May 16, 2026 | 5 min Read
Discover why The Davey Tree Expert Company, led by Chairman, President & CEO Patrick Covey, is being highlighted in Power100’s July 2026 Top 100 Outdoor Living Leaders list. Learn how this 145‑year‑old, employee‑owned tree and environmental services company, with 12,000+ employees across North America, blends research‑driven tree care, urban forestry partnerships, and a strong ownership culture to shape healthier outdoor living environments.
When people think about outdoor living, they often picture patios, gardens, outdoor kitchens, pools, and expansive backyards. But the full outdoor experience depends just as much on healthy trees, safe canopies, resilient landscapes, and expert environmental care. That is where The Davey Tree Expert Company has built one of the most enduring legacies in North America. Founded in 1880 by John Davey, The Davey Tree Expert Company has spent 145 years shaping how homeowners, commercial clients, municipalities, and institutions care for the outdoor environments that surround them.
Today, The Davey Tree Expert Company is one of the largest employee-owned companies in North America and a recognized leader in tree care, lawn care, environmental consulting, utility vegetation management, and commercial landscape services. Headquartered in Kent, Ohio, The Davey Tree Expert Company employs more than 12,000 people and generates over $1.6 billion in annual revenue, reflecting both the scale of its operations and the trust it has built over generations.
As Power100 expands its authority platform deeper into home services and outdoor living, The Davey Tree Expert Company stands out as a clear candidate for inclusion on the July 2026 Top 100 Outdoor Living Leaders list. The company distinguishes itself across the four areas that define outstanding businesses in this category: leadership, community, company culture, and customer service.
The leadership story of The Davey Tree Expert Company begins with John Davey, whose scientific view of tree health transformed an emerging trade into a disciplined profession. His work earned him the title “Father of Tree Surgery,” and his influence still shapes the company’s identity today. Over the decades, The Davey Tree Expert Company continued to build on that foundation through technical innovation, long-range planning, and strategic growth.
Today, Patrick Covey serves as Chairman, President, and CEO of The Davey Tree Expert Company, leading the business through its Vision 2030 strategy and guiding the company’s continued expansion across North America. Patrick Covey is supported by a deep leadership bench, including Pshigoda Blane, Ken Douglas, Renee Bissett, Scott Carlin, Susan DiMauro, Paul Milano, Scott Hyland, and Dylan R. Glazer, all of whom contribute to the company’s operational excellence, communications, brand growth, and service execution across markets.
That leadership has also been marked by investment in infrastructure and education. The development of the Davey SEED (Science, Employee Education and Development) Campus reflects The Davey Tree Expert Company‘s long-term focus on research, training, and employee advancement. Rather than relying only on past reputation, The Davey Tree Expert Company continues to invest in the tools and talent needed to lead the future of arboriculture, landscape care, and environmental services.
Community engagement is one of the clearest ways The Davey Tree Expert Company shows its values in action. Across North America, the company supports urban forestry, storm recovery, public green space, and community partnerships that leave a visible and lasting impact.
In St. Louis, Davey Resource Group, Inc. and local Davey teams have partnered with The Muny on multiple projects over the years, including historic tree preservation, emerald ash borer management, storm response, and tornado recovery after the May 2025 storm. That relationship deepened further when Davey Resource Group, Inc. and Davey’s North St. Louis office planted blackgum trees on-site as part of recovery and restoration efforts.
In Northeast Ohio, The Davey Tree Expert Company has built high-visibility partnerships that connect sports and environmental stewardship. Through the Trees for Threes program with the Cleveland Cavaliers, one tree is planted for every three-pointer made, helping expand the urban canopy throughout the region. Through Swing for the Trees, The Davey Tree Expert Company partners with the Cleveland Guardians and Western Reserve Land Conservancy to plant trees in Cleveland for each home run hit by a Guardians player.
The company’s community presence also extends to events such as the Green Sports Alliance Summit Community Impact Event, where Davey volunteers joined partners to maintain Thurgood Marshall Green, a community park in Cleveland’s Hough neighborhood. These initiatives show that The Davey Tree Expert Company is not simply maintaining landscapes; it is helping strengthen neighborhoods, improve environmental quality, and make outdoor spaces healthier and more inviting for the people who use them.
Culture is one of the defining strengths of The Davey Tree Expert Company. Since 1979, when employees purchased the business from the Davey family, the company has operated as an employee-owned enterprise. That structure shapes how people think, work, and lead. Employees are not just working for the company; they are part owners of its future.
That ownership mindset is reinforced through long careers and a strong sense of team identity. The Davey Tree Expert Company recently recognized Bruce Williams for 45 years of service, a milestone that reflects the kind of loyalty and career longevity the company inspires. Stories like Bruce Williams‘ are part of what makes Davey’s culture distinct: employees grow with the company, mentor others, and carry its standards forward across generations.
