THE ASPLUNDH · PDF fileThe asplundh Tree 2 Spring/Summer 2011 safeTY perfOrManCe reCOgniTiOn t RSS Greg Hallstein (R) and General Foreperson John Devlin (L) of the Brian Fuge Region

THE ASPLUNDH TREESpring/Summer 2011

On The COverAn Asplundh lift rumbles through the Spanish moss-covered live oaks that line the entrance to the Wormsloe Historic Site near Savannah, Georgia. See pgs. 6-7 for more about the McWhirter Region crews working in Georgia’s Low Country. (photo by K. Wild)

Managing ediTOr COrpOraTe COMMuniCaTiOnsPatti ChipmanWriTer/ediTOrKristin WildassisTanT ediTOr/graphiCs speCialisTRonnie GaukerinTernJessica D’Alonzo

COnTenTsSafety Success Is No Accident ...................1Aerial Chemical Side Trimming: The Results Are In .....................................3Merit Awards .................................................4Co-op Corner ...............................................5In The Trees Of Georgia’s Low Country ............................6What’s Up Down Under ...........................8Stormy Times ................................................9New Product Review ................................10Management Update ..................................11Orchids .........................................................13Service Anniversaries .................................19Crews & News ............................................22Retirees Honored ......................................28In Memoriam ...............................................29

THEASPLUNDH

TREESpring/Summer 2011

The Asplundh TREE is a family magazine, published twice a year for all employees and friends of the Asplundh companies.

Asplundh welcomes requests to reprint or otherwise duplicate this magazine, in whole or in part. Please contact the Managing Editor of Corporate Communications at the address below for permission, or call 1-800-248-TREE (in the U.S. or Canada).

©2011 Asplundh Tree Expert Co.

Asplundh Tree Expert Co. 708 Blair Mill Road, Willow Grove, PA 19090 www.asplundh.com Printed on recycled paper

arBOr daY 2011

t Employees at the Asplundh Home Office in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania celebrated the planting of a sturdy new white pine tree near the flagpoles in front of the building on a sunny, breezy National Arbor Day. Dozens of workers gathered around the new memorial garden built to honor the first and second generation Asplundhs, which is near the new tree, as President George Graham (L) gave a little history of Arbor Day and stressed the importance of enjoying the fresh air and beauty that trees afford us. Participants in the celebration also had a chance to win North American Tree Identification Guides and ‘Trees Are Good®’ ball caps from the ISA.

u Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) has received the Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree

Line USA designation for more than 15 years in a row and the Asplundh folks

pictured here were proud to once again play a part in helping the utility earn that

distinction. The city government, CSU, local volunteers and Asplundh teamed up to plant 21 trees along the Midland Trail

in the city’s America the Beautiful Park on April 29. Shown at right are five of Asplundh’s ISA Certified Arborists who

work for CSU (L to R): Foreperson David Richardson, Trimmer Mark Crow, Job

Planner Johnny Hearlson, General Foreperson Rex Hilton and Foreperson Phillip Hardgrove.

u At the 2011 Houston Arbor Day on January 22, these folks from the Gene Blount Region in Texas competed in a tree planting

contest and finished in second place! To mark the 25th anniversary of being accredited by

the Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree City USA, the City of Houston joined with the Texas

Forest Service, Texas Dept. of Transportation (TXDoT) and the Houston Area Urban

Forestry Council to plant 25,000 trees that day. In addition, TXDoT was celebrating the

planting of their one millionth tree in the state of Texas. Close to 3,000 volunteers were on

hand to plant the trees. The timed competition consisted of planting 100 trees correctly with only 11 volunteers. The Asplundh Team shown above

planted 100 trees in 50 minutes, 45 seconds! Back row (L to R): RSS Tim Cook, Foreperson Agripin Urbina, Manager Gene Blount, Supervisor Jeff Vining and General Foreperson Marvin

Umanzor. Front row (L to R): Francisco Juarez (son of Permissions Person German Juarez next to him), General Forepersons Gary Bourke, Jose Garcia and Sebastian Lagunas, and Foreperson

Romualdo Mondragon. The second place trophy was presented to the Asplundh Team by Director of Houston Parks & Recreation Dept. Joe Turner and on April 29, National Arbor Day, State

Forester Tom Boggus gave additional recognition to the Asplundh Team.

The asplundh TreeSpring/Summer 2011 1

safeTY suCCessI s N o Ac c I d eN t

by Gil Niedenthal Director and Corporate Safety Officer

inTrO TO huMan naTure and errOr Traps

Let’s take a few minutes to really consider human nature. Have you ever ...

• lost your place while reading a book? • written the wrong year on a check in January? • built or assembled something only to find out you have to rebuild it because there are leftover parts?

When an incident occurs, we often focus attention on the

individual and the errors he or she made. But that’s not the only way to look at workplace incidents and human error.

Human error is natural. We all make mistakes. I know you may say you don’t, but the fact of the matter is ... you do! Predicting when errors will be made is difficult because of human nature and the fact that we’re all different in how we act or think. However, no matter who we are, we’re all exposed to the same error traps. The ten most common are the following:

1. Distractions/interruptions — the worker loses focus on the task at hand (e.g., sudden noise or another employee asking a question).

2. Change/off normal — when a worker returns to a job and the conditions have changed or are not what the worker initially expected.

3. First shift/late shift — this could be the result of working before or after a long weekend or holiday. The worker may not be in the frame of mind or be physically prepared to perform the task.

4. Mental stress — the emotional factor that can interfere with a worker’s ability to perform a job safely.

5. Multiple tasks — workers performing too many tasks at once and becoming confused or overloaded.

6. Overconfidence — the worker believes he or she can complete the job without appropriate equipment, knowledge, time, manpower and planning.

7. Peer pressure — when an employee feels a need to complete a job a certain way (e.g., without proper knowledge or without help) because they are influenced or appear to be influenced by fellow employees.

8. Physical environment — the work environment provides hazards (slippery surface) that can result in an undesired event.

9. Time pressure — when workers are under an unreasonable time deadline to complete a job, leading to shortcuts.

10. Vague/interpretive guidance — when instructions to complete an assignment are unclear or miscommunicated, resulting in a misunderstanding of how to complete the task in a safe manner.

Knowing the ten most common error traps is good, but how do you guard against them? There are many different types of tools that can be used to address error traps. One technique that works well can be remembered by the acronym STAR. The meaning of each letter is shown below.

Stop — Pause and focus your attention on the task about to be performed.

Think — Understand exactly what is required to complete the job safely.

Act — Perform the action.

Review — Confirm that the expected results are obtained.

This technique, when discussed, understood and used by employees and management, can help to prevent error traps from occurring. Remember STAR so you can help reduce human errors and improve the safety of yourself and others.

The asplundh TreeSpring/Summer 20112

safeTY perfOrManCe reCOgniTiOn

t RSS Greg Hallstein (R) and General Foreperson John Devlin (L) of the Brian Fuge Region on Long Island, New York congratulate Trimmer Steve Collazo (center) for working incident-free in 2010 and winning a Cabela’s gift card in the Corporate Safety Excellence Drawing.

u In the photo at right, General Foreperson Don Bossong (L) presents a “Safety First” certificate of recognition to Trimmer

Leo Rodriguez (R) for receiving a positive Motorist Observation Report about honoring the right-of-way. They all

work on the property of National Grid on Long Island.

u RSS Greg Kulp and General Foreperson Doug Landis of the Larry Gauger Region 23 in Pennsylvania are proud of the six co-workers pictured here who proved this past winter that

First Aid/CPR training pays off. On a cold day in February, a fellow crew member collapsed on the job, unresponsive.

Immediately, Trimmer Chuck Bacon (far L) called 911 and Trimmer Doug Landis, Jr. (second from R) called his general

foreperson (his dad). Forepersons Tim Taylor (far R), Tim Knepp and Mark Umphred, along with Trimmer Denise

Evans (second from L), checked for a pulse and breathing. At first, the victim was not breathing, but a very faint pulse

was found at his neck. They made sure nothing was lodged in his throat, but then the pulse faded away. The team immediately knew that CPR was the next step. However, where the victim had collapsed, there wasn’t adequate room to properly perform the technique so the team carefully pulled him to a flat surface nearby. Mark removed the victim’s coveralls and Tim (Taylor) repositioned his head. Suddenly, the victim took a big gasp of air and opened his eyes. Relieved, Denise and Doug, Jr. provided a jacket and sweatshirt to keep their co-worker warm until EMS arrived. The team also kept him in conversation to ensure he didn’t go unconscious again. Later, the crew found out that their

co-worker suffered a heart attack. Surgery was performed and the crew member is recovering nicely. Great teamwork and skills! p Mark Umphred

p Tim Knepp

u Supervisor Carl Marcum of the Dave Sachs Region in Indiana challenged everyone in his operation to work incident-free throughout 2010 and the reward would be a new pair of boots. This group under General Foreperson Greg Gibson met the challenge and obviously,

the boots arrived just in time as the snow was falling and the temperatures were, too!

t Vice President Dave Puckett (L) presented Regional Trainer Denny Kyne (R) with a plaque of appreciation for his hard work during 2010, traveling throughout parts of West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania training employees on the proper way to perform their work in the safest possible way.

u Supervisor John Belton (far R) presented General Forepersons (L to R) Rusty McCumbee, Richard Varner, Ernie Knotts and Brooke Sheeder with

plaques for their incident-free operations in 2010.

t At a Duke Energy annual safety orientation meeting on January 19, Apprentices Heath Goodrich (L) and Travis Marshall (R) of the Barry Suddreth Region in North Carolina impressed Lee Pardue of Duke Energy Vegetation Management when they had already memorized that, in the case of a spill, S-W-I-M stands for Secure the area, Warn others, Inform Service Response and Monitor the area. They had also programmed the spill contact number into their cell phones. Thanks to the training provided by Asplundh and Duke supervision, these men were able to easily demonstrate their safety knowledge.


