utility arborist newslineby chris kelly, ceo, clearion a quick search on any online job board for...

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Utility Arborist Newsline WWW.GOTOUAA.ORG | THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE UTILITY ARBORIST ASSOCIATION SEPT/OCT 2018 VOLUME 9 NUMBER 5 INSIDE UAA Officers List ......................4 Exec. Director Comments ......4 President’s Message ..............6 Professional Development Committee Update ............7 Industry News ..........................8 UAA Profile ..............................12 Southwest Utility Meeting ....15 Regional Reports ....................36 FOCUS ON TRAINING AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT Getting the UVM Job: Brush up on These Skills ............1 Learn to Grow ........................16 To the Next Generation of UVM Leaders ..................19 Apps in the Age of Specialization ..................22 Musings of a Recovering Utility Forester..................24 An Overview of Utility Arboriculture ....................27 MAST PHOTO:©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/ MRDOOMITS Getting the UVM Job: Brush up on These Skills By Chris Kelly, CEO, Clearion A quick search on any online job board for “utility arborist” reveals hundreds of open positions across the country for util- ity vegetation management (UVM) spe- cialists, foresters, botanists, groundsmen, trimmers, climbers, work planners, audi- tors, consultants, and the like. The ma- jority of the posts are for entry-level candidates at state, federal, and private- sector organizations. Even though the job market is strong right now, recent gradu- ates still need to compete for the best jobs. Some employers report having trou- ble finding qualified candidates. So, what skills matter? What can you do as an as- piring VM professional to be more mar- ketable and increase your options? What can employers do to find the best talent? I reached out to a couple of university professors and a large industry employer for their input and advice. According to Professor Doug Miller, PhD, who teaches forestry and geogra- phy at Penn State, the students in the forestry department who have strong math and analytical skills are the most prepared for today’s job market. Students may go into the field because they want to work outdoors, but they don’t always have the science, technology, engineer- ing, and math (STEM) background required to use the advanced technol- ogy that is so prevalent in vegetation work. LiDAR and other remote sensing tools, geospatial software, and data ana- lytics are an integral part of the job. It’s a lot more than just cutting trees and mowing rights-of-way (ROW). Miller’s best advice for students is to work hard to ac- quire foundational math and science skills in order to succeed in the industry. He pushes the students in his geospatial technology classes to not only learn the software interface, but to question it, dig deeper, and figure out new ways to use it. “The technology can give you data,” he said, “but without analytical skills, you can’t access and interpret the results.” For the university’s part, Miller acknowl- edged that forestry departments don’t al- ways have access to the latest technology in order to adequately train students to use it in ad- vanced ways. Stepping beyond the classroom to experience real-world situations can help. In addition to recom- mending that current stu- dents join the available clubs and study groups specific to forestry, wildlife, and soils sci- ence, Miller believes strongly in the value of on-the-job experi- ential learning through FOCUS ON TRAINING AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT STRONG MATH AND ANALYTICAL SKILLS

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Page 1: Utility Arborist NewslineBy Chris Kelly, CEO, Clearion A quick search on any online job board for “utility arborist” reveals hundreds of open positions across the country for util-ity

Utility Arborist Newsline

W W W. G O TO U A A . O R G | T H E O F F I C I A L N E W S L E T T E R O F T H E U T I L I T Y A R B O R I S T A S S O C I AT I O N

SEPT /OCT 2018

VOLUME 9

NUMBER 5

INSIDEUAA Officers List ......................4Exec. Director Comments ......4President’s Message ..............6Professional Development

Committee Update ............7Industry News ..........................8UAA Profile ..............................12Southwest Utility Meeting....15Regional Reports ....................36

