Davey Tree Flipbooks

14 THE DAVEY BULLETIN | November/December 2024 LEADERSHIP The first time James Doyle, executive vice president and general manager, Davey Tree Expert Co. of Canada, Limited, learned about Davey's employee-ownership program, was in Kent, Ohio in 1991 during his Davey Institute of Tree Sciences (D.I.T.S) training. There, the late Doug Cowan, retired CEO, David Adante, retired chief financial officer, and Dr. Roger Funk, retired vice president and chief technical officer, shared the benefits of buying stock. When returning home to Canada after D.I.T.S., the first thing Doyle did was to become an employee-owner by purchasing stock through the Employee Stock Purchase Plan. "That was more than 30 years ago," Doyle said. "I have not stopped buying stock since." Doyle says he didn't expect to make a career with Davey when he first started in 1989, but that he quickly realized that he liked the environment, pace of work, and the people at Davey. It's part of the reason why he felt so inclined to further invest in the company. Doyle also credits Karl Warnke, retired CEO, for sharing the benefits of employee-ownership at Davey with him. "Karl was the one who told me, there are many places to invest your money, but why not invest in the place you love to work?" Doyle said. "I continue to follow in his footsteps in that regard." He added that Davey is a great place to work with a friendly environment. "You could work anywhere in this company, whether it's in Canada or the U.S., and still know that we're all one big family and be treated that way," Doyle said. With Davey being employee-owned, Doyle feels the employees act more like they're a part of a team because it isn't just about their own personal "monetary reward." Because of this, Doyle encourages his fellow Davey employees to invest. "When I was a district manager, I would gather my employees together and we would talk about the long-term benefits and opportunities that Davey provides to them," Doyle said. "I wanted them to realize that there was a lot they could achieve with the company." Doyle added, in addition to the camaraderie you feel and family you gain, employee-ownership is by far the biggest benefit that comes with working for Davey. "I've never had a bad day in my career because employee-ownership allows us to do so much more for ourselves and each other." James Doyle executive vice president and general manager Davey Tree Expert Co. of Canada, Limited Doyle started his career at Davey in 1989 as a climber at the Toronto Residential office, Davey Canada, and was promoted to foreman, then assistant district manager over the first five years of his career. In 1999, he became the district manager of the newly formed Toronto East Residential office, later becoming operations manager in 2002. In 2010, he was promoted to his current title of executive vice president and general manager. Doyle is a 1991 graduate from the Davey Institute of Tree Sciences (D.I.T.S.), is a past member of the President's Council, and holds an associate's degree in forestry from Sault College in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. DAVEY CANADA EMBRACES EMPLOYEE-OWNERSHIP

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