AerIAl chemIcAl sIde trImmINg: The resulTs are in

t During a safety meeting for distribution vegetation management crews on the property of Entergy Mississippi in January, Foreperson Terry Arender (third from L) of the Don Redden Region received an award for his crew’s safety performance in 2010. Some heavy hitters were on hand for the presentation, including (L to R): Director and Corporate Safety Officer Gil Niedenthal, Sponsor/Vice President Steve Bostock, Sponsor/Vice President Brent Asplundh, Robert Clark and Chris Moore of Entergy and Corporate Safety Supervisor Todd Long. Thanks to RSS Gueth Braddock for sending this in to honor the good safety behavior of employees he works with all year.

u Pictured here on stage in Topeka, Kansas in early January, Chief Operating Officer Doug Sterbenz of Westar Energy personally delivered

the utility’s safety message to all contractor employees who work on their system, including more than 280 Asplundh employees from the Mel Riley

Region in Kansas. The 2011 Westar Energy Safety Kick-Off Program takes place in multiple locations throughout the state so that all contractor

employees are able to attend. The purpose of the program is to start the New Year right by making sure that all employees on the Westar Energy

system, including contractors, understand that safety comes first and foremost, no matter what your job is or who pays your wages!

Summer is here and the time is right for herbicide applications! Aerial chemical side trimming

offers a highly efficient means of controlling the growth of trees along hard-to-access rights-of-way. The photos at right show a Virginia right-of-way during an aerial application in August 2010 and the results in May 2011.

Over the past year, Vice President Joe Lentz of our Arborchem Products Division has been working closely with Asplundh’s aerial side trimming partner to tailor the nozzle settings and formulas to achieve the desired results for each right-of-way. The benefits of this innovative vegetation management tool are clear:

• ideal for difficult-to-access terrain• long-term control• no brush to clean up• efficient, productive method• excellent value for dollars spent

To learn more about aerial side trimming, contact Vice President Brent Asplundh at [email protected] or [email protected].

Upon inspection in May 2011, it was clear that the applications were on target and

effective in stopping the side growth of the trees along the powerline corridor. Controlling

this growth will help to reduce the amount of vegetation management work needed

during future pruning cycles. In addition, the helicopter application took just three days to do 20 miles in very hilly terrain. It would take a mechanical side trimming crew significantly

longer, with more crew exposure to the hazards of difficult terrain.

For three days last August, in the mountains of Virginia, Supervisor Robbie Adkins of the Larry Kirk Region and Vice President Joe Lentz of Arborchem worked with our helicopter partners to complete 20 miles (both sides) of aerial chemical side trimming along AEP distribution and transmission lines, which had been pruned two years earlier. This innovative growth control method aims to reduce future vegetation management costs for utilities with hundreds of miles of difficult rights-of-way to manage each year.


MeriTAwArds

Asplundh is fortunate to have so many brave, helpful and skilled employees, including

the eight found on this page whose good deeds recently earned them Silver Merit Award pins.

aid To injured CyclistOn the afternoon of July 7, 2010 a

developmentally-challenged young man was riding his bicycle along State Route 25A near Wapakoneta, Ohio. He was attempting to cross the road when he was struck by a vehicle.

Working along an AEP line on a nearby side road, Forepersons Tim McDaniel, Tim Pace and A.J. Wilson, and Trimmer Scott Mills of the Dave Sachs Region heard the noise of the collision and raced to the scene. Right away, two employees provided first aid to the young man who was conscious, but scared, with minor visible injuries. Tim Pace and Tim McDaniel controlled traffic while Scott Mills dialed 911. The crew remained at the scene until the state highway patrol and EMTs arrived.

A witness of the accident wrote, “It makes you feel good when you see that there are still people out there [who] are willing to help at any time.” We’re proud of these guys, too!

pipe Bomb detectionOn October 20, 2010 in Lake Charles,

Louisiana, General Foreperson Ray Felt, Jr. of the Don Redden Region was performing a Job Behavior Observation of Foreperson Brent Athey and crew. They were hand cutting around a fence in advance of mowing along an Entergy distribution line right near the airport.

To their shock and surprise, the crew came across an unexploded pipe bomb. They immediately stopped their hand cutting work to contact the local authorities and Entergy Operations Coordinator Ronnie Toney. Very quickly, the Louisiana State Police, Homeland Security and a local fire department arrived on the scene. A bomb squad safely detonated the bomb.

In an e-mail to Manager Don Redden from Entergy T&D Vegetation Manager Steve Hoover, “You never know what kind of hazards that you may encounter ... The hand cutting crew was following proper protocol ... and was obviously very observant of their surroundings.” Great job!

a life-saving MomentTrimmers Kevin Schweizer and Jeff

Steinert of the Joe Schneider Region were working for We Energies in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin on November 3, 2010 when they heard calls for help coming from inside a nearby home. Upon entering the home, they

saw an elderly man slouched in his chair with an oxygen mask attached to his face. His frantic wife told them that her husband’s portable oxygen tank had run out and she could not connect the tube to the stationary tank.

Kevin and Jeff successfully disconnected the portable tank and moved the man closer to the stationary tank where they were able to attach the tubing. The man’s breathing was stabilized before the crew returned to the work site. His wife was especially grateful to the men who did not hesitate to help her in her emergency.

Congratulations to all of these heroic men!

Silver Merit Award pins were presented by Vice President Dave Sachs (far L) to Trimmer Scott Mills (second from L) and Forepersons A.J. Wilson (third from L), Tim Pace (center) and Tim McDaniel (third from R) for coming to the aid of a young man who was hit by a car. Adding their congratulations were Supervisor Dan Stubbs (second from R) and General Foreperson Elijah Gilliam (far R).

At an Entergy Quarterly Safety Advisory Board Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana,

two Silver Merit Awards were presented to the men who located a pipe bomb and responsibly

took action to maintain safety for themselves and others. Pictured are (L to R): Sponsor/VP

Brent Asplundh, Manager Don Redden, Foreperson Brent Athey, General Foreperson

Ray Felt, Jr., and Entergy T&D Vegetation Manager Steve Hoover, Operations Coordinator

Ronnie Toney and T&D System Vegetation Manager Chris Cooper.

Silver Merit Awards were presented to two trimmers from the Joe Schneider Region for helping an elderly man regain stable breathing from an oxygen tank. Joining in the presentation were (L to R): We Energies Head Forester Ken Tenhagen, Vice President Joe Schneider, Trimmer Jeff Steinert, RSS Bob Kubacki, Trimmer Kevin Schweizer, General Foreperson Tim Guetzke, Supervisor Bob Livingston and WE Energies Regional Forester Jeff Treu.


CO-OpcorNerFrom aerial sawing and herbicide

applications to specialized equipment and vehicle location

systems, our co-op customers are taking advantage of many of Asplundh’s safe, efficient and innovative services. Better service reliability and public safety are just some of the long-term benefits to their members, as well as the co-op’s bottom line!

One example of Asplundh’s service focus is AVMS Live, a vehicle location system that is available to utilities that want to know where Asplundh crews are working on their system at any time. This recently came in handy to Sussex Rural Electric Cooperative in New Jersey where a rash of burglaries made many co-op members suspicious of anyone entering their property.

Sussex’s Engineering Representative Brenda Myslinski was contaced by several concerned members who wanted to make sure that Asplundh Pre-Planner Ron Kasisky, Jr. and crews from the Pat Lamberton Region were legitimate contractors. She immediately consulted AVMS Live and was able to reassure each member that Ron or his crews were at the location in question.

This technology is also useful in responding to storm emergencies, but identifying Asplundh crews to reassure co-op members is an extra-added value!

Cuivre River Electric Cooperative (CREC), based in Troy, Missouri, has nearly 3,000 miles of overhead power lines and strives to maintain a five-year vegetation management cycle. These Asplundh crews from the Jim Winemiller Region will be working hard over the next four years to maintain that cycle safely and efficiently for CREC and its 59,000+ members. As you can see above, they are well equipped with two 70-ft. lifts, six 55-ft. lifts, two split dumps for manual crews, two Kershaw SkyTrims and two John Deere mowers. General Foreperson Jim Pecoraro oversees the Asplundh crews working on the CREC system.

Sho-Me Power Electric Cooperative provides electric energy to nine cooperatives and several municipalities in Missouri. Asplundh crews under Branch Manager Scott Harmon are performing a variety of herbicide applications on approximately 400 miles of Sho-Me’s transmission right-of-way this year. From bareground treatments in substations to high-volume foliar and backpack basal applications, these crews have been trained by our Arborchem Products Division staff and have all the tools to work safely and productively.

North Georgia Electric Membership Corporation (NGEMC),

in the mountains of northwest Georgia, maintains approximately 6,000 miles

of line serving 99,000 members. Randy Skidmore, NGEMC Director of

Corporate Operations, recently sent in this photo of Asplundh’s helicopter

partner in action, sawing overhang along 18 line miles of their right-of-way.

With three major mountain crossings and 75 percent of the 12.5 brush miles

requiring both sides to be trimmed, Randy estimates that this work would

have taken a Jarraff, bucket and climbing crew three months. With the aerial

saw, it took 17.5 hours of actual cutting time! Asplundh crews from the Wilmer

McWhirter Region cleaned up brush where necessary and also managed traffic control along some of the roadways where

the aerial sawing took place.


in The Trees oF georgIA’s low coUNtrYThe coastal plains and barrier

islands of Georgia are part of a beautiful region in the Southern

United States called the Low Country. Live oaks, pines, palm trees, Spanish moss and marsh grasses dominate the landscape and the region has been a popular vacation destination for more than a century.

One of the largest and most historically well-preserved cities in this region is Savannah where Georgia Power serves over 150,000 customers who like their air conditioning and love their trees! Southwest of Savannah, in the town of Midway, the Coastal Electric Cooperative serves approximately 14,600 members in a four-county area. Not surprisingly, they also expect reliable electricity!

Asplundh crews from the Wilmer McWhirter Region manage vegetation around the power lines of both utilities. Let’s take a closer look at these diverse operations in the Georgia Low Country.

The Beauty and Challenge Of savannah

Established in 1733 alongside the Savannah River, this charming, historic city is also a major international shipping port and convention site. In fact, the North American Tree Conference (a joint meeting of the Utility Arborist Association and the ISA Southern Chapter) was held there in February.

One of Savannah’s main attractions is the historic district where tree-lined streets and more than 20 public squares and parks create a beautiful canopy. Since trees are a major selling point for the city, it’s a challenge for Georgia Power to maintain a safe distance between the trees and their overhead power lines without creating a major public outcry.