FOCUS ON TRAINING ANDCAREER DEVELOPMENT

Getting the UVM Job: Brushup on These Skills ............1

Learn to Grow ........................16To the Next Generation of

UVM Leaders ..................19Apps in the Age of

Specialization ..................22Musings of a Recovering

Utility Forester..................24An Overview of Utility

Arboriculture ....................27

MAST PHOTO:©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/MRDOOMITS

Getting the UVM Job: Brush up on These SkillsBy Chris Kelly, CEO, Clearion

A quick search on any online job board for“utility arborist” reveals hundreds ofopen positions across the country for util-ity vegetation management (UVM) spe-cialists, foresters, botanists, groundsmen,trimmers, climbers, work planners, audi-tors, consultants, and the like. The ma-jority of the posts are for entry-levelcandidates at state, federal, and private-sector organizations. Even though the jobmarket is strong right now, recent gradu-ates still need to compete for the bestjobs. Some employers report having trou-ble finding qualified candidates. So, whatskills matter? What can you do as an as-piring VM professional to be more mar-ketable and increase your options? Whatcan employers do to find the best talent?I reached out to a couple of universityprofessors and a large industry employerfor their input and advice.

According to Professor Doug Miller, PhD,who teaches forestry and geogra-phy at Penn State, the studentsin the forestry departmentwho have strong math andanalytical skills are the mostprepared for today’s jobmarket. Students may gointo the field because theywant to work outdoors, butthey don’t always have thescience, technology, engineer-ing, and math (STEM) backgroundrequired to use the advanced technol-ogy that is so prevalent in vegetation

work. LiDAR and other remote sensingtools, geospatial software, and data ana-lytics are an integral part of the job. It’sa lot more than just cutting trees andmowing rights-of-way (ROW). Miller’s bestadvice for students is to work hard to ac-quire foundational math and science skillsin order to succeed in the industry. Hepushes the students in his geospatialtechnology classes to not only learn thesoftware interface, but to question it, digdeeper, and figure out new ways to use it.

“The technology can give you data,” hesaid, “but without analytical skills, youcan’t access and interpret the results.”

For the university’s part, Miller acknowl-edged that forestry departments don’t al-

ways have access to the latesttechnology in order to adequately

train students to use it in ad-vanced ways. Stepping beyondthe classroom to experiencereal-world situations canhelp. In addition to recom-mending that current stu-

dents join the available clubsand study groups specific to

forestry, wildlife, and soils sci-ence, Miller believes strongly inthe value of on-the-job experi-ential learning through

F O C U S O N T R A I N I N G A N DC A R E E R D E V E L O P M E N T

STRONG

MATH AND

ANALYTICAL

SKILLS

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Page 2: Utility Arborist NewslineBy Chris Kelly, CEO, Clearion A quick search on any online job board for “utility arborist” reveals hundreds of open positions across the country for util-ity

Utility Arborist NewslinePage 2

To learn more about our Road To Zero Safety Initiatives, visit davey.com/safety

SAFETY IS PART OF OUR DNA.

From our safety department of

Certi�ed Treecare Safety

Professionals to our Road to Zero

workplace safety program, we

provide employees and operational

leaders with the latest safety

techniques and technologies.

This is our commitment to

Keep it Safe!

THIS IS THE DAVEY WAY.

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Page 3: Utility Arborist NewslineBy Chris Kelly, CEO, Clearion A quick search on any online job board for “utility arborist” reveals hundreds of open positions across the country for util-ity

September–October 2018 Page 3

internships, summer employment, andstudy abroad programs. His star stu-dents have landed internships thattake them to new cities, states, andcountries where they can gain valu-able perspectives, as well as problem-solving and critical thinking skills—yetonly a small fraction of students seekout those opportunities.

Professor Donn Shilling, who teachescrop and soil sciences at the Univer-sity of Georgia (UGA), echoes thisadvice.

“Students today are less willing toput themselves out there,” he said,“but when they do, it can give themthe edge in the job market.”

You can start by putting your phonedown, sitting in the front row inclass, and volunteering to be thespokesperson for a group project.Join a club that aligns with your ca-reer interests or—better yet—startone. Professors will take note ofhighly engaged students. Those stu-dents will be the ones invited towork on a professor’s research proj-ect or recommended for internshipsand jobs. Shilling wishes more poten-tial employers would reach out tonearby colleges and universities withinternship opportunities and as visit-ing guest speakers to share theirknowledge. Those relationships be-tween academia and industry can bea win-win for both sides.

