Davey Tree Flipbooks

W hat brightens your mood on a bad day? No matter your explanation for feeling stressed, tired or frustrated on any given day, what releases the positive energy capable of shifting your attitude? For Harold Danielson's crewmembers, it's the little acts of kindness that can simply make a big difference. Foreman Troy Smith and Groundman Logan Carper had spent a long morning addressing several utility client concerns as well as clearing power lines for the City of Easley, S.C., account. Just when they were about to take a lunch break, they received an unexpected greeting from a neighbor across the street. Their greeter, the 6-year-old son of Brookview Circle resident Denni Clardy Alexander, appeared with juice boxes and snack bags—and dressed in historical attire. "My son loves history and has many period uniforms," Alexander explains. "On this day he chose a Confederate soldier. The day before, he was a revolutionary soldier." Her son had been watching the crew working from the front window of their home that morning. At 11 a.m., the boy approached his mother and said, "Those men must be real thirsty from working so hard. Can I go give them something to drink?" Although Alexander warned him they might not have a lot available, her son went to the refrigerator anyway and grabbed some juice boxes. He put them in a bag, along with some snack-sized chips bags, and took everything outside to the Davey crew. "It was such a precious sight," Alexander says. "The men were so kind and gracious to him!" One of the crewmembers gave him one dollar, which he later donated to his school to help raise money for a new playground." The boy stayed with the crewmembers while they showed him their truck and tools. They also explained their jobs working for Davey. Smith and Carper welcomed the surprise. "The crew was really appreciative of the refreshment offering," says Danielson, general foreman. "They took pride in the experience, and said the boy was a thoughtful young man." In regards to her son's efforts, Alexander says, "As a mom, I was proud of him for coming up with an act of kindness on his own." A Refreshing Afternoon What a welcome surprise! The son of Easley, S.C., resident Denni Clardy Alexander presents Davey crewmembers Troy Smith and Logan Carper with snacks as they begin their lunch break from a morning of utility work outside his home. 10 | March/April 2014 N ick Lemley was visiting with a client to assess a couple of trees she wanted to have removed when a canine visitor unex- pectedly decided to join them. A Doberman Pinscher that had crouched out of its collar ran over to the property. "We've got company," thought Lemley, sales arborist at Davey's Canton R/C office. Lemley and the client petted the neighbor's dog, but they were unprepared for what came next. The neighbor ran over, her hand bleeding from the bite of a smaller dog, which caused a lot of pain and the escape of her own Dober- man. "She told us she stops to pet this [smaller] dog every day and, for whatever reason, when she walked by it that day, it bit her and her Doberman pulled out of its leash and ran away," Lemley describes. The woman was bitten rather severely—her hand had already begun to swell. Lemley, a former police officer, knew how to respond immediately. "I grabbed my first aid kit from the truck and got her cleaned up, put- ting some fresh bandages on her and wrapping her hand to stop the bleeding," he describes. He helped the neighbor into the client's car, assuring his client was calm enough to drive to the hospital. "I offered to drive her friend—I wanted to be sure they'd be safe," Lemley says. Though the incident was surprising, the response went smoothly, Lemley says. "I've had a lot of first aid training, and I've been in a few serious injury situations," he explains. "A dog bite was no different than getting a paper cut to me. I knew what to do, and I just did it." In fact, the neighbor was bitten so hard her hand broke, requiring a plate and pins. The injury is still healing. Lemley's client wrote a letter to Davey thanking Lemley for his service. "We were very grateful that Nick was there to help us," she wrote. "His calm demeanor and quick thinking helped both of us remain calm." First Responder Sales Arborist Nick Lemley

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