Although outages have been less frequent in recent years and the system is now on a three-year vegetation management cycle, the amount of trouble calls throughout the metro area

Here’s an example of directional pruning of live oaks under Georgia Power conductors along a busy Savannah thoroughfare. When large palm trees grow directly under the lines, this method cannot be used and removal is necessary.

u Working at the Wormsloe Historic Site were (L to R): General Foreperson Bryan Crawford,

Journeyman Randy Butler, Foreperson Richard Thompson and Georgia Power Forestry and

Right-of-Way Specialist Luke Penney.

In the historic section of Savannah, the power lines often run along alleys or lanes behind the homes. It can be a tight fit for a bucket truck!

t An Asplundh ticket crew carefully prunes a limb away from a 13kV Georgia Power line that runs parallel to a spectacular 1.5 mile long tunnel of 120-year-old live oaks, the Georgia state tree, at the Wormsloe Historic Site just outside of Savannah. The trees line a former colonial road laid out by Captain Noble Jones in 1740 and were planted in 1891 by his great-great grandson W.J. Derenne.

On Burnside Island near Savannah, Henry Bailey’s crew cleans up after pruning vines and limbs away from a Georgia Power line serving a small dock area and homes.

Foreperson Henry Bailey (R) and Trimmers Robert Steplight (L) and Leanthony Morell (center) handle trouble calls that require climbing for Georgia Power in the Savannah area.


still creates a constant source of work for two Asplundh crews on the system. General Foreperson Bryan Crawford and Ticket Checker William Pritts work closely with Georgia Power Forestry and Right-of-Way Specialist Luke Penney to keep on top of the hot-spotting work.

Fortunately, a small, but highly experienced and personable team of employees has been handling ticket work and storm emergencies in the four-county Savannah area for many years. One bucket crew is led by 30-year Savannah veteran Foreperson Richard Thompson and the climbing crew is led by Foreperson Henry “Big Henry” Bailey, Jr. who has worked in the area for 13 years.

Despite the heat, sand gnats, red bugs, snakes and the occasional over-protective homeowner, this team just keeps on pruning and removing trees from Georgia Power lines whenever the need arises, day or night!

Keeping Members powered up and happy

Two years ago, Asplundh crews began working on the Coastal Electric Cooperative system which covers 573 square miles in one of the fastest growing regions of the South. The co-op maintains almost 1,500 miles of line in four counties, including two barrier islands.

Vice President of Engineering and Operations Chris Fettes described the co-op as proactive—replacing many of their wooden poles with steel ones and working hard to maintain a four-year vegetation management cycle. This is where Asplundh has jumped in feet first to keep the productivity high by using mechanized side trimmers and mowers, in addition to conventional lift and climbing equipment.

General Foreperson Charles Crosby, a 26-year Asplundh veteran, works closely with Coastal Electric’s Operations Manager Donald Carter and Line Supervisor Jake Horton to keep the Asplundh crews on track. Assisting Charles are Coordinator/Forepersons Ramsey Bacon and Ryan Crosby, who handle any member concerns about Asplundh’s operations and move equipment or crews as needed.

Some of the challenges on Coastal Electric’s system include the number of palms and live oaks that can only be pruned in a limited way due to the member’s wishes. The co-op actually relocates trees and poles when feasible. Another problem can be swampy spots where it’s difficult to avoid making ruts with the mowing tractor or the Jarraff side-trimming machine.

However, member complaints are down this year and, thanks to efficient equipment and crew compositions, the vegetation management cycle is still on schedule. Experienced Asplundh employees who care about good customer service and safety are a good fit with Coastal Electric Cooperative and its membership base. They are helping to keep Asplundh in the trees of Georgia’s Low Country!

At the Coastal Electric Cooperative headquarters in Midway, General Foreperson Charles Crosby (R) pays a visit to Operations Manager Donald Carter (center) and Line Supervisor Jake Horton (L) who are responsible for maintaining the co-op’s vegetation management cycle. Charles and his crews work closely with these folks to address any member concerns about tree work that may arise.

t Asplundh crews pump up the productivity along a rural Coastal Electric right-of-way with a Jarraff side-trimming machine and a Brown brush cutter mounted on a John Deere tractor. Foreperson David Love, a 28-year Asplundh veteran, uses the brush cutter to grind up the limbs that are cut by Jarraff Operator Michael Conover.

u Foreperson Richard Walker, who first came to work for Asplundh in 1977, oversees the work of Trimmers Murray

Thompson and Dylan Crosby as they widen a Coastal Electric right-of-way to accommodate a line upgrade. Richard

also serves as a training crew foreperson.

As the afternoon sun sinks lower along a rural Coastal Electric right-of-way, Coordinator and Chipping Crew Foreperson Ryan Crosby finishes chipping up tree limbs with Crew Members Adam Lairsey and Chris Johnson.


WhaT’s up dowN UNderIt has been entirely too long since

we updated our readers on one of our subsidiaries in the Southern

Hemisphere ... Asplundh Australia! With the annual International Society of Arboriculture Conference and Trade Show being held near Sydney, Australia this summer, we decided it’s time to get a fresh look at this hard-working operation and some of its people.

Asplundh Australia (and Asplundh New Zealand) Managing Director Carl Rogers oversees a team of approximately 250 employees and subcontractors in Australia who serve three leading electricity companies in the state of New South Wales—Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy and Essential Energy. Asplundh Australia crews are also doing some corridor [right-of-way] clearing work in the state of Queensland.

The subsidiary maintains a sizeable fleet of standard and specialized utility vegetation management equipment, including two brand new Kershaw SkyTrim telescopic side-trimming machines.

About a year ago, Asplundh Australia brought aboard fresh management expertise with the hiring of General Manager of Australian Operations Greg Fitzgerald and General Manager of Strategy and Development David Zensea.

Greg came to Asplundh with 18 years of experience with a major energy distributor in New South Wales, much of it focused on vegetation and contract management.

As a fully qualified Electrical Fitter Mechanic and Overhead Lineworker, he holds a certificate in electrical engineering and earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with distinction in 2006. Greg’s operational and management experience, coupled with his knowledge of the utilities’ needs, are well suited to his role as the subsidiary’s operations manager.

David has 16 years of national and international experience in a range of business sectors including energy, finance and defense.

Specializing in business strategy development and

execution, David holds professional qualifications in personnel management from the Royal Military College and has earned an MBA in international marketing and project management. His diverse background is useful as he looks after new business and tenders [bids], contract mobilization, process improvements and technology.

In 2012, Asplundh Australia will celebrate its 20 th year in business. We look forward to hearing more about this subsidiary’s new customers, employees, equipment and accomplishments in the land ‘Down Under!’

u Asplundh Australia climbers under Contract Manager Scott McSweeney used every

ounce of skill and determination to reclaim the easement for this Ausgrid line near Tumbi Umbi

in the Central Coast Region. Fighting tropical heat and leeches, they also had to carefully leave

numerous tall trunks to be used as landing and launching pads for the endangered yellow-bellied

gliders, a species similar to a flying squirrel.

t Two brand new Kershaw SkyTrim side-trimming machines were recently added to the fleet in Australia. In the past, Asplundh Australia has subcontracted for side-trimming machines and operators, but that will be less necessary now that these units have arrived. The subsidiary has become a trusted contractor in Australia by having highly-efficient equipment like this, along with skilled employees and internationally recognized certifications. These include ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems, ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems and AS/NZS 4801 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems.

u In a rural area of the Ausgrid system in New South Wales, an Asplundh Australia crew works over a high voltage line in outage conditions, using a 19-metre tower [62-foot aerial lift].

Greg Fitzgerald

David Zensea

sTOrMYtImes


The first six months of 2011 had no shortage of storms, including blizzards, wind, ice

and the deadliest tornado season since 1953. While Asplundh’s storm responses were frequent, the vast majority of them were handled by our crews within the affected region. Only a few required moving more than 50 crews into a storm-afflicted area.

The massive tornado outbreaks in late April, which killed over 340 people in Alabama alone and caused widespread destruction of homes and businesses, required the movement of almost 120 crews. Three nearby regions sent 65 crews for up to ten days to assist Alabama Power and the Rickey Bailey Region in clearing debris and restoring power where there were still houses to receive it. Thirteen additional crews were sent to assist Chattanooga Electric Power Board in Tennessee and North Georgia Electric Membership Corporation.

Entergy, in Arkansas especially, also called in added support from Asplundh crews after the tornado outbreaks from April 25-28. Approximately 40 crews travelled from Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana for eight days to assist Entergy in removing storm damaged trees and restoring power.

Thankfully, everyone returned home safely, but we can’t let down our guard because the summer thunderstorm and hurricane season is now upon us!

u Late January and early February brought blizzard conditions and ice to many areas from

the Midwest to the Middle Atlantic states. At right, a crew from the Tom McDonnell Region prepares to remove a snow-laden pine from a

Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative line.

u A massive tornado outbreak April 25-28 saw a total of 335 tornadoes confirmed in 21 states from Texas to New York. On April 27, General Foreperson Joey Parrish of the Rickey Bailey Region took this photo of a fearsome tornado

from inside a building in Rainsville, Alabama. On that day, Alabama suffered 344 tornado deaths.

u In Gadsen, Alabama, trees stripped of leaves made a tragic backdrop for a broken Alabama

Power pole. This scene is almost nothing compared to the miles and miles of rubble from

people’s homes and businesses after the deadly tornado outbreak of April 27.

t From April 14-16, at least 200 confirmed tornadoes across 16 states caused severe destruction and 38 deaths. At left is a crew under RSS Jody Messick removing toppled trees from a Dominion Virginia Power line near Gloucester, Virginia.

t After the April 27 tornadoes, our ArborMetrics Solutions subsidiary supplied 25 damage evaluation teams in addition to the 70 Asplundh crews who were sent to assist Alabama Power, North Georgia Electric Membership Corp. and Chattanooga Electric Power Board in Tennessee.

t After eight days of tornado clean-up in Arkansas for Entergy, the tired, but safe crews of General Forepersons Roberto Nieto and Arturo Soto from the Robert Coffman Region prepared to return to Oklahoma on May 5.

p A broken Alabama Power utility pole sits lodged among the debris of exploded homes and shredded trees in Tuscaloosa, Alabama after the April 27 tornado outbreak. Supervisor Jeff Findley of the Rickey Bailey Region took this photo as he surveyed damage and mobilized crews where power could be restored.


prOduCTr e v I e w

neW

TWO naTiOnal aCCOunT Items In hIgh demand

The JUSTRITE AccuFlow TM Type II safety can is a new product from Grainger that allows for fast, precision pouring that is safe and easy to use. The cans are available in 2.5 or 5 gallon capacities and they have a 9-inch flexible hose. The leakproof, self-closing lid vents automatically. An ergonomic lift lever is great for easy filling and the air displacement vent allows for smooth liquid flow. The silver handle has a Safe-Squeeze® trigger that allows controlled pouring as well.