The challenges that many employershave locating qualified talent to fillvacancies are real. Matt Goff, a vege-tation manager at Georgia PowerCompany, believes that studentsshould leverage the career-matchingresources offered by their institutionsto help them become aware of ca-reers in the utility, ROW, and assetmanagement sectors of the VM indus-try. Employers tend to value job-ready candidates who may bedifficult come by. “Labor is fre-quently a topic of discussion betweenowner/operators and contractors,”Goff said. “Today, many VM contrac-tors have similar labor shortage is-sues. Growing crews is not easy these

days. However, the demand for laboris also an issue for utilities. As our in-dustry adopts more technology, andas we become more aware of whatwe don’t know, we will be expected,and perhaps required, to act uponwhat the data tells us. Who is goingto manage the data for utilities?“

Most college curriculums may notmake it easy for students to pursuejobs in the industry and maintaintheir course load; likewise, our indus-try typically does not focus on tem-porary opportunities, such asinternships or co-op rotations. Goffsaid that it can take more than sixmonths to find a qualified new hire,and then they often must provide on-the-job training. That disconnect canbe bridged by efforts to increasecommunication and involvement be-tween utilities and contractors andthe education system.

Working with contacts at his almamater, the University of Georgia,Goff served on a committee of uni-versity and industry representativesto establish a program for communityforestry and horticulture. The pro-gram begins in the fall of 2018 andwill incorporate internships and on-the-job training as part of the cur-riculum. The goal is to exposestudents to jobs associated with mu-nicipal forestry, private practice, oreven tree care companies. Further,the hope is that the program will cre-ate a pipeline for future candidatesto successfully meet the demand forjobs in the utility, ROW, and assetmanagement industry. Goff hopes toinvolve the UGA career counselors,who can encourage students to par-ticipate in the new program and helpthem gain the foundational skills theyneed to succeed.

There is no doubt that the industry isrelying more and more on digital so-lutions to help manage vegetationfor utilities and other ROW owners.That trend means that job seekers atevery level and for every positionnot only need to be comfortable andcapable with new technology, butmust be able to take full advantage

of the tools. Candidates who are en-thusiastic about becoming tech savvywill stand out the most. If you arethe most knowledgeable user of thetechnology—GPS, navigational tools,hardware, and data—and also under-stand the work going on in the fieldand on the ground, you can help or-ganizations find innovative new waysto operate that are better, smarter,and safer. We are in the early stagesof gathering and interpreting data inthis industry. As the jobs becomemore data-centric, candidates willneed the skills and mindset to ana-lyze that data for valuable insightsand to build (or at the very least un-derstand) visual, graphical represen-tations of the results.

Beyond helping organizations trans-form their operations with new tech-nology and fresh analysis of the data,candidates with good “soft” skills canbring a valuable new perspective tothe human side of the job. Sure, thebusiness is all about technology,trees, ROW, and habitat, but all ofthe users are people. If you can em-pathize with both the customer andthe people doing the work, you canhelp advocate for positive change.That means being a good communica-tor and listener, being patient, andpersevering—all good skills for yourcareer and for life.

F O C U S O N T R A I N I N G A N D C A R E E R D E V E L O P M E N T

©ISTO

CKPHO

TO.CO

M/CO

MICSAN

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Utility Arborist NewslinePage 4

Executive DirectorCommentsBy Phil Charlton

I had the privilege of visiting Alberta recentlyand the folks at AltaLink invited me to the trans-mission group’s annual safety summit. Whilethere, I also had the opportunity to visit severalareas on their transmission system in Banff Na-tional Park.

Based on my experience there, I could have fo-cused my article on safety (it was a great summit) or environmentalstewardship—AltaLink has earned their accreditation as a Right-of-WaySteward. This issue, however, is on career development, and I can stilltake my inspiration from my time in Alberta. As each participant in thesafety meeting introduced themselves, they shared how many years ofexperience they had. There were a few new members, but I wasamazed at the number of workers with 20–35 years under their belts.Every consenter had more than 20 years of experience.

