Davey Tree Flipbooks

9 March/April 2026 | THE DAVEY BULLETIN A Rising Star board in the Cleveland West CLS (right) and Cleveland North CLS (below) territories shows the trainings, certifications and programs each employee has completed during their time at Davey. LEADERSHIP FRIENDLY COMPETITION BRINGS OUT BEST OF CLEVELAND CLS When Micheal March joined Davey in 2016, he became very familiar with the Rising Star board, a chart posted publicly on his office wall that tracks each employee's certifications, completed training and attended programs. The board motivated him and his teammates to better themselves with the company and in the industry, all while working to be the employee with the most marks next to their name. "I knew I wanted to have more boxes checked than my coworkers, and I found myself pushing others to get boxes checked as well," March, account manager, Cleveland West territory, Commercial Landscape Services (CLS), said. "Now, I use the board to explain to new team members what they are going through in their onboarding process. It's a nice way to show them what they will need to accomplish to be ready to apply to attend trainings like the Davey Institute of Grounds Management (D.I.G.M.) and Davey Institute of Tree Sciences (D.I.T.S.)." Mark Svozil, vice president and general manager, CLS, formalized the boards in 2001 when he was a branch manager. Now, a Rising Star board is posted in each CLS territory across the U.S. All employees in an office are listed on their team's board, and for each certification, training or program an employee completes, such as getting their commercial driver's license, attending D.I.T.S. or earning their pesticide license, they earn a mark corresponding to the category they completed next to their name. Adding marks can also positively impact an employee's compensation. "It shows your credibility, and it shows what you've done to better yourself," Matthew French, branch manager, Cleveland West CLS, said. When he started with the company in 2016, he said he valued the friendly competition the board brought. "Davey will invest in you, and you also need to invest in yourself." Bradan Claughton started at Davey in 2012, and he used the Rising Star board as a tool to see what learning options he could complete to better himself and grow with Davey while also pushing himself and his coworkers to have the most boxes checked. Thirteen years later, he still strives to complete more training and programs. "Now, whenever the board is dis- cussed or whenever I pass it, I still revisit the categories on there and point to the places where I can still improve upon and advance," Claughton, production manager, Cleveland North CLS, said. "It's an important part of our team because it celebrates employee's accomplishments and shows where people are striving and where they can improve." Jack Creter, branch manager, Cleveland North CLS, said the boards are a fantastic way to encourage employees to continue to grow with the company. In his 26 years with Davey, he has seen this energy lived out with the help from the Rising Star board. "The board certainly motivates employees, and the more we can reference it and engage people with it, the better we will grow as a team," Creter said. "It's great to look back from when I started until now, as my section of the board is nearly full, and physically see my growth at Davey, and it's awesome for other employees to display their accomplishments, too." Bradan Claughton project manager; (from left) Lucas Heckman, crew leader; Steve Hovan, account manager; Anthony Ventura, crew leader; and Justin Cain, landscape technician, from Cleveland North CLS stand next to the Rising Star board posted on a wall in their office.

• Cover