The JUSTRITE AccuFlow TM Type II safety can is available through the Asplundh Distribution Center. Complete the EQ-6 “Tool and Supply” order form and forward it to [email protected] for processing.

More information about the AccuFlow TM safety can can be found on JUSTRITE’s web site at www.justritemfg.com or call toll-free at 800-798-9250.

AccuFlow TM Innovative Manifold

• Quick-open fill port with ergonomic lift lever for easy filling

• Auto venting protects against pressure build-up

Stainless Steel Flame Arrester• Precision screen stops flashback

ignition to reduce fire risks• Superior chemical resistance and

corrosion protection• Long length for safe insertion of

gas nozzle• Faster and more controlled

liquid flow

Large ID Zone

• Identifying contents reduces misuse or incompatible mixtures

Polaris’ Ranger 800 XP ATV / utility vehicle is designed for easy and efficient off-road transportation. It is equipped with a 50 horsepower, 760cc twin-cylinder EFI engine. The smooth, independent rear suspension and dual A-Arm front suspension systems allow for greater handling on a variety of terrains. The Ranger ATV also comes with optional Electronic Power Steering (EPS).

Other features of the Polaris Ranger 800 XP include: • 2,000 lb. (907.2 kg) towing capacity

• 1,500 lb. (680.4 kg) payload capacity

• 1,000 lb. (453.6 kg) rear cargo box

Polaris also offers National Account users like Asplundh a one-year warranty, nationwide customer support and discounted pricing. To learn more about the Polaris National Account, Asplundh employees may contact Purchasing Agent Rob Allen ([email protected]) at the Home Office in Willow Grove.

More information about the Polaris Ranger 800 XP ATV can be found at www.polarisnationalaccounts.com. You may also e-mail Polaris at [email protected] or call toll-free 866-778-3724.



mANAgemeNtupdaTeneWmanageRs

paul arno, former general foreperson in the Gary Shelto Region in New Hampshire, advanced to supervisor there in March. Senior Vice President Matt Asplundh sponsors the Shelto Region.

Almost 22 years ago, Paul started out on an Asplundh tree crew in New Hampshire. Within two years, he was a foreperson and in 1998, he was promoted to general foreperson under then Supervisor

Gary Shelto. Paul is a 1999 graduate of ASTP and his supervisory responsibilities now include overseeing Asplundh distribution tree crews working on the property of Public Service New Hampshire and various cooperative and telecommunications accounts in the state. He is studying for the ISA Certified Arborist exam.

greg Bath, former general foreperson, was promoted to supervisor in the Gary Shelto Region in New Hampshire in March. The Shelto Region is sponsored by Senior Vice President Matt Asplundh.

Greg joined the company as a general foreperson in 2001 when Asplundh acquired the line clearance operations of Bartlett Tree Experts. He had been employed there for almost 18 years. As a

supervisor, Greg is responsible for overseeing Asplundh crews working on the property of Unitil in southern New Hampshire and parts of Massachusetts, as well as New Hampshire Electric Cooperative and Public Service of New Hampshire. He has been an ISA Certified Arborist since 1993 and holds a supervisory-level pesticide license.

John Mcnamee, Director of Corporate Strategy, assumed additional responsibilities in April for the Asplundh Municipal and Technical Services Divisions in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. He reports directly to President George Graham.

John joined the company in July 2009 with 25 years of both utility and contractor experience in the electric utility industry. A graduate of Drexel University in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and gained a wealth of knowledge from various positions in operations, engineering and management with PECO Energy. In 1998, John moved to the contractor side and now uses his experience for strategic business development, marketing management and project mobilization for both Asplundh and UtiliCon operations.

Blair Brassard, former senior safety supervisor in Canada, was promoted to manager of Asplundh Canada ULC in the province of Ontario in December 2010. The Brassard Region is sponsored by Senior Vice President Brent Asplundh.

A native of Ontario, Blair joined Asplundh as a corporate safety supervisor in June 2007 with 10 years of vegetation management experience, most recently

as a division manager. As an Asplundh Canada ULC manager, he is currently responsible for overseeing tree crews working for various investor-owned electric utilities and municipal accounts throughout the province. Blair studied business marketing at Canadore College in North Bay, Ontario and is a member of the ISA and the Electrical Distribution Association of Ontario.

Chris hein joined the company in March as assistant general counsel under Vice President and General Counsel Phil Tatoian in the Home Office in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania.

Chris brings to the company more than 25 years of corporate law expertise, the past 10 of which were with PJM Interconnection, LLC in Norristown, Pennsylvania. He is working with Phil in the management of

the legal affairs of Asplundh and its subsidiaries. Chris was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar in 1985. He earned his juris doctor degree from New York University School of Law in New York City, New York and holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Chris also served four years in the U.S. Navy before college.

phil Bertolotti joined Asplundh in March as the manager of Information Technology (IT) Technical Services, based in the Home Office in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. He reports directly to Chief Information Officer George Gunther.

A native Pennsylvanian, Phil brings to the company more than 13 years of experience in managing networks, workstations, operating systems, applications and

databases for major corporations in the Philadelphia area. As Asplundh’s Manager of IT Technical Services, he is responsible for overseeing data center infrastructure, data network and security, client management and the service desk. He earned a master’s degree in information systems and a bachelor’s degree in general arts and sciences from The Pennsylvania State University.

neWsUPeRVIsORsinTheFIeLd


neWsUPeRVIsORsinTheFIeLdClyde davis, former general foreperson in Michigan under Manager Ray Schneider, was promoted to supervisor there in March. Senior Vice President Chris Asplundh, Jr. sponsors the Schneider Region.

In 1996, Clyde joined an Asplundh tree crew in his home state of Michigan as a foreperson because he had 10 years of prior tree service experience. In May 2001, Clyde advanced to general

foreperson and he graduated from ASTP in December 2002. His supervisory responsibilities include overseeing Asplundh bucket, manual, mowing and side-trimming crews working for various cooperatives, municipalities and pipelines in southern Michigan and northern Ohio.

Jeff nichols, former general foreperson in the western Carolinas, advanced to supervisor under Vice President Barry Suddreth in February. The Suddreth Region is sponsored by Senior Vice President Gregg Asplundh.

Following in the footsteps of his father, retired Supervisor Gerald Nichols, Jeff joined an Asplundh crew in North Carolina in 1981. He gained experience in all types of manual

and mechanical vegetation management and became a general foreperson in 1992. Jeff’s supervisory responsibilities cover Asplundh operations in the Central East and Central West areas of Duke Energy, as well as some cooperative and municipal accounts in North and South Carolina. He is a 1994 graduate of ASTP and an ISA Certified Arborist.

Todd hagenbuch joined the Arborchem Products Division of Asplundh as a vegetation management specialist under Vice President Joe Lentz in October 2010. Senior Vice President Steven Asplundh sponsors the Arborchem Division.

Todd brings to Arborchem over 16 years of experience in the vegetation management industry and has extensive knowledge of all the herbicide products used for utility

right-of-way (ROW) management today. As a member of the Arborchem team, he provides training and technical support to Asplundh operations and a variety of ROW management customers. Todd holds a bachelor’s degree in forest science from The Pennsylvania State University and is a Pennsylvania licensed pesticide applicator.

dave robinson, former general foreperson in Ohio and West Virginia, was promoted to supervisor under Vice President Dave Puckett in October 2010. Senior Vice President Chris Asplundh, Jr. sponsors the Puckett Region.

Dave came to work for Asplundh in his home state of West Virginia in 1986. He learned the ropes (and a variety of machines) as he rose through the ranks to

general foreperson in 1994. As an Asplundh supervisor, Dave oversees bucket, climbing, side-trimming and spray crews working on the properties of several rural electric cooperatives in southern Ohio. He is a certified First Aid/CPR instructor, licensed herbicide applicator in Ohio and West Virginia, and a 2003 graduate of ASTP.

Mark Turner, former Senior Corporate Safety Supervisor, advanced to supervisor in the Northeastern U.S. under Asplundh Brush Control (ABC) Manager Bob Ray in November 2010. Sponsor/Vice President Larry Moore sponsors the Ray Region of ABC.

A native of Maine, Mark joined an Asplundh crew in 1991 in nearby New Hampshire. Within a year he had learned enough to be a foreperson and by 1997, he was

promoted to general foreperson. In 2004, Mark advanced to regional safety superintendent for the Shelto Region, and he hit the road as a corporate safety supervisor the following year. For ABC, his supervisory responsibilities are currently focused on a 400-mile long right-of-way reclamation and expansion project for Central Maine Power.

Jake Kitzmiller, former general foreperson in Texas, advanced to supervisor under Manager Jerry Kensinger in September 2010. Senior Vice President Matt Asplundh sponsors the Kensinger Region.

A 22-year Asplundh veteran, Jake joined a tree crew in his native state of Maryland where he rose to the rank of general foreperson in 1994. The following year, he transferred to Texas where he has lived ever since. As a supervisor,

Jake is responsible for overseeing Asplundh crews on the property of AEP / SWEPCO in parts of Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas, as well as pipeline and municipal accounts. He is a Texas licensed commercial pesticide applicator and is studying for the ISA Certified Arborist exam.

ricardo Mancera, former general foreperson in northern Illinois under Manager Larry Gauger, was promoted to supervisor in September 2010. CEO Scott Asplundh sponsors the Gauger Regions in Illinois and Pennsylvania.

With two years of prior tree service experience, Ricardo came to work for Asplundh in the Chicago, Illinois area in

May 2001. He advanced through the ranks to general foreperson in 2006 and graduated from ASTP in July of the following year. In June 2010, Ricardo transferred to the Gauger Region in Pennsylvania where he advanced to supervisor. However, in February he was called back to Illinois to assume supervisor responsibilities for Asplundh crews in the southwest area of ComEd.