AltaLink has given significant attention in recent years to the challengesof recruitment and career development. It is time for the UAA to takea more active role as well. The utility vegetation management (UVM)industry is desperate to recruit and retain professionals at every level.

Why is it so difficult? It is a great industry in which to work. There areso many varied paths that all kinds of people with all types of interestscan seek out a rewarding career. Our industry has electric utilities, gasand liquid pipelines, railroads, and more. It has equipment manufac-turers, contractors, environmentalists, consultants, chemical compa-nies, and numerous other specialties. All those offer careers. So, whyare we having such a difficult time attracting and retaining people?

The 50 participants in this year’s System Utility Vegetation ManagersSummit identified recruitment and career development as the mostpressing matters and have decided to make this the focus of nextyear’s summit. If you are employed by an electric or pipeline company,plan on attending the summit next spring. Until then, keep watch forpre-meeting surveys that are in the planning process. After the sum-mit, results will be published to better inform our members and hope-fully we will all learn something.

UAA leadership has also been thinking about recruitment and careerdevelopment. The board created a Students and Entry-Level Profes-sional Task Force, focused on engaging with students in the college-level science field. This group is just starting to form, but has notfound the number of volunteers needed. After forming, they will un-doubtedly be formalizing the mission. If this is an area of interest toyou, let us know.

Finally, consider being an ambassador. If the students graduating fromyour alma mater have never heard about UVM, it is because no one hastold them. Consider visiting to talk to the students. Tell them aboutthe breadth of this industry, your experience with it, and the diverseopportunities it might offer them.

©ISTO

CKPHO

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YMPH

FAIRY

2017 - 2018Officers

Executive Director - Philip Charlton(513) 623-1737 • [email protected]

President - Sara SankowichUnitil(603) 379-3833 • [email protected]

Past President - Craig KellyPacific Gas & Electric Company(530) 820-3126 • [email protected]

President Elect - Bob Richens ArborMetrics Solutions(828) 685-1880 • [email protected]

Vice President - Eric Brown SMUD(916) 732-6766 • [email protected]

Treasurer - Jim NeeserDavey Resource Group(651) 202-1088 • [email protected]

Director - Chuck AndersonECI(919) 744-0050 [email protected]

Director - Amy MurrayIntegrity Tree Services(248) 425-6531 • [email protected]

Director - Troy RossACRT, Inc.(731) 695-6249 • [email protected]

Director - Joel SmithPacific Gas & Electric Company(831) 479-3027 • [email protected]

Director - Becky SpachFirst Energy Group(330) 384-5533 • [email protected]

Director - Tim WalshThe Davey Tree Expert Company(303) 673-9515 • [email protected]

Operations Manager - Diona NeeserUtility Arborist Association2009 W. Broadway Ave., Suite 400, PMB 315 Forest Lake, MN [email protected] • (651) 464-0380

UAA Newsline

Editorial Chair - Nelsen [email protected]

Editorial Coordination - Pique Publishing, Inc.Nadia Geagea PupaAbbey Espinozawww.piquepublishing.com

Graphic Designer - Deb [email protected]

UtilityArboristAssociation

Page 4

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Utility Arborist NewslinePage 6

Icannot thinkof a more

fitting topicfor my lastmessage:Training andCareer Devel-opment. As I

think about my career and advice Ihave gotten from mentors and col-leagues, the number-one recommen-dation is to be involved in aprofessional organization like theUAA. If you are reading this, thenyou’ve already taken the importantfirst step of being a member. Thenext step is going beyond just mem-bership; it’s being involved and en-gaged. Use your membership to findprofessional contacts or a mentor,avail yourself of educational oppor-tunities, certifications, training, andabove all—never stop learning.

The UAA includes professional devel-opment in its mission. By being amember, you have tools and resourcesreadily available. Here are a few ofthe items available on our “memberportal” section of the webpage tohelp broaden your knowledge:

Œ Quizzes & Continuing Educa-tion Units (CEUs)—We cur-

rently have six different quizzesposted that will provide CEUs witha passing score. Read the featuredarticle and answer 20 questions.

