September/October 2016 | The Davey Bulletin 13
STOLEN SKID STEER RECOVERED
Four new members have been appoint-
ed to the Davey President's Council.
The new members are Jason Evans,
East Bay Residential/Commercial
district manager; Greg Myers, vice
PRESIDENT'S COUNCIL GREETS 4 NEW MEMBERS
After a long day of plowing following a snowstorm in Minnesota this
past January, John Oehlenschlager, assistant district manager of S&S
Tree, a Davey company, made a devastating discovery.
One of their skid steers – worth $70,000 – had been stolen. The theives
likely staked out the skid for some time and used the manufactor's
one-key-fits-all to drive it away.
After reporting the theft to the police, Justin Neilson, S&S landscape
supervisor, was determined to bring back the stolen skid steer.
"Justin feels like we're his family here at S&S," Oehlenschlager said.
"He felt those thieves took something from the family. Plus, he knew
how important and valuable it was to us."
Neilson posted a message on his Facebook page asking for help finding
the machine. A lead developed after friends shared his Facebook post
multiple times. Unfortunately, it didn't pan out. Undeterred, Neilson
reported the theft to additional local police departments across the region.
Within a week, Neilson got a call from the Washington County police at
2 a.m. They found the stolen skid steer.
"Without the diligent efforts of Justin, and the power of social media,
we may never have found it and arrested the thieves," Oehlenschlager said.
Members of the Davey President's Council pictured from left, front row: Ray Betz, Michael
McCollum, Max Walter, Mark Calko, Natascha Batchelor and James Hartzell. Back row, from
left, are: Scott Carlin, Jason Evans, Kevin Dykstra, John Tokarczyk, Greg Myers and Ken Clear.
president, Commercial Landscape
Services; John Tokarczyk, area
manager, Utility services; and Max
Walter, business development and
client services manager, R/C. The
new members of the council, who
will each serve a three-year term, join
the current members in serving on
various committees, which brainstorm
and research new ideas related to the
company's operations and present
them to the council for review. The
council then passes many such ideas
on to Davey management for further
development or implementation.
The president's council meets twice
a year. Existing members are Natascha
Batchelor, Cape Cod R/C district
manager; Ray Betz, Charlotte R/C
district manager; Mark Calko,
operations manager, Utility services;
Scott Carlin, vice president, asset
management services, Davey Resource
Group; Ken Clear, vice president,
R/C; Kevin Dykstra, area manager,
Utility services; James Hartzell, area
manager, Utility services; and Michael
McCollum, regional vice president,
Utility services.
Justin Neilson, landscape supervisor at S&S Tree,
a Davey company, proudly poses with the stolen
skid steer he helped recover.