Management update continues on page 21


OrchidsLetters and telephone calls were received complimenting the following forepersons and their crews working on the property of the utility or organization listed below the employees’ names. This listing covers all Orchids that were received in the Corporate Communications Department between October 31, 2010 and May 20, 2011. For their outstanding job performance or special volunteer efforts, we say ...

Thank you and congratulations!

alaBaMaJonathan Bentley, Ronny Duke and Mark Smith, Journeyman Jesse San Miguel and Groundpersons Anthony Atherton, Josh Barrett, T.J. Guy and Zack Moore,Decatur Utilities

General Foreperson Michael Carden, Forepersons Mark Lambert and Larry Leviner, and Trimmers Jon Arthur, Josh Graham and Gregory Smith,Huntsville Utilities

Mark Smith and Groundperson T.J. Guy, Decatur Utilities

alBerTaGeneral Foreperson Jeff Deuschle, Foreperson Clinton Lusty and Groundperson Matthew McLean,City of Lethbridge

ariZOnaIsmael Garcia, Trimmer Jaime Venzor and Permissions Person Greg Kahler, Salt River Project

RSS Alex Teran, General Foreperson Dave Brower, Forepersons Lorenzo

Benitez, Ismael Garcia, Kenneth Knight and Alfredo Nunez, and Trimmers Gabriel Chavez and Alfredo Lares, for volunteering their time to prune palm trees surrounding the Marcos de Niza High School football field in Tempe to the make the area safer for the students, faculty and community,Salt River Project

arKansasJames Travis and Journeyman Quinte Sproling, for coming to the aid of an elderly woman who collapsed in her driveway,Jonesboro City Water & Light

ausTraliaContract Manager Scott McSweeney, Team Leader Machinery and Plant Greg Duggan, Team Leader Heath Kelly, Team Leader / Tower Operator Ben Reid, Climber and Tower Operators David Objadin and Blake Sippel, and Tower Operator David Mar, for their professional, efficient work and excellent communication skills with home owners,Ausgrid (five letters were received)

Team Leaders Jamie Morgan and Matthew Robson, and Climbers Xavier Kay and Paul Kohlhagen, Essential Energy

BriTish COluMBiaMike Ferrier, Climber Joe Palmer and Apprentice Kyle Temple, BC Hydro

General Foreperson Steve Later, Forepersons Rod Damon and Daryl Pietrzykowski, and Groundperson Cody Ranger,BC Hydro

Marty Lundy, for using his excellent customer service skills to correct a situation with an unhappy home owner,BC Hydro

Roben Rudichuk, Climber Damian Howard, Apprentice Wes Deugua and Faller Al Howard,FortisBC

CalifOrniaUtility Tree Service Foreperson Jacob Brownlee and Apprentice Julio Castrejon,Pacific Gas & Electric

Utility Tree Service Forepersons Jacob Brownlee

and Emilio Pinedo, and Apprentices Julio Castrejon and Jose Morales,Pacific Gas & Electric

General Foreperson Adrian Genesta, San Diego Gas & Electric

General Foreperson Ken Peters and Crew, for volunteering to prune trees near the Women’s Improvement Club of Calexico,Imperial Irrigation District

General Foreperson Dennis Sweeney, Forepersons Shawn Barrett and Logovii Sialoi, and Crews,San Diego Gas & Electric

COlOradOGeneral Foreperson Jimmy Babb, Foreperson Dave Padilla and Crews,Black Hills Utility Holdings

Sergio Peralta, Journeyman Francisco Gaspar and Groundperson Juan Ornelas,Xcel Energy

COnneCTiCuTRailroad Division Foreperson Tom Greenwald, Trimmer Miguel Tamarez and Groundperson Juan Merida, Amtrak


From a letter to the Amtrak Railroad Station regarding the work of Asplundh Railroad Division Foreperson Tom Greenwald, Trimmer Miguel Tamarez and Groundperson Juan Merida at the Pelatiah Leete, III house in Guilford, Connecticut:

“It gives me great pleasure to write you this letter as it provides me with the opportunity to make you aware of the extraordinary level of professionalism and dedication to their jobs ... I have observed. ... We are grateful for all of the good that these individuals did on our behalf. They helped to save and protect a piece of our history in doing so.”

Robert Vavasour

From a letter to Utility Tree Service in Redding, California, regarding Foreperson Jacob Brownlee and Apprentice Julio Castrejon from the Pete Sparacio Region:

“... Mr. Julio Castrejon and Mr. Jacob Brownlee most effectively and professionally cut, trimmed and cleaned the area of a tree they cut down to prevent it from hitting power lines in front of our home. ... We want to thank both your company and PG&E for solving a potentially dangerous situation before it could affect the entire community.”

M.J. and Deanna Manganiello

delaWareGeneral Foreperson Derek Nichols,Delmarva Power

flOridaGeneral Foreperson Francis Chase, Forepersons James Chase and Juan Fernandez, and Trimmers Richard Badger, Merced Castillo and Roberto Contreras,Florida Power & Light

General Forepersons Francis Chase and Robert Oen, Planner Greg Pearson, Forepersons Larry Graham, Jean Malbranche, Miguel Orduna, Crisanto Sanchez, Journeymen Fermin Casto and Daniel Jecrois, and Apprentice Hector Figueroa on our outsourcing project in NH, for improving public safety at the McKelvie Intermediate School in Bedford by removing and chipping dead limbs from the trees on the schoolgrounds,Public Service Co. of NH

General Forepersons Jose Luis Lopez and Eline Noel, and Crews,Florida Power & Light

Michael McGurer and Journeyman Ruben Ortega,Florida Power & Light

General Foreperson Pedro Perez, Foreperson Kevin Reardon, Journeyman Carlos Zambrano and

Groundperson Juan Andino,Florida Power & Light

ArborMetrics Solutions Permissions Person Sergio Romero and Asplundh General Foreperson Rick Hilliard, Foreperson Phillip Pons, Journeyman Chester Smith and Groundpersons Rick Burkhalter and Nathan Pons, Clay Electric Cooperative

illinOisMike Coers, Jess Roberson and Dave Rodman, and Trimmers Zach Sloan and Dave Winters,MidAmerican Energy

Crew Leader Jim Eisenmenger and Trimmer Ed Wilkinson,Batavia Municipal Electric Utility

Crew Leader Jim Eisenmenger and Trimmer Ed Wilkinson,ComEd

Railroad Division RSS Dave Ellifritz, Foreperson Jim Temple and Trimmers Edri Morales and David Oliver,Metra

Melvin Raygor and Trimmer Robert Munday,MidAmerican Energy

indianaSupervisor Roger Hinton, General Foreperson Bryan Davis, Foreperson Brian Thompson and

Groundperson Josh Fish,Utilities District of Western Indiana R.E.M.C.

General Foreperson Rick Sizemore and Crews,Duke Energy

iOWaJason Ahlf and Crew,MidAmerican Energy

Popiel Battin and Trimmer Josh Hodson,MidAmerican Energy

Dana Blatchford and Kelvin Cooper, Trimmer William Thompson, Apprentice Colten Kelsheimer and Permissions Person Jason Waugh,MidAmerican Energy

Kelvin Cooper and Apprentice Colten Kelsheimer,MidAmerican Energy

Planner Terry Hughes and Foreperson Jim Black, for helping a woman get her stuck vehicle out of eight inches of snow,MidAmerican Energy

General Foreperson Gabe Jones, Foreperson Corey Campbell and Trimmer Jeff Cates,MidAmerican Energy

Ryan Lewis and Trimmers Tim McCreery and Nick Miller,MidAmerican Energy

Bill Olson and Trimmer Larry Peterson, for retrieving a cat from a tree,MidAmerican Energy

Rob Philipsen and Trimmer Ryan Beals,MidAmerican Energy

Brandon Rodasky and Trimmer Billy Walker,MidAmerican Energy

Brandon Sutton and Crew,MidAmerican Energy

KansasGeneral Foreperson Herb Babb, Foreperson Chris Rice and Groundperson Daylan Mzhickteno,Kaw Valley Electric Cooperative

General Foreperson Kyle Baur, Forepersons Warren Day and Joseph Miller, and Crews,Kansas City BPU

Adam Stauffer and Trimmers Anthony Burge and Shawn Griffith,Westar Energy

General Foreperson Jesse Villalobos and Crew,Westar Energy

General Foreperson John Wright, Forepersons Aaron Fullerton and Jose Garcia, and Crews,Westar Energy

KenTuCKYPermissions Persons Danny Lester and Roco Pascarella, for persuading two men against using a metal ladder to reach tree limbs near a 7200V line,AEP / Kentucky Power

Orchids – October 31, 2010 through May 20, 2011


From an e-mail to Clay Electric Cooperative regarding General Foreperson Rick Hilliard, Foreperson Philip Pons and crew, along with ArborMetrics Solutions Permissions Person Sergio Romero:“ [I] want to express my thanks for the super job your contractors did in our neighborhood. ... You know it is hard to lose trees that have been around for so long (though we know it has to be done), and your folks have a wonderful way of making the whole process easier for residents. You and your teams are to be commended and I thank you.”

Judy Harris

From an e-mail to PEPCO Senior Staff Forester Dan Landry in Maryland, regarding Foreperson Celso Saul Bonilla, Journeyman Jose Alvarez and Groundperson Julio Sorto:

“I want to compliment your men who removed the tree from my yard. ... They were very professional and extremely careful in removing the tree, which was surrounded by the electrical lines, pole and another large tree. ... I work as a consultant in the health, safety and environmental professions for a large manufacturing corporation, and I was impressed by their teamwork and safe work practices.”

June Bolstridge



MaineTrimmer Troy Billings and Groundperson Chris Richards,Central Maine Power Co.

Roger Lister and Groundpersons Chris Bann and Phillip Hopkins,Central Maine Power Co.

MarYlandForeperson Celso Saul Bonilla, Journeyman Jose Alvarez and Groundperson Julio Sorto,Potomac Electric Power Co.

General Forepersons Julio Bonilla and Chris Scardina, and Office Assistant Tilunda Victor, for their professionalism and excellent customer service while working with a resident concerning pruning work in Montgomery County, Potomac Electric Power Co.