Œ UAA Fact Sheets—We have 18different fact sheets available

in English and Spanish on topicsrelated to sustainability, inte-grated vegetation management(IVM), and safety.

Œ Industry News—This sectionfeatures up-to-date news from

around the industry. It includeshighlights, accepted industry prac-tices, and white papers from re-cent System VM Managers’Summits.

Œ Webinars—You can view thecurrent webinar calendar and

view previous webinars.

Œ Presentations & Podcasts—You can view the 2017 Trees &

Utilities Conference presentationsas well as the safety summit pre-sentations.

Œ E-Newsline—View the elec-tronic version of the current

Utility Arborist Newsline maga-zine or read previous issues. Wepublish six issues a year.

Œ Events—Stay up-to-date witheducation, meet other profes-

sionals, and learn about new tech-nology—attend a local workshop,a safety summit, or a nationalconference! You’ll find all the in-dustry events listed here.

Œ Coming Soon—We’re workingon an expanded Research

page with quick view abstractsand an updated Laws & Regula-tions page.

Now that you have used the webpageto brush up on the latest industry in-novations, research, and trends, youare one step ahead of the competi-tion. Take charge of your career anduse the UAA to help advance andmap your current career or searchfor a new career in your area of in-terest. Here are a few of the “mem-ber portal” items available:

Œ Job Board—Look for currentlylisted industry jobs (or post

one of your own).

Œ Member Directory—Find thecontact information for that

person you sat next to at a con-ference or someone who gave atalk on technology you want toimplement.

Œ Social Media—Connect onFacebook or LinkedIn through

the website by clicking on the so-cial media icons at the bottom ofthe page.

Use social media to participate indiscussions, use your peers as sound-ing boards, and make some newfriends. Professional networking

groups can help you meet new peo-ple and find events or webinars thatare of interest to you.

There are also credential programsavailable in the industry which canhelp further training and career de-velopment. The International Societyof Arboriculture (ISA) offers arboristcredentials, including the ISA-Certi-fied Arborist and ISA-Certified Ar-borist Utility Specialist. For thosesearching for a more in-depth pro-gram, the UAA has partnered withthe UVMA and the online learning in-stitute SAIT, and is offering a Profes-sional Utility Vegetation Management(PUVM) course of study, whereuponsuccessful students can apply to beUAA Certified in UVM and Advancedin UVM credentials.

Whether you are a seasoned veteranor you are new to the industry, agreat way to connect, learn, and ad-vance your own leadership and man-agement skills (as well as add to yourresume) is to volunteer on a commit-tee or task force. Professional organi-zations can give you the opportunityto develop your skills as a leader,which is important for personalgrowth and growth in your company.A list of all the UAA committees andmembers of the committees is avail-able through the member portal. Ifyou are thinking of joining a commit-tee, you can always reach out to thechair or a committee member to seeif it’s a good fit for you.

My final suggestion is to set stretchgoals and push yourself out of yourcomfort zone. I joined the UAA 18years ago and joined my first commit-tee a few years later. I never thoughtI’d be president, but one achievedgoal after another, I made it here.Now go out there and use the UAA toset your own stretch goals and dis-cover something new today!

Sincerely,Sara Sankowich

P.S. I’d like to thank Phil Charltonand Diona Neeser for their immensehelp and guidance throughout thisyear, and the whole UAA ExecutiveCommittee for their hard work anddedication to the industry. Thank youfor a wonderful year!

President’s MessageBy Sara Sankowich

Training & Career Development

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Page 7

JARRAFF.COM | 800-767-7112

Manufactured in the USA, the Jarraff All-Terrain Tree Trimmer is designed for Right-of-Way maintenance operations in the most difficult to the most sensitive terrain. The Jarraff is simply the smartest way to trim trees. Contact Jarraff Industries today.

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By Peter Stoltman, VM Program Manager, Oncorand Eric Brown, Electric Transmission and Distribu-tion Program Manager, SMUD

Early this year, the Professional DevelopmentCommittee compiled a list of tasks to help ac-complish the UAA mission: “To drive excel-lence, innovation, and change throughprofessional development, outreach, re-search, and the promotion of best practices.”

