Davey Tree Acquires Organicare

The Davey Tree Expert Company has added the Portland-based Organicare company to its long list of recent acquisitions. The acquisition marks Davey’s seventeenth in three years, and is in line with the company’s long-term growth strategy, says Ken Celmer, senior vice president and general manager of residential/commercial services.

“Organicare has a focus on tree, lawn and plant health care that fits in perfectly with Davey Tree’s service offerings,”  Celmer says. “The Portland Mediterranean environment is such that it requires special attention, and Organicare’s use of organic fertilizer, and organic insect and disease control products has achieved great results.”

The company will be called Davey-Organicare and will continue serving customers in both Portland and Vancouver, Wash. Paul Drake started the company in 1988 and will be staying with the office as district manager, along with most of the other employees. 

“There are so many reasons to be excited about this merger,” says Drake, who will be the district manager. “First and foremost, this is a great opportunity for us to spread the organic message that we use here by targeting different markets that are now accessible to us through Davey. In addition to spreading the Organicare message, working with a company that is historically known for its tree expertise and employee ownership affords our employees different opportunities to grow and move up within the company.”

Richard Foote, operations manager in charge of acquisitions and expansion, agreed that the acquisition was a good fit. “Davey has wanted to penetrate the Portland market for quite some time,” he says. “This is a fabulous opportunity for both Davey Tree and Organicare to grow in new directions.”

He also pointed out that all of the Organicare employees have the opportunity to join Davey, an employee-owned company.

“They are excited about becoming employee-owners,” Foote says. “Also, now that they’re working for an international company with branches throughout the North America, the employees will have greater opportunities for training and growth. It’s a beneficial situation for everyone involved.”