his team demonstrated the necessary commitment and ability to tackle the difficult issues and earned the opportunity to take this service line to the next level," Warnke said in March 2005. Davey now operated within four distinct service lines: Utility services, R/C services, Davey Resource Group, and CLS. is distinction showed the evolution of Davey's service lines dating back to 1977, when the company's three service lines consisted of Tree Care, Utility and Lawnscape services. e service lines evolved through the consolidation of Lawnscape services into the Residential/Commercial offices in 1984 and the introduction of Davey Resource Group and Commercial services in 1995. While CLS embarked on a new course as an independent service line, R/C main- tained its steady course. New residential offices opened in West Chicago and West Denver in 2006. e new Chicago office represented Davey's fourth in the greater Chicago area and was led by Steve Matravers, a manager with 14 years of Davey service. In Denver, it represented the area's second Davey office and was led by Andy Ferguson, a manager who started in the original Denver office with nearly a decade of Davey service. Residential services also enjoyed a bright spotlight, as the cable television network HGTV showcased residential pruning work performed by the Baltimore office on its show Curb Appeal, and the North Virginia office worked at George Washington's historic Mount Vernon estate. Market demand for R/C and CLS services remained consistent due to a stable U.S. economy and focused sales and marketing strategies. Utility services revenue Chapter 8 Blaire Sayers, left, and Rick Ramsey shake hands during Sayers' retirement party in 2011. e two men started working together, overseeing Canadian operations, in the early 2000s. Howard Bowles, center, shares a discussion with George Gaumer, Kathy Doody and Jim Houston during a management planning meeting in 2011. Steve Marshall, center, shares a laugh at a management planning meeting in 2011 with Fred Johnson, left, and Joe Paul. Marshall was named an executive vice president of operations in 2007. Dan Joy, left, and George Gaumer. e two started working together to oversee the newly created Commercial Landscape Services line in 2005. A Davey crew works in Vermont in 2007.

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