Tomas Bonilla and Crew, Potomac Electric Power Co.

Tomas Bonilla and Crew, for delivering a truckful of firewood to a resident of Bethesda,Potomac Electric Power Co.

Oscar Gonzalez and Oscar Novoa, and Crews,Montgomery County Govt.

General Foreperson Rusty McCumbee, Foreperson Jason Moss and Trimmer Michael Merchant, for removing a high-risk tree threatening the Sand Hook Methodist Church,Volunteer Work

Barbara Zamora and Groundperson Daniel Serrano, for using the safety cones to provide a safe work area for Daniel to replace a flat tire on an elderly woman’s car,Potomac Electric Power Co.

MinnesOTaNathan Anaruk and Trimmers Robert Ewer-Gurtz, Adam Madison and Robert Schneider,Great River Energy

Trimmers Matt Busho and Ed Wood,CenterPoint Energy

Jason Frey and John Holmes, and Trimmers Lynn Harp, Robert Pavel, Chris Plan and Bryan Shopbell,Xcel Energy

General Foreperson Glenn Erickson, Forepersons Cliff Larson and Jason Spike, and Trimmers Kevin Murray and Tom Surdey,Great River Energy

General Foreperson Jeff Lopeman, Foreperson Scott Skalicky and Crews,Connexus Energy

General Foreperson Dave Tronson, Forepersons Scott Benz, Chuck Heiland and Ryan West, and Crews,Xcel Energy

MississippiGeneral Foreperson Mike Lander, Foreperson Mandy Murphy and Groundperson

Corey Reed,Mississippi Power Co.

MissOuriAsplundh Brush Control Forepersons Glen Adams, John Adams and Mark Adams, and Groundpersons Dirk Johnson, Larry Oehlert and Chris Shirey,Rolla Municipal Utilities

General Foreperson Tom Bair, Forepersons Doug Davidson and Jamie Davidson, and Crews,City of Kansas City

General Foreperson Greg Chapple and Crew,Boone Electric Cooperative

General Forepersons Brian Plake and Willy Plake, Forepersons Kenneth Brown, Daniel Lafferty, Jonathan Parker, Scott Popp, John Rodgers, Rob Stanley and David Storey, Trimmer Vern Miley and Groundpersons Larry Burdick, Mark Gibson and Edward Reuscher, for donating their time on a Saturday to chip Christmas trees for Boy Scout Troop 492’s annual tree recycling fund-raiser,Independence Power & Light

RSS Paul Snethen, for his exceptionally well-presented tree trimming and chain saw safety course,Kansas City Power & Light

neBrasKaDavid Aken and Trimmers

Jose Castillo and Brandon Nanfito,Omaha Public Power District

Aaron Holloway and Jovani Pena, and Crews,Omaha Public Power District

Lonnie Pedde and Trimmers Tom Benedict and Raymond Whitbeck,Omaha Public Power District

General Foreperson David Sweeney, Forepersons David Aken, Jose Barrera-Victorio and Dwand Brown, and Trimmer Rico Campbell,Omaha Public Power District

nevadaGeneral Foreperson David Gonzalez, Forepersons Pedro Murillo and JuanTrejo, and Crews,NV Energy

Matt McClurg and Rob Wilson, and Crews,NV Energy

neW haMpshireGeneral Foreperson Greg Bath, Forepersons Dan Gelina and Sid Howlett, Trimmer Tom Dunkerton and Groundpersons Chris Fitzgerald and Shiloh Turgeon, for repairing a cord so the American flag could once again proudly fly over the Claremont Walmart,Public Service Co. of NH

General Foreperson Tom Chouinard, Foreperson

From an e-mail to Supervisor Dom Derosa, regarding the work of General Forepersons Trish Coulter and Ron Tucker and crews in New Jersey:

“I’ve had nothing but great service from Trish and Ron’s crews. Your company has done a great job for us and I hope we can continue our relationship for the future. I wish all my other contractors were as good as your company. Thanks for everything.”

Rick Meng, C & M Tech 1, New Jersey DOT

From an e-mail to Vice President Keith Erickson regarding Trimmers Ed Wood and Matt Busho in Minnesota:

“This is a very sensitive area due to wildlife, trees, erosion and the public. Your crews made quick work of the project while keeping all of the issues in mind. ... The work was all done by hand in knee- to waist-deep snow. They worked through some of the coldest days we had this winter. I had several opportunities to meet with the guys on site. You have a fine, hard-working group of guys. Thank you.”

Shane Jones, Technical Field Ops. Supervisor, CenterPoint Energy

Jerry Clark and Crew,Public Service Co. of NH

General Foreperson Bruce Lee and Forepersons Brian Coffey and Jeff Fellows, for donating a day of their time to perform tree work for the Hillsboro Parks and Recreation Dept. in honor of Arbor Day, Volunteer Work

neW JerseYGeneral Forepersons Bill Costello and Joe Donlon, and Crews,Public Service Electric & Gas Co.

General Forepersons Trish Coulter and Grant Sietinsons, Foreperson Daryl Loatman and Crews,Atlantic City Electric

General Forepersons Trish Coulter and Ron Tucker, and Crews,New Jersey DOT

General Foreperson Ron Tucker, Foreperson Tim Greene and Apprentice Justin Krebs,Atlantic City Electric

neW YOrKBrian Gribbins and Trimmer Kenny Randolph,Long Island Power Authority

General Foreperson Mike Greene, Forepersons Steven Fox and Matt Morales, Trimmers Jon Bate and Chris Hayes, and Permissions Person Alan Attanasio,Con Edison

Asplundh Brush Control General Foreperson Mike Ray and Trimmers Richard Fronk, Jim Mascho, Jr. and Joe Stewart,National Grid

Asplundh Brush Control General Foreperson Mike Terry, Foreperson Jan McIntosh and Trimmer Ben Hanno, for donating their expertise on a day off to help an Eagle Scout candidate clear trees and brush, and spread wood chips for a hiking trail in Syracuse City Park,Volunteer Work

nOrTh CarOlinaGeneral Foreperson Robbie Callis and Apprentices Heath Goodrich and Travis Marshall,Duke Energy

Charles Cummings and Crew,North Carolina DOT(two letters were received)

Thomas Dalton and Crew,Duke Energy

OhiORony Alvardo and Groundperson Anthony Beach,AEP Ohio

General Foreperson Dave Ayers, Forepersons Dave Atherton and Roger Smith, Trimmer Chuck Phillips and Groundpersons Jeremy McCoun and Luke North, for helping to free a school bus

stuck in the snow,AEP Ohio

Cody Beshire and Cody Walters, Journeymen Gerardo Molina and Johnny Provenzale, Trimmers Daniel Diaz and Justin Walters, and Groundperson Chris McGrail,AEP Ohio

General Foreperson Ernie Brinker, Forepersons John Claggett, Gary Ginn and Todd Moore, and Journeyman Troy McCormick, AEP Ohio

General Foreperson Cory Chambers and Crews, for food and toys donated to the Glenford Food Pantry,AEP Ohio

General Foreperson Brian Crow, Foreperson William Kinison and Journeyman Frankie Rosado,South Central Power Co.

General Foreperson Jim Dunaway and Crews,AEP Ohio

General Foreperson Tim Dunham and Outsource Crews from Michigan,AEP Ohio

General Foreperson Bart Elliott and Crews,Butler Rural Electric Co-op.

General Foreperson Matthew Knisley, Journeyman Charles Yahn

and Trimmer Adam Ewing,AEP Ohio

General Foreperson John Lewis, for his excellent public relations skills,Cincinnati Bell

Jeff Lindsey and Trimmer Joe Brown, South Central Power Co.

Jim Mills, Trimmers Bobby Gray and Andrew Hill, Apprentice Mike Noggler and Groundperson Cory Colaner,AEP Ohio

Ronald Painter and Trimmer Terry Wiseman, Jr., AEP Ohio

General Foreperson Keith Parks, Foreperson Mickey Rosser, Trimmers Dave McGarvey and John Rieck, III,AEP Ohio

General Foreperson Sergio Perlera, Foreperson Dennis Rivera and Trimmers Francisco Cardenas and James Coleman, AEP Ohio

General Foreperson John Rader, Foreperson Jim Mills and Trimmers Bobby Gray and Andrew Hill,AEP Ohio

Mickey Rosser and Trimmers Dave McGarvey, Chris Pack and John Rieck, III,AEP Ohio

Kevin Senters, Journeyman Russell Nickles and



From an e-mail to Asplundh Brush Control Vice President Rod Cornett regarding Assistant General Foreperson Danny Roy and crews working in Oklahoma:

“I appreciate the work that your crews did for us on the Putnam to Leon interconnect line upgrade. They performed their work in a very professional and safe manner. Victor Hicks gave them very high praise when he said that they were one of the best groups that he has worked with. Again, thank your crews for their work and safe attitude.”

Larry Roberson, Project Manager, AEP / PSO

From a letter to Hydro Ottawa in Ontario, Canada regarding Blair Brassard Region Foreperson Donald James and crews:

“I wanted to thank you so much for helping my daughter yesterday dig out our outdoor ‘emergency key’ so she could get into the house. She was cold and alone and feeling vulnerable, and your crew was very kind to help her. She says that you were wonderful and respectful, and that she felt safe even though the men were strangers. Thank you again and keep up the good work.”

