Davey Tree Flipbooks

147 146 Growth Rings vice president of operations support services, a position which involves management of all company field equipment, shop facilities, and purchasing functions. Next to labor and related costs, equipment assets represented the second largest expense item in Davey's financial reports. In 2013, income and revenues were on a bit of a rollercoaster ride for utility and residential operations as the year progressed. Residential offices struggled with cold, wet weather early in the year and worked diligently to overcome the first quarter's slow sales. Utility operations revenue had increased, though income from operations had fallen dramatically (by 20.1 percent) in 2013 – utility revenues were abnormally high in 2012 due to Superstorm Sandy. Meanwhile, utility operations in the West also saw revenue drop, but this decrease was related to changes in market conditions and the regulatory environment, both of which made risk management a top priority for western operations. Still, the company consistently progressed towards the strategic plan goal of $1 billion in annual revenue by 2020. "We laid the groundwork with our strategic plan over the past two years and remain focused on implementing the plan while profit- ably growing all of our business segments," the 2013 annual report states. "Both our Residential/Commercial and Utility business segments have strong management and service teams that are dedicated to providing an exceptional customer experience." A new addition to the ranks came in 2013 as part of an effort to generate more sales nationwide. Davey hired Don Winsett, previously president of a Florida-based grounds maintenance company, as vice president of Davey's newly established Chapter 9 Davey's board of directors in 2011 during a tour of company operations in the Chicago area from left are: Douglas K. Hall, retired president and CEO, MDA Federal, Inc.; William J. Ginn, chief conservation officer, e Nature Conservancy; Karl Warnke, chairman, president and CEO; John E. Warfel, retired president, Westfield Finacial Corp.; Doug Cowan, past chairman; Sandra Harbrecht, president and CEO, Paul Werth Associates; and J. Dawson Cunningham, retired CFO, Roadway Corporation. ose who earned a John Davey Award in 2013, from left, are Jim Stief, Steve Marshall, Rod Soderstrom and Dave Adante. ey received their awards during the national managers' meeting. Attendees of the 2013 National Managers' Meeting. Karl Warnke presents the Davey Strategic Plan to attendees of the national managers' meeting during the morning general session on Feb. 5, 2013. "is is the most significant tool we could have, thanks to the widespread support and participation from our employees," he told the crowd. National Business Development. e National Business Development Team (NBDT) worked collaboratively to sell jobs and win contracts that provided opportunities for Davey's different service lines to work together to serve a single client. One example of the success of NBDT has been with Davey client Woodlawn Cemetery, a historic memorial park in the Bronx where all of Davey's service lines have helped Woodlawn care for its pristine grounds. As 2013 came to a close, the company saw the retirement of three important figures within the management ranks. George Gaumer retired as vice president and general manager of Commercial Landscape Services following a 35-year career at Davey. He served in several capacities including in advertising and Residential/Commercial services during his tenure. Gaumer also served as the lead executive during the early stages of the development of the CLS service line, transforming the bidding, market- ing and sales, and monitoring processes. Rod Soderstrom, vice president and general manager of the Davey Tree Expert Co. of Canada, Limited, committed 44 years of service to the tree care industry. Soderstrom, owner of High Tree, which was acquired by Davey in 1986, established a strong presence for Davey in the western provinces of Canada primarily in utility services. Dave Adante, executive vice president, chief financial officer and secretary, retired after 33 years, most of which were spent as the company's CFO. He had a profound impact on Davey Tree's finance and accounting segment during his tenure. Adante played an integral role in navigating through several far-reaching legal challenges, the software conversion to SAP, and the integration of major accounting changes with the adoption of Sarbanes-Oxley Act. When Adante earned the CFO "Lifetime Achievement Award" from Crain's Cleveland Business magazine, he credited his fellow employees with the honor. "e fact is there are thousands of people at Davey who are responsible for the achievement that I am being honored for," Adante said.

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