Davey Tree Named One of 100 Largest Employee-Owned Companies

The National Center for Employee Ownership has named The Davey Tree Expert Company as one of the largest 100 employee-owned companies in the U.S. With 6,000 employees, Davey is not only the largest employee-owned company in Ohio, but also the only tree care company on the National Center list. Out of the top 100, Davey is rated 16th largest in the nation.

 Davey Tree is also one of the oldest employee-owned companies in the nation, according to John Logue, director of the Ohio Employee Ownership Center.

“I think that’s due to how Davey has tailored its forms of ownership to fit the needs of the business,” he says. “Davey has a unique mix of employee ownership tools between regular stock offerings and purchase plans. Unlike many companies, Davey did not follow the cookie-cutter employee ownership plan. Instead they carefully thought out what works with their geographically disperse business. ”
 
R. Douglas Cowan, chairman and CEO, credits the success as further evidence of the employees’ faith in the company. “An investment in employee ownership is an investment in our future as a company,” he says. “Davey employees have placed an enormous amount of trust in their Company because they’ve seen the returns on their investments.”

Karl Warnke, president and COO, concurs with Cowan’s thoughts and believes employee-ownership will only further Davey’s success down the road. “Employee ownership will serve as a catalyst for Davey’s future endeavors,” he said. “The employee commitment will help drive the Company forward through the next 25 years.”

The Davey Tree Expert Company provides tree, shrub, and lawn care, grounds maintenance, vegetation management, and consulting services throughout the United States and Canada.