Many of these tasks include the production ofmaterials that can be used to educate UAAmembers, partners, and the public about rele-vant industry topics through the use of differ-ent media. One goal we focus on is providingopportunities for people to continue their ed-ucation in the field of utility arboriculture andearn continuing education units (CEUs) formaintaining professional credentials.

Webinars offer learning opportunities withouthaving to travel. In the first half of this year,the UAA hosted four webinars about a varietyof topics including: preparing for a rate case,measuring customer satisfaction, the UtilityArborist Research Fund (UARF), and bee di-versity within utility rights-of-way (ROWs).We currently have three additional webinarsscheduled with more in development. An-other opportunity to earn CEUs while expand-ing your industry knowledge is online quizzes,which are available in the Members Portal ofthe UAA website.

The committee supports the ProfessionalUtility Vegetation Management (PUVM) cre-dentialing and training program that is of-fered through the Southern Alberta Instituteof Technology (SAIT). If you are interested inenhancing your knowledge and skills relatedto managing and leading UVM programs, I en-courage you to go to sait.ca/programs-and-courses and look through the list of programsfor the UVM Certificate of Achievement.

If you are interested in volunteering on theProfessional Development Committee, con-tact Diona Neeser, at [email protected].

ProfessionalDevelopment Committee Update

September–October 2018

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• 1 . 866 .685 .1880 to l l f ree

I

Page 8 Utility Arborist Newsline

Davey Names New VP in Canada

The Davey Tree Expert Companyof Canada, Ltd, is proud to an-nounce the promotion of PatPerry to Vice President of Safetyand Employee Development.

Perry joined the company in1986 and has held various fieldand management positions re-lating to leadership, policy de-velopment, client relations,quality assurance, project de-velopment, and human resources. In 2016, he waspromoted to Canadian safety director.

“Pat is a decisive and innovative leader for our com-pany, and for more than 30 years he has continuouslyfocused on the importance of safe and excellentclient service,” said James Doyle, executive vice pres-ident and general manager of Davey Tree Expert Co.of Canada, Ltd.

He is chair of the Board of Directors for HortEducationBritish Columbia and is the director of the WesternUtility Arborist Association. Perry has more than 40years of experience in the green industry including asan industry instructor and speaker.

The Davey Institute Names New Managerof Technical Services

The Davey Tree Expert Company is proud to announcethe promotion of A.D.Ali to Manager ofTechnical Services forthe Davey Institute.

Ali joined the DaveyCompany in 1998 as atechnical advisor andhas more than 30years of experiencein the green industry.He has written abook on pest man-agement in the land-scape, presentedmore than 130 scien-tific and training

seminars, and authored more than 300 scientific andtrade-oriented articles in his career.

“A.D. has an enthusiasm and technical expertise thatboth our service lines and clients have come to relyon over the years,” said Jim Zwack, general managerof the Davey Institute. “His dedication to the scien-tific aspect of our industry is highly valued as we con-tinuously strive to lead with technical integrity anddeliver the highest quality of practice for our clients.”

Ali holds a bachelor’s degree in Entomology and amaster’s degree in Plant Protection and Management,both of which are from the University of California,Davis. He has a PhD in entomology from LouisianaState University and is an International Society of Ar-boriculture (ISA) Board Certified Master Arborist®. Aliserved on the Board of Directors of the Florida Chap-ter of the ISA including a term as president. He alsoserved as Adjunct Professor at Edison State Collegeand Hodges University in Ft. Myers, Florida.

Cunningham Retires from DaveyTree Board of Directors

J. Dawson Cunningham hasretired from the Board of Direc-tors of The Davey Tree ExpertCompany after 13 years of serv-ice.

Cunningham served on theboard’s Compensation and AuditCommittees during his tenure.He is the retired CFO of Road-way Corporation. 

Cunningham joined Roadway in1985. Between 1992 and 1996, he served as the vicepresident of finance and administration at Roadway.In 1996, he was promoted to vice president of financeand administration and treasurer. He was elected ex-ecutive vice president, CFO, and treasurer in 1998.

