Davey Tree Flipbooks

September/October 2014 | 13 Above: Production Manager Sean Zieche's home welcomes all Illinois Tree Climbing Championship participants to practice and learn all safety rules and regulations. Left: Davey's trophy signifies the honor of winning first place in the Corporate Cup. coordinator; and Brandon Grunnet, West Chicago trimmer, earned more points combined than any other company in this portion. Eduardo Medina, recruiter/trainer, was an overall volunteer; Mike Priller, consulting utility forester for the Exelon Utility account, served as a judge for the belayed speed climbing event; and Victor Torres, foreman at the Northeast Chicago office, judged the work climb portion. Davey also sponsored the secured footlock event, and The Care of Trees sponsored the work climb event of the championship. Preparing the Champions. Approximately one month prior to the actual championship, Zieche invited all participating climbers to his home for a practice run. "I climb there for practice on my own," he says. "It was a learning and training experience for everyone. There are a lot of rules, but it all comes down to safety. That's the main goal of the training and main event." To wrap up the practice competition, Medina and Bryan Westphal, crane operator for Special Services NC, served all participants a barbequed lunch. D avey boasts employees who go above and beyond, excel at day-to-day tasks and are champions inside and outside of the company. This proved to be true at the Illinois Tree Climbing Championship this past spring, where 16 employees volunteered and competed. Every year, industry professionals compete in a series of scored events at the Illinois Tree Climbing Championship, which was held at Independence Grove Forest Preserve in Libertyville, Illinois, this year. "This day is a great experience to meet others in the profession and see their techniques," explains Sean Zieche, production manager at the The Care of Trees Glen Ellyn office. The competition is complete with five different, individually scored events in which each competitor is required to participate. This year, Davey won first place in the Corporate Cup portion of the competition. Three Davey competitors, including: Mike Stilin, West Chicago production manager; Jason Austin, North Chicago production Congratulations to the following Davey and The Care of Trees employees who proved to be climbing champions by participating in this year's championship: Jason Austin, North Chicago production coordinator Craig Baltes, West Chicago foreman Brandon Dobnick, Glen Ellyn trimmer Baltazar Gomez, West Chicago foreman Brandon Grunnet, West Chicago trimmer Mike Hagl, South Chicago foreman James Jane, Glen Ellyn foreman Kevin Krahmer, South Chicago foreman Andrew Misch, SE Chicago PHC technician trainee Max Mokijewski, Glen Ellyn foreman Mike Stilin, West Chicago production manager Sean Zieche, Glen Ellyn production manager Ryan Zieche, Glen Ellyn trimmer James Zihlke, South Chicago trimmer Climbing Champions Descend Upon the Windy City

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