Davey Tree Expert Co.

Gregory Mazur, manager of horticultural sciences, manages the technical advising group for The Davey Tree Expert Company. He also has responsibilities for technical services to the utility, residential, and commercial service lines; providing telephone diagnosis, technical information, and training sessions for Davey field staff. He evaluates herbicide application crews for appropriate equipment use and correct application methods. He also assists field personnel with design and implementation of vegetation management programs. Mr. Mazur conducts pesticide certification training classes for field employees. He also teaches Davey classes on plant health care, soils, tree and turfgrass identification, plant growth regulators, herbicide application and vegetation management. Mr. Mazur received U.S. patents for a tree growth regulator (TGR) injector and several turfgrass varieties. His research projects include soil- and trunk-injected tree growth regulators, foliar and basal-applied herbicides and a pilot project for planting appropriate trees under utility lines.

Kathryn E. Zahirsky is an environmental biologist with the Davey Institute. She is a project manager for projects involving street tree inventories and environmental site assessments. She is responsible for chemical risk reduction, chemical hygiene and regulatory compliance for Davey pesticide programs. Ms. Zahirsky is experienced in the functions of OSHA Hazardous Communication Standard, Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), theClean Water Act (CWA), the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) and Underground Storage Tanks (USTs). Ms. Zahirsky is a technical advisor and provides technical assistance in all aspects of plant health to Davey's residential and commercial field offices in Massachusetts, Virginia, Ohio and Michigan. She instructs Davey commercial pesticide applicators on industrial ecology, hazardous materials and pesticide use. Ms.Zahirsky conducts research projects on Plant Health Care, alternative pesticides and pesticide efficacy, risk reduction measures and equipment, and environmental impact assessments.

Robert Laverne is responsible for coordinating and providing instruction in the company's training programs, including the Davey Institute of Tree Sciences, Davey Institute of Horticultural Sciences and the California Arborist Training Seminar. Presently the education and training department has developed the Davey Online College providing the world with horticulture and arboriculture educational opportunities. Mr. Laverne began his career with Davey Resource Group in 1997 as a consulting arborist and project manager for urban forestry clients. He has overseen landscape tree inventories at cemeteries and military installations across the country. In addition to his role as a consulting arborist, RJ has also provided tree appraisal and expert witness services for DRG.

Sandra Reid is manager of corporate communications for The Davey Tree Expert Company. Founded in 1880, Davey is an employee-owned company with more than 6,000 employees across North America. Sandra is responsible for Davey's internal and external communications programs. In addition, she represents the company in industry activities such as Project EverGreen and the Sustainable Urban Forests Coalition. Sandra joined Davey in 1986. She received a B.S.B.A. in marketing and public relations from Ohio Northern University and an M.A. in organizational management from the University of Phoenix. She is a past member of Davey's President's Council and a past president of the Akron area chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, as well as the Akron Chapter of Women in Communications, Inc.

Debbie Miller is the Plant Pathologist and Diagnostic and Research Associate based in the Soil and Plant Diagnostic Laboratory at the Davey Institute. She diagnoses plant problems, identifies insect pests, and recommends fertilizer and pest management strategies. Ms. Miller is also involved in writing Davey literature, teaching Davey training programs and assisting in research projects.

Dr. Persad serves as a regional technical advisor for Davey field offices, conducts applied research, writes technical reports and teaches in various programs. Dr. Persad, a former Assistant Professor and Wildlife Biologist, is an entomologist by training, his interests include using molecular tools such as High-fidelity PCR to resolve issues of pest management in the green industry. He has supervised research programs for the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations as well as private companies.

Jerry Bond, M.S. Urban Horticulture, is a consulting urban forester and horticulturist with the Davey Institute, operating out of Rochester, New York. He specializes in horticultural and arboricultural training for the green industry. He developed and published the Emergency Tree Manual for use by emergency officials in northeastern states and communities which includes a step-by-step reaction scenario of how trees respond to damage. He has designed and implemented permanent urban forest health monitoring plots and has developed protocols for assessing storm damage in cities. Mr. Bond has published articles and booklets on various urban forestry topics and is a frequent speaker at conferences. He holds a Master of Science degree in urban horticulture from Cornell University.