Peggy Hallward



Trimmer Julian Chavez,AEP Ohio

Caleb Vernon and Justin Warren, and Crew,AEP Ohio

OKlahOMaGeneral Foreperson Shannon Moore, Foreperson Barry Henderson and Apprentice Waylon Hogshooter,AEP / PSO

Asplundh Brush Control Assistant General Foreperson Danny Roy and Crews,AEP / PSO

OnTariODonald James and Crew,Hydro Ottawa

OregOnGeneral Forepersons Steve Larson and Robert Spitler, Forepersons Jerry Bonsall, Chris Hollister and John Perini, and Apprentice Jesse Renoude, for donating their time to help Girl Scouts Troops 40259 and 41259 chip Christmas trees and greenery for their annual tree recycling fund-raiser,Portland General Electric

pennsYlvaniaGeneral Foreperson Arnulfo Cazares and Crews,PECO Energy

General Foreperson Zack Foley, Forepersons Troy Baton, Mike Freeland and

Rick Rickert, and Trimmer Keith LaPoint,FirstEnergy/Penelec

Supervisor Jude Solis, for his outstanding customer service and professionalism in dealing with an upset home owner,PECO Energy

Ramon Torres and Crew,PECO Energy

sOuTh CarOlinaGeneral Foreperson Jamie Briley, Foreperson Samuel Strickland and Crew,Progress Energy

Trimmer Justin McSwain,Duke Energy

General Foreperson Robert B. Roberts, for stopping to help control a wildfire that was heading toward a mobile home,Progress Energy

TennesseeGeneral Foreperson Ed Bedell, Foreperson Jerry Arnett, Jr., Journeyman Aubrey Knight, Trimmer Edward Clemmer and Groundperson Larenzo Buggs, Jackson Energy Authority

Justin Buttry and Groundperson Daniel Whitney, Holston Electric Cooperative

TeXasGeneral Forepersons Truman Beck and Zac Womble, Forepersons

Shane Floyd, Justin Murphy and Joel Poe, and Trimmer Roy Weatherford,Xcel Energy

General Foreperson Joe Flores, Jr. and Foreperson Frank Moreno,Oncor

General Foreperson Roger Galvan, Foreperson Roman Molina and Crew,Oncor

General Foreperson Sebastian Lagunas and Crews,CenterPoint Energy

Foreperson Ricardo Mendez and Groundperson Julio Davila,CPS Energy

Efren Oceguera and Trimmer Fernando Robles, Pedernales Electric Co-op.

Asplundh Brush Control Assistant General Foreperson Danny Roy, for using his expertise to help repair the Cottonwood Trail at the Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area,Oncor

General Foreperson Zac Womble, Forepersons Sam Houston and Daniel Wallace, and Trimmers Ben Hight and John Saavedra,Xcel Energy

virginiaBrandon Bayne, Journeyman Illren Keller and Groundperson

Holden Parker,City of Salem

Brett Hunt and Trimmers Mitchell Hayter and A.J. Shatrowskas, Virginia Dept. of Forestry

William Jenkins and Groundperson Guillermo Barrios,Dominion Virginia Power

Robert Ponton and James Stephens, Trimmers Mike Johns and Calvin Smith, and Apprentice Kerry Sayers,AEP / Appalachian Power Co.

General Foreperson Carl Pugh and Crews,Dominion Virginia Power

David Ramey, Trimmer Charles Ramey and Permissions Person Lori Cash,AEP / Appalachian Power Co.

WashingTOnVince Galera and Crew,Seattle City Light

Mark Johnson and Crew,Snohomish County PUD

Ross Johnston and Bill Polich, and Crews,Snohomish County PUD

Robert Salamanca, Trimmer Oscar Mendoza and Apprentice Brandon Cady,City of Richland

Craig Timmerman, Trimmer Britt Farnsworth and Groundperson Griffin Horn-Smith,Benton Rural Electric Association

From a letter to Vice President Larry Kirk, regarding the work of Foreperson Brett Hunt and Trimmers A.J. Shatrowskas and Mitchell Hayter in Virginia:

“Please accept my sincere thanks for the good work of your crew this morning, aiding our Abingdon staff in the cutting down and moving of the 25-foot red spruce that will serve as the 2010 Virginia Capitol Christmas Tree. Their efforts ensured this tree was removed safely and in good form. ... We are grateful to you for your assistance and wish you the best in 2011.”

Carl Garrison III, State Forester, Virginia Department of Forestry

From a letter to Field Personnel Manager Joe Lee at the Home Office in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, regarding Foreperson Justin Buttry and Groundperson Daniel Whitney working in Tennessee:

“I’m writing to thank you for the excellent service our community received. ... These two men responded to my call to Holston Electric regarding a large Beech tree that had fallen. ... I would like to recognize them for their selfless actions, fantastic positive attitudes and willingness to use their skills to help a little country church in dire need of assistance.”

Michelle Gossett

Dave Watts and Crew,Puget Sound Energy

WesT virginiaJustin Bryant and Trimmer Tony Brewer,AEP / Appalachian Power Co.

Ralph Edwards and Curtis Haskiell, Journeymen George Coffman, Ronnie Lawson and Brian Travis, and Trimmer Charles McNear,Allegheny Power

WisCOnsinJeff Steinert and Trimmer Kevin Schweizer, for quickly responding to a cry for help from an elderly woman who was having trouble connecting her husband’s breathing apparatus to a fresh tank of oxygen,We Energies

sTOrM WOrKOctober 2010 – Snow Storm

Robert Pearson and Crew, for their excellent customer service while performing snow storm restoration work in the Broad Run area,Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative

December 2010 – Windstorm

General Foreperson Ed Cote, Trimmers Shaun Messier, Josh Randall, Chris Vinal and Mark Warren, Jr., and Groundperson Travis Calloway, for their hard work clearing debris from power lines

so the windstorm restoration could be completed in five days,Vermont Electric Cooperative

December 2010 – Blizzard

Matt Morales and Wayne Van Aken, and Trimmers Chris Hayes and Al Slavin, for working without incident in extremely difficult conditions following a post-Christmas blizzard in the Westchester County area, Con Edison (NY)

February 2011 – Ice Storm

General Foreperson Rondal Warren, Forepersons Bryan Magee, Paul Magee and Steve Walker, Journeyman Will Hobgood and Trimmers Bobby Murray and Hendrix Roberson, for working long hours to safely and efficiently remove debris from ice-coated power lines in the Pineville area,Central Louisiana Electric Co.

General Foreperson Kenny Roy, Foreperson Tim Hall, Trimmer James Dailey and Groundperson Erik Johnson (KY), for doing an outstanding job removing storm-damaged trees in the Rockville area,Montgomery County (MD)

Mike Young and Trimmer Chris Terry (KY), fordoing a great job pruning storm-damaged branches and cleaning up debris,Montgomery County (MD)

Senior Vice President Chris Asplundh, Manager Jeff Lynch, Supervisor Kevin Booher, General Forepersons Adam Luster and Shawn Stewart, and Crews, for their dedication, endurance and commitment to safety while helping the ice storm restoration efforts in the Dayton area, Dayton Power & Light (OH)

Supervisors Kevin Booher and Carl Marcum, General Forepersons Greg Gibson, Adam Luster, Bart Mingus, Sergio Perlera, Shawn Stewart, Luis Trejo and Darrin Wilson, and Permissions Person Floyd Marcum (IN/OH), for working hard to remove ice-laden branches so power could be restored in the Dayton area,Dayton Power & Light(two letters were received)

March 2011 – Snow & Ice Storm

Shon Erskine and Groundperson John Sheppard, for their excellent work patrolling and trimming during the ice storm restoration in the Lebanon area,National Grid (MA)

General Foreperson Ed Cote, Forepersons Jason McAlister and Jason Messier, and Groundperson Howard Young, for working efficiently, safely and methodically to remove

downed trees and limbs from power lines after a snow and ice storm in the Springfield area,Central Vermont Public Service

March 2011 – Thunderstorm

General Foreperson Jose Vega, Foreperson Jose Umanzor and Groundperson Aristides Garcia, for doing a great, professional job clearing broken tree limbs while being careful not to damage any property or additional tree limbs, Montgomery County (MD)

April 2011 – Tornadoes

Permissions Person David Whitly, for his efforts above and beyond his usual duties to support the storm restoration efforts after the Hickory area was hit with several tornadoes in April,Duke Energy (NC)

General Forepersons Barry Buckley and Mike Nulty, Forepersons Garland Good, Johnny Lang, Robert Luttrell and Glen Rutherford, and Crews, Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative (VA)



From a letter to Vice President Mike Smith regarding General Foreperson Rondal Warren and crews working for Central Louisiana Electric Co.:

“Just a few lines to let your company know how well the crews under Rondal Warren did during the ice storm in Pineville. While here from the fourth to the seventh of February, they worked long hours safely and efficiently. People with CLECO, whom these crews worked with, had nothing but praise and good remarks.”

Charles DeLuca, Reliability Specialist, Central Louisiana Electric Co.

From an e-mail to Manager Ralph Guadagno regarding Foreperson Shon Erskine and Groundperson John Sheppard in Massachusetts:

“I wanted to let you know that [Shon] and John were a great help to the crews and I during the ice storm this past week. They did a great job and were very eager to take on any task, patrolling, trimming and a nudge or two to get our trucks out of the snow. They were a pleasure to have with us.”

Keith Trefry, Performance Supervisor, National Grid

serviCeANNIversArIes

January – June 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986 and 1991

40Years

Greg “Dirt” HomillerEquipment Training & Inspection Supervisor

Fleet ServicesWillow Grove

Doug GoberSponsor / Vice President

Willow Grove

Larry MooreSponsor / Vice President

Willow Grove

Dennis MiddletonGeneral Foreperson

Mississippi

Danny Terwilliger, Sr.ForepersonPennsylvania

Ronald LambertForeperson

Ohio

Samuel B. WilliamsonForepersonKentucky

Donn PattersonRSS

Virginia

35Years

Larry BeegleForepersonPennsylvania

Gerry BlaseMgr. Eastern Region

Railroad DivisionWillow Grove

Ronald DehartForepersonPennsylvania

John SchwaigerPermissions Person

North Carolina


Joe SchneiderVice President

Wisconsin


30Years

25YearsBradley AnkromGeneral Foreperson

West Virginia

Andrew AnthonySupervisorLouisiana

Steven AsplundhSponsor / Sr. Vice President

Willow Grove

Kevin BooherSupervisor

Ohio

Carl ClecklerPermissions Person

Alabama

Maureen CruicePurchasing Agent

Procurement ServicesWillow Grove

Bill CurranGeneral Foreperson

Pennsylvania

Joe DwyerChief Financial OfficerSecretary-Treasurer

Willow Grove

Ronald FountainGeneral Foreperson

South Carolina

Barry HaffForepersonWisconsin

Greg HallsteinRSS

New York

Calvin HarrisForepersonPennsylvania

Daniel HernandezForeperson

Missouri

Elwood HessGeneral Foreperson

Pennsylvania

Charles Higdon, Jr.General Foreperson

Maryland

David KarikasForepersonNew York

Glen KoskiForeperson

Michigan

Patrick LambertonManager

Pennsylvania

Edwin MartinezForeperson

Florida

David MorlandSprayer

Pennsylvania

Benny NewtonForeperson

Asplundh Brush Control Co.New York

Robert NewtonForeperson


Emilio PerezSupervisor

Florida

Mark PerishoGroundperson

Kansas

Susan PotterAdministrative CoordinatorAsplundh Brush Control Co.

