Davey Tree Flipbooks

27 July/August 2026 | THE DAVEY BULLETIN FAVORITE PASTIMES KEEP RETIREMENT FUN FOR RICK EDSON At his retirement party, Rick Edson made a few pronounce- ments about what he planned to do with his newfound free time. His list of hopeful pastimes included traveling more with his wife, learning to cook, spending more time with loved ones and getting to watch an MLB game in every baseball stadium in the country. Since retiring, Edson and his wife, Carol, have gone on Eu- ropean river cruises on the Rhine and Danube rivers, where they've gotten to travel to countries including Switzerland, Germany and France. For their 50th wedding anniversary, they took a train across Canada from Vancouver to Toronto. Edson has also been able to spend more time cooking, as he volunteers weekly in the kitchen of a local nonprofi t that provides meals for patients in long-term treatment and their caregivers. At home, he has also been enjoying cooking thanks to the help of subscription meal boxes. "I've gotten more confi dent in cooking in retirement, and using these boxes has introduced me to a lot of new foods," Edson said. "I've learned to braise things, cook chicken so it's not too dry and cook many other fun things in the kitch- en. On days where I don't have a box, I have now been able to recreate meals I've made before." Edson retired in 2017 after 38 years of service. He started with Davey as a staffer in the payroll and billing department at the Davey Tree Surgery Company's Livermore offi ce in 1979. In 1982, he was promoted to offi ce manager and was then elected secretary-treasurer of the Surgery Company in 1986. He assumed the position of business manager, Livermore offi ce, Surgery Company, in 1993, and stayed there until retirement. While the pandemic did put a wrench in his nation-wide baseball watching plans, Edson has kept up with his life-long favorite team, the San Francisco Giants, with season tickets. "I've been a baseball fan forever," Edson said. "My dad was a huge baseball fan, and it was great to share that love with him. I grew up watching a bunch of hall of fame players with the Giants, like Willie Mays." Between all his adventures, Edson keeps his family his biggest priority. He and Carol visit their daughter, Rosie, son-in-law and two granddaughters who live across the bay from them often. They travel to see Shauna, their daughter who is a lead science educator at the National Air and Space Museums, twice a year. "I just love being a grandfather," Edson said. "We get to our granddaughters almost every week, and it has just been fantastic to be really close." ADVICE FROM RICK EDSON: 1. Have confi dence in yourself and in Davey. More than ever, Davey has proved to be a strong company, especially with the strong leadership of CEO Pat Covey and his team. 2. Become an employee owner. Davey is a magical company – it's growth and success have been extremely impressive. It's good to be a part of that. 3. Do your homework and try to understand everything you can. It's also important to know things that are outside your own department. That well-rounded knowledge helps your career, and it helps the company. Rick Edson and his wife, Carol, sit with their 3-year-old and 1-year-old granddaughters. Rick volunteers weekly at Culinary Angels, a California-based nonprofi t that provides meals for patients and their caregivers. RETIREE CORNER

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