Leonard F. Burkhart, Ph.D., is a horticulturist and senior scientist with the Davey Institute. His responsibilities include research, arboricultural and horticultural consulting, and providing technical assistance for Davey field operations. Dr. Burkhart oversees data analysis, develops data collection specifications and writes tree inventory and urban forest management reports. He performs diagnostic evaluations of plant health problems and prepares treatment and monitoring protocols for clients. His responsibilities also include statistically analyzing Davey research projects, providing technical support to Davey field operations and serving as an instructor in Davey training programs. His research includes alternatives to standard pesticides, woody plant tissue culture, integrated pest management, insect prediction degree-day computer modeling and other projects.

When John was born in Somersetshire, England, in June 6, 1846, it is highly probable that the birth of a child was celebrated because it meant that there would soon be another set of hands to help with the farm work. And help with the farm work he did, at his father's side, absorbing a work ethic and fount of agricultural knowledge from the senior Davey. The iconic message he received from his father, "do it right or not at all," became a guide for the conduct of his business, and his drive to understand plants was most likely rooted in the soil that he worked alongside his father. In his teen years, Davey moved from his home to do an apprenticeship in greenhouse management and used the time to learn to read and write. He associated himself with a church congregation, and though it became adept at public speaking. He quickly earned the respect of people who were in a position to help him, and in his early twenties might have chosen a career in the clergy or a similarly respectable profession. Instead, at the age of 27 he immigrated to the United States and followed a course that paralleled that of many other immigrants: menial work, continuing education, a slightly better job and finally his own business. Along the way he married and started a family, expanded the geographic and service reach of his business, and became a noted lecturer and pamphleteer. He didn't confine his energies to the tree business only, however. He campaigned for women's suffrage and against alcohol. He wrote tracts on politics, religion, birds and farm problems. But always central was his crusade to improve the care of trees. The story of John Davey is one of a man who through a commanding intelligence, great strength of character and a passionate dedication to tree preservation created a company that is still going strong 125 years after he founded it.

Lianghu Tian brings 14 years of education and experience in information and image processing, remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to his position as a Davey programmer and analyst. He is skilled in remote sensing satellite image processing, neural networks, database management, web design and GIS. Tian has completed various research projects including Managing Urban Sprawl and Land Resource Changes by Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems; Great American Secchi Dip-in Program and Satellite Image Processing and Geographic Information Systems. He has published numerous articles in his fields of expertise.

Mike Binkley is a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) specialist whose primary responsibility is the application of new technology to Davey endeavors. Past projects include the use of GIS analysis to resolve environmental and natural resource management issues, the development of Davey's GIS-based Asset Manager software and handheld field data collection software, as well as online mapping and web design, GPS vehicle tracking, satellite derived land cover classification, and cartographic design. As such, he strives to maintain extensive knowledge of contemporary GIS software as well as common operating system software and hardware platforms. In addition, he teaches GIS programming part-time at Kent State University.

Richard G. Rathjens, senior agronomist, is responsible for research and arboricultural and horticultural consulting. He also provides technical advice for Davey field operations. He supervises tree inventories, assisting in the collection and analysis of tree inventory data and the writing and compilation of urban forest management plans. Mr. Rathjens is also responsible for providing technical information to field personnel through technical publications, consultation and training programs. He is the technical advisor for Davey's residential and commercial services eastern region. His responsibilities include teaching, providing quality control work training and designing Plant Health Care programs.

Scott Maco's primary responsibilities fall in the areas of urban forestry research, analysis, and management. He focuses on prescriptive resource management through complete analyses of urban forests' structure, function, and value to the community. Maco has more than seven years of experience in planning, design, and implementation of urban forestry enhancement projects and developing the tools to facilitate effective resource management. Most recently, he worked at the Center for Urban Forest Research for the USDA Forest Service in Davis, California.

Robert A. Stefanko, 66, serves as a Director of OMNOVA Solutions, Inc. (NYSE) an innovator of emulsion polymers, specialty chemicals and decorative and functional surfaces; and a member of the Audit Committee of OMNOVA Solutions. He is also a Director of The Davey Tree Expert Company, Kent, Ohio; a member of the Audit Committee of The Davey Tree Expert Company; former Chairman of the Board and Executive Vice President of Finance & Administration of A. Schulman, Inc., Akron, Ohio, an international supplier of plastic compounds and resins. He has served as a Director of Myers Industries since 2007.