Pat Covey, president and CEO of Davey Tree, saidDavey has positively evolved its incentives and com-pensation for employees thanks in large part to Cun-ningham’s leadership.

“He’s been a wonderful supporter of the people andthe employee-owners of this company,” said Covey.“He served the board with honor and distinction, pro-viding a valuable contribution to the success of thecompany, for which we are very grateful.”(Continued on page 10)

Industry News

Pat Perry

A. D. Ali

J. Dawson Cunningham

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AT ARBORMETRICS®

“PEOPLE ARE OUR POWER” - IS MORE THAN JUST WORDS.

www.ARBORMETRICS .com • 1 . 866 .685 .1880 to l l f ree

Investing in our people is at our very core.

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Utility Arborist NewslinePage 10

Wright Tree Service PromotesGilmore to Division Manager andAppoints Larson to Regional Manager

Wright Tree Service, an employee-owned companyspecializing in utility vegetation management (UVM),recently named Jeffrey Gilmore Division Manager andAdam Larson Regional Manager. Collectively, the twobring to their new positions more than 40 years of ex-perience in UVM. As division manager, Gilmore willoversee operations in Indiana, and Larson, as regionalmanager, will oversee operations in Illinois, Missouri,Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and SouthDakota.

Gilmore started his career with Wright Tree Service in1999 as a groundman in Illinois and eventually workedhis way up, becoming foreman, general foreman, andmost recently, a safety supervisor. He also served onthe Ameren Contractor Safety Committee as the Com-mittee Chairman from 2014 to 2017.

“From operations to our safety, education, and train-ing departments, Jeff has spent nearly 20 years withWright Tree Service and will bring that wide breadthof knowledge to his new role,” said Regional ManagerJohn Church. “It is this type of experience that ourcustomers have come to expect, and that Jeff willcontinue with our current customers and as we forgenew relationships.”

Larson has worked in VM formore than 24 years. Through-out his career, he has workedas a supervisor, general fore-man, and regional managerwithin the UVM industry. Mostrecently, he was the programmanager of VM at Xcel Energy.He is an ISA-Certified Arboristand Utility Specialist and hasserved as a judge in sanctionedtree climbing championships infour states.

“Adam comes to us with extensive experience in ourindustry as a contractor and also as a utility cus-tomer,” said Wade Myers, senior vice president. “He isa great addition to our team.”

Land Management Group JoinsDavey Resource Group, Inc.

Davey Resource Group, Inc. (DRG), a wholly ownedsubsidiary of The Davey Tree Expert Company, has an-nounced the acquisition of the assets of Land Manage-ment Group, Inc., an environmental consulting firmbased in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Land Management Group provides specialized servicesin wetlands science, geology, soil science, environ-mental permitting, marine biology, and many otherfacets of environmental management.

“Our staff at Land Management Group is very excitedto join the proud tradition and client-focused ap-proach embodied by DRG,” said Christian Preziosi,president and environmental scientist for Land Man-agement Group. “In particular, we look forward toboth the technical and business support of the DaveyTree Expert Company as we continue to strive to pro-vide the best services possible for our clients.”

Karen Wise, division manager, DRG, said Land Manage-ment Group is a natural fit and complement to DRG.

“They are client focused and strive to provide timelysolutions to complex environmental challenges,” saidWise. “Operating in the southeast U.S. with an em-phasis on coastal systems and regulations, the part-nership provides Davey Resource Group with anexpanded set of services, new geography, strong lead-ership, and a talented team of scientists. Land Man-agement Group employees will also now have theopportunity to participate in employee ownership andenjoy the benefits of our company’s solid employee-ownership culture.”

Based in Wilmington, North Carolina, Land Manage-ment Group consults with clients throughout theSoutheast. The company has more than 15 employees,and Preziosi will continue to lead the Land Manage-ment Group office as the area manager.

Industry News (Continued)

Adam Larson

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Page 11: Utility Arborist NewslineBy Chris Kelly, CEO, Clearion A quick search on any online job board for “utility arborist” reveals hundreds of open positions across the country for util-ity

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