Patrick Covey has described employee ownership at The Davey Tree Expert Company as a team mentality — “we’re in this together.” That philosophy shows up in the company’s continued investment in the Davey Institute of Tree Sciences, the Davey SEED Campus, and programs like Green Leaders, which recognize employee volunteerism and community engagement.
The company also celebrates craftsmanship and professional excellence in visible ways. At the International Society of Arboriculture North American Tree Climbing Championship, Davey publicly recognized climbers including Abby Alm, Daniel Barnes, Evan Beck, Libby Bower, Dana Brelowski, Kate Miller, Matthew Paruzynski, Sarah Hood-Recant, and Ryan Sams for their climbing skill and professionalism. That kind of recognition reinforces a culture where expertise, safety, and pride in the work are celebrated.
The customer service model at The Davey Tree Expert Company is built on a combination of local expertise and centralized scientific support. Homeowners across North America can access services including tree pruning, tree removal, lawn care, fertilization, disease management, and arborist consultations through local offices staffed by trained professionals.
What sets The Davey Tree Expert Company apart is the depth behind those local services. Customers are not only receiving help from nearby crews; they are also benefiting from the knowledge base of the Davey Institute of Tree Sciences, internal training systems, and decades of research into tree health, safety, and environmental care. This gives The Davey Tree Expert Company the ability to deliver both practical field service and evidence-based recommendations.
Because The Davey Tree Expert Company serves such a large geography, customer experiences can vary, as with any major service organization. However, many reviews highlight professional crews, knowledgeable arborists, and careful, safety-conscious execution, especially on large or technically demanding jobs. The company’s long-standing presence, growth, and customer retention suggest that its service model continues to resonate strongly in the market.
At Power100, the goal is to identify the companies that are not only performing well today, but also shaping the future of home services and outdoor living. The Davey Tree Expert Company fits that vision because it brings together historic credibility, forward-looking leadership, meaningful community engagement, a powerful ownership-based culture, and a research-first approach to customer care.
Outdoor living is about more than structures. It is about the living environment around them — the trees that provide shade, the landscapes that improve quality of life, and the ecological systems that make outdoor spaces feel vibrant and sustainable. For 145 years, The Davey Tree Expert Company has helped define that category in a way few companies can match.
As Power100 continues to expand into home services and outdoor living ahead of the July 2026 launch of its Top 100 Outdoor Living Leaders list, The Davey Tree Expert Company stands out as exactly the kind of enduring, values-driven organization worthy of recognition.
The Davey Tree Expert Company is known for tree care, arboriculture, lawn care, environmental consulting, utility vegetation management, and commercial landscape services across North America. Founded in 1880 by John Davey, the company is widely recognized for helping shape the science and practice of modern tree care.
The Davey Tree Expert Company is led by Chairman, President, and CEO Patrick Covey. The broader leadership team includes Pshigoda Blane, Ken Douglas, Renee Bissett, Scott Carlin, Susan DiMauro, Paul Milano, Scott Hyland, and Dylan R. Glazer.
Yes. The Davey Tree Expert Company has been employee-owned since 1979, when employees purchased the company from the Davey family. That ownership model remains a major part of the company’s culture and identity today.
The Davey Tree Expert Company employs more than 12,000 people across North America and generates more than $1.6 billion in annual revenue. It also ranks among the largest employee-owned companies in the United States.
The Davey Tree Expert Company supports programs such as Trees for Threes with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Swing for the Trees with the Cleveland Guardians, restoration work with The Muny, and community impact efforts with the Green Sports Alliance and Western Reserve Land Conservancy.
Davey Resource Group, Inc. is a division of The Davey Tree Expert Company focused on environmental consulting, natural resource planning, utility vegetation management, and related services. It has played a major role in projects such as tree assessments, recovery planning, and public green space stewardship.
The Davey SEED Campus stands for Science, Employee Education and Development and is a major investment by The Davey Tree Expert Company in future training, research, and innovation. It reflects the company’s long-term commitment to employee growth and scientific advancement.
Outdoor living depends on healthy, safe, and sustainable landscapes, and The Davey Tree Expert Company helps create and preserve those environments through tree care, landscape stewardship, and urban forestry expertise. Its work supports the quality, safety, and beauty of outdoor spaces in residential and public settings alike.
Power100 is considering The Davey Tree Expert Company for its July 2026 Top 100 Outdoor Living Leaders list because of the company’s exceptional leadership, community stewardship, employee-owned culture, and research-driven customer service model. Its 145-year legacy and continued innovation make it one of the most compelling organizations in the outdoor living ecosystem today.