New York

John RapachForepersonNew Jersey

George RoeGeneral Foreperson

New York

Rois ThompsenGeneral Foreperson

Virginia

Curtis BainForeperson

North Carolina

Troy BallGeneral Foreperson

Tennessee

Frank DevineForepersonPennsylvania

David Fox, Sr.Foreperson

Virginia

Jay HodkiewiczTrimmer

Wisconsin

Odilon JulmeForeperson

Florida

David McLambRSS

North Carolina

James McQuownForepersonPennsylvania

Kenneth MillerForeperson

Ohio

Jerry MontagueForeperson

North Carolina

Randy SchwindemannForepersonNew York

Michael SmithForepersonTennessee

20YearsDon Alderson

ForepersonOklahoma

William BarePermissions Person

North Carolina

John Boley, Jr.Foreperson

Virginia

Thomas BrehmForepersonNew York

Douglas BrooksForepersonArkansas

Rodney BuschForepersonWashington

Jerry CernaGeneral Foreperson

Oklahoma

Kent CollinsTrimmerOregon

Carlos DayeForepersonPennsylvania

Danny DowningForeperson

Alaska

20YearsGeoffrey Eads

ForepersonMissouri

Ray EasterlingForeperson

Alabama

Roy FiteForepersonKentucky

Oscar GonzalezForeperson

Virginia

Ralph GuadagnoManager

MassachusettsMichael HarringtonGeneral Foreperson

Washington

Laurence HarrisGeneral Foreperson

Massachusetts

Efrain HernandezGeneral Foreperson

Illinois

Robert HerronForepersonWashington

David KelleyGeneral Foreperson

Railroad DivisionMississippi

Gene KopaczForepersonWisconsin

Michael LarsenForepersonWashington

Jeff LynchManagerMichigan

Curtis MarksForeperson

Virginia

Charles McGee, Jr.Foreperson

AlabamaDaniel McGuire

General ForepersonFlorida

Mark MeisterForepersonWashington

Paul MetsalaWork Planner

California

Troy NorwoodForepersonArkansas

Johnny PetersForeperson

AlabamaDwight Preston

ForepersonAsplundh Brush Control Co.

New York

Michael RayGeneral Foreperson


Robert ReimerForepersonWashington

Virgil RichardsonGeneral Foreperson

Texas

Earnest Riddle, Jr.SupervisorDelaware

Juvenal RiveraForepersonCalifornia

Fred RoseForepersonWashington

John Rountree, Jr.ForepersonMissouri

Sue SmithTechnician

Customer & Field LiaisonWillow Grove

Mark TurnerSupervisor

Asplundh Brush Control Co.New Hampshire

Harold VaughanPermissions Person

West Virginia

Gregory WaybrightTrimmer

West Virginia

Robert WhiteJourneyman

West Virginia

Randy WhitleyForeperson

North Carolina

Gary WillardForeperson

Massachusetts

Ray WilliamsTrimmerLouisiana

Mike WolfordSupervisor

West Virginia

Sammy Wood, IIGeneral Foreperson

Tennessee


mANAgemeNtupdaTe continued from pg. 12

John Wolfe, former general foreperson in northern Ohio, advanced to supervisor there under Branch Manager Les Parsons in October 2010. The Parsons Region is sponsored by Senior Vice President Gregg Asplundh.

With 10 years of prior tree service experience, John joined an Asplundh crew in his home state of Ohio in January 1994. Within three months, he became a

foreperson and the following year, he was promoted to general foreperson. As a supervisor, John is responsible for overseeing Asplundh crews working on the property of FirstEnergy/Ohio Edison, as well as various cooperative and municipal accounts. He is an ISA Certified Arborist and Utility Specialist. A 2001 graduate of ASTP, John also attended the General Foreperson Professional Development Program in 2007.

derik Wolfe, former general foreperson in Maryland and D.C., was promoted to supervisor in the Steve Miller Region in March. Senior Vice President Gregg Asplundh sponsors the Miller Region.

Born and raised in Maryland, Derik joined an Asplundh tree crew there in 1994 after serving two years in the U.S. Army. Progressing steadily through the ranks, he advanced to general foreperson in

1998. Derik’s supervisory responsibilities include overseeing Asplundh crews working on the property of Potomac Electric Power Company and various municipal accounts in Maryland and D.C. He is an ISA Certified Arborist and a licensed Maryland Tree Expert. A 1998 graduate of ASTP, Derik also participated in the July 2005 General Foreperson Professional Development Program.

neWsUPeRVIsORsinTheFIeLd


CreWs& News

OnThejOB

p Railroad Division Keeps Metra on Track—Although Chicago, Illinois had its share of snow storms this winter, the Railroad Division was out doing routine trimming to keep Metra’s services on track and reliable. Regional Safety Superintendent Dave Ellifritz, Foreperson Jim Temple (operating the Prentice Loader above) and Trimmers Edri Morales and David Oliver from the Tom Mayer Region used a Jarraff to side trim tree limbs to a safe distance away from the commuter railroad’s assets. Then the loader was used to collect the brush for chipping. Asplundh Railroad crews have worked safely and efficiently on Metra’s cycle trimming program for several years.

p Cool Crews Keep The Heat On—On a freezing cold, winter day in January, crews from the Kevin Dove Region not only saved MidAmerican Energy equipment and personnel expenses, but also saved the residents of East Moline, Illinois from losing power in -20 degree weather. General Foreperson Dan Roberson, Planner Dave Rodman, Forepersons Mike Coers and Jesse Roberson, and Trimmers Zach Sloan and Dave Winters all fought through the bitter cold to safely remove a limb that was knocked onto power lines by 30 mph winds. The men were able to clear the line in a timely and cost-effective manner without having to switch out and cut jumpers like MidAmerican Energy was prepared to do.

p McDonnell Region Removes High-Risk Trees—An Asplundh crew from the Tom McDonnell Region in Virginia was presented with a challenging job from Dominion Virginia Power to remove trees threatening their lines in Powhatan. Two white oaks were leaning toward a 19.9kV distribution line. The first tree was removed via aerial lift by Bucket Operator Joe Rose and Foreperson Mike Messinger. However, the second tree was out of the lift’s reach, so Foreperson Leo Aguilar (pictured) skillfully climbed the tree to safely remove it without hitting the power line or damaging property. These men are part of a cost-plus crew specializing in removals in the Midlothian District of Dominion Virginia Power.

ISA Board Certified Master Arborist

CHRIS SAMUELSOn March 26, 2011, Permissions Person Chris Samuels of the Barry Suddreth Region in North Carolina became the first Asplundh employee to pass the International Society of Arboriculture’s (ISA) Board Certified Master Arborist exam. Chris joins an exclusive group of less than 400 folks worldwide who have achieved

the highest level of professional certification in arboriculture.

To qualify to sit for the exam, Chris had to be an ISA Certified Arborist and hold eight points based on education, work experience and other industry certifications. The exam tested Chris’ knowledge of arboricultural science, practice and management based on a recommended reading list that was 38" inches tall when stacked cover-to-cover. All the studying and hard work was worth it. “I hope this inspires more Asplundh employees to hit the books and push harder,” says Chris. “There is strength in knowledge.”

Want to increase your “strength” as an arborist? Technical Services can help you start on the right path with a collection of articles that are part of the recommended reading for the ISA Certified Arborist exam. Call 1-800-248-8733, ext. 4246 or e-mail [email protected] for details. It’s free!


p GRU Asplundh Employee of the Year—In December 2010, Trimmer Lawrence Brown (third from R) of the Ronnie Collins Region in Florida was named the Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) Asplundh Contract Employee of the Year. Lawrence received this recognition during the GRU / Asplundh Annual Safety and Training Meeting. He earned the award for showing growth in his position, his great attitude and his teamwork approach. On hand to congratulate Lawrence were (L to R) GRU Forester Donald Eyster, GRU Line Clearance Coordinator Mike Kennedy, GRU Electric Systems Manager Tracy Maxwell, Asplundh General Foreperson James Williams and GRU Senior Forester Joe Wolf.

p Florida Crews Volunteer for New Hampshire School—When the McKelvie Intermediate School in Bedford, New Hampshire heard Asplundh trucks rumbling up to their school grounds, they were thrilled. Crews from the Eugene Wyatt Region in Florida under General Forepersons Francis Chase and Robert Oen were in the area performing outsourced work for Public Service Co. of New Hampshire. The utility donated the crews’ time, as part of a New Hampshire State Arborists’ work day. The crews pruned and mulched dead limbs from the school’s trees, making the area safe for the students and community. The crews were only there for a day, but the school was pleased with how safely the crews performed their job, remaining aware of the students and faculty around them at all times.

p Employees Help Girl Scouts Recycle Trees—Girl Scout Troops #40259 and #41259 of Beaverton, Oregon got some helping hands from the Bodie Miller Region. In early January, the chipping team of General Forepersons Steve Larson (far L) and Robert Spitler, Forepersons Jerry Bonsall (far R), Chris Hollister and John Perini, and Apprentice Jesse Renoude all volunteered to help the troops gather and chip over 775 Christmas trees, wreathes and garlands they collected from the public. With the donations they received over two days to have the greens recycled, the Girl Scouts can fund their programs for almost an entire year!

t GF Awarded Puget Sound Energy’s Star Award—On January 18, the Nooksack River in Washington took a turn for the worse when it flooded, causing the Warnick Bluff to cave into the river along with a Puget Sound Energy (PSE) transmission pole. General Foreperson Keven Moore (L) of the Mike Kavran Region was a crucial member of the employee and contractor teams who responded. His quick and decisive thinking helped to reconstruct the line through the area. Keven

was presented with the PSE Star Award on March 17 by Vegetation Management Department Manager Beth Rogers (R) to recognize his contribution to the team and for making this job a priority in an already busy schedule.

t Asplundh Employees Help High School—Marcos de Niza High School