Davey Tree Flipbooks

"I came to D.I.T.S. because I wanted to further my career. Education is very important to me. It's one of the reasons why I was drawn to Davey over other tree care companies. My plan is to go back and become a sales arborist. The big thing that I like so far is how much Davey stresses training and education. I really want to go back and teach the guys the techniques and knowledge I've learned to help them work more safely and efficiently," says Nick St. Sauveur, general foreman at Cortese Tree, a Davey company, in Knoxville, Tennessee. "D.I.T.S. is a good way to move up within Davey," says Mark Dew (pictured top right), site manager, Davey Resource Group. "It was an incredible experience. Meeting all the people from the different areas of Davey was great, and I met some people I'll keep in touch with for a long time. I learned a lot. I work with Asian longhorned beetle, and I've treated for emerald ash borer, but as far as all the other insects and tree diseases and being able to diagnoze diseases, I feel I learned a lot." "I wanted to attend D.I.T.S. for a lot of different reasons," says Aaron Dowen, production manager, Detroit South/ West CLS. "One, to gain more technical knowledge. Two, to network with other Davey employees and have that shared experience through D.I.T.S. One thing that stands out from the courses was the collaboration of the instructors, their depth of knowledge and their relatability. They were easy to talk to. A benefit to my career of attending is improved client interaction by having the technical knowledge and the management and customer relations lessons at D.I.T.S." Dowen, pictured at right during the borer field excercise, celebrates three years with Davey in March. "D.I.T.S. provides a fundamental foundation for our common cause," says Jed Day, vice president and general manager of western operations, who graduated from D.I.T.S. in 1983. Day has 34 years of service at Davey and started as a groundman. "Before at- tending D.I.T.S., my only exposure to Davey was that of my local office and teammates. After attending, I gained an entirely new perspective on my career and appreciation for our great company." "The fact that management and the instructors believed enough in me to invest in my education and advancement means a lot," says Tim Cheever, manager of motor carrier safety support. Cheever graduated D.I.T.S. in 1994. "It gave me then, and remains to this day, the confidence and desire to strive for excellence not only in myself, but our department and the organization as a whole – to be the best at what we do every day. Through the program, you build lasting relationships. As I visit offices throughout the country, I am reminded of my experiences 22 years ago because many of the friends I made at D.I.T.S. are still friends as managers and teammates today." March/April 2016 | 19

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