10
THE DAVEY BULLETIN
|
January/February 2026
The Bulletin recently visited with Jay Van
Sickle, general foreman, Eastern Utility
services, whose crews handle utility
line clearance work for the Guernsey
Muskingum Electric Cooperative account
in southeast Ohio. There, they help this
rural electric cooperative keep the lights
on for its more than 17,000 members
across nine rural counties through more
than 2,800 miles of underground and overhead lines.
When we caught up with Van Sickle, he was in the middle of
coordinating sending some of his crews out of state on
a storm response to Rhode Island.
The Bulletin: Q. How long have you been with Davey?
Van Sickle: A. "A little over three years as of my service
anniversary on Aug. 30, 2025."
Q. Are you an employee owner?
A. "Yes."
Q. You recently attended some training at the Davey
SEED (Science, Employee Education and Develop-
ment) Campus, correct?
A. "Yes, I attended the Davey Institute of Utility Vegetation
Management (D.I.U.V.M.)."
Q&A WITH RURAL ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE UTILITY FOREMAN
Q. What did you think of the training?
A. "The training was highly beneficial. Utilizing the SEED
campus classrooms and the wires under tension program,
combined with a mix of indoor and outdoor activities,
provided a diverse and engaging educational experience
with strong safety implementations."
Q. What did you think of the SEED Campus?
A. "When I first came to Davey, about two months into
my career, Mark Mittiga asked me – along with a couple of
other employees – to help remove dead trees on an old golf
course, which turned out to be the future SEED campus.
It's been incredible to see how it's evolved since then!"
Q. What's the story of your crews on the Guernsey
Muskingum account?
A. "We built a strong, cohesive team that works with
integrity. The crews became truly in sync – they look out for
each other and hold each other accountable. At the start, we
faced overall challenges. However, with a shift in leadership
and employees, we adopted a fresh mindset that turned it
around. It's been incredibly successful, all thanks to the
crew and the culture we fostered."
LEADERSHIP
The background photo shows a right-of-way maintained by Davey
crews for the Guernsey Muskingum Electric Coop account.
Clark Roth, work planner, sprays vegetation
on the Guernsey Muskingum account.
Jay Van Sickle
general foreman
Eastern Utility
services
