Davey Tree Flipbooks

25 July/August 2025 | THE DAVEY BULLETIN RETIREMENTS EVANS AND JOY RETIRE, RECEIVE HIGHEST DAVEY AWARD With a combined 94 years of service, Larry Evans and Dan Joy each have received the prestigious John Davey Award of Excellence. Larry Evans retired June 6, 2025, after 45 years at Davey. He was executive vice presi- dent and general manager of Davey Tree Surgery Company and started his career at Davey in 1980 as a groundsperson. He moved through the ranks of climber, foreman, district foreman and area supervisor in his first 10 years. In 1997, he was promoted to account manager and served in various executive leadership roles before being promoted to executive vice president and general manager in 2021. Earlier this year, the Larry Evans Arborist & Fitness (LEAF) Campus opened in Livermore, California, serving as a train- ing facility for Davey employees. "When I think of what it means to be a leader here at Davey, one of the first people that I think of is Larry Evans," said Pat Covey, Davey Chairman, President and CEO. "At every level of his career, Larry has been the gritty, smart, compet- itive force that wills his team to success. Larry is firm, but fair, and gained the trust and loyalty of his people through his hard work, unselfish team approach and unrelenting commitment to supporting our people, culmi- nating at the end of his career in his initiative to develop an arborist training facility in Liver- more. The appropriately named Larry Evans Arborist Fitness (LEAF) Campus exemplifies his 45-year commitment to the safety, preparedness and professionalism of our employee owners. Larry's common sensical, light-hearted, never quit approach will be greatly missed, but one of his greatest Davey legacies will be the team of professionals that he built within the Surgery Com- pany, that will continue to lead with the spirit and tenacity that Larry instilled in them. We wish Larry all the best in his well-deserved retirement." Following 49 years of service, Dan Joy retired April 13, 2025, as executive vice president and assistant to the president. Joy joined Davey in 1976 as a groundperson for Cleveland Electric. After graduating from the Davey Institute of Tree Sciences (D.I.T.S.), he served in various roles in R/C services before being promoted to commercial operations man- ager in 2000, and later to vice president of Commercial Landscape Services. Joy became CLS vice president and general manager in 2013. The follow- ing year, he was promoted to executive management, and in 2021, he was named executive vice president and assistant to the president. Joy also oversaw the construction of the SEED Campus, the almost 200-acre research and training facility "Few, if any, of the people that have worked at Davey in its 145-year history, will be able to look back on their careers and be able to see the tangible impact on future generations of Davey employees like Dan will be able to do because of his oversight of the SEED Campus construction," Covey said. "Throughout his career, Dan has been the Swiss Army Knife ™ of Davey. You could literally plug him in anywhere in the organization, and he would be successful. Whether during his time in R/C or CLS operations, leading the safety and purchasing teams, involvement on the strategic leadership team, or overseeing the SEED campus construction, Dan's leadership, creativity, emotional intelligence and street smarts have contributed immensely to the success of our company. We'll be seeing the ripple effects of Dan's work for years to come, thanks to the training and research opportunities he's helped to bring fruition at SEED. A talent like Dan is not replaceable, and we will miss him greatly, but we wish him well as he trades construction timetables for nautical charts and sails into his retirement." The John Davey Award The John Davey Award is presented to Davey employees who exhibit the qualities most revered by our founder and who, through their performance and example, have earned the respect and admiration of their fellow employees. The award is granted to the uncommon few who consistently "Do It Right or Not at All." John Davey Award winners demonstrate a variety of attributes, including honest character, inspiring leadership, a caring spirit, a commitment to service, a strong work ethic and passionate loyalty. Larry Evans retired in June after 45 years of service. Dan Joy retired in April after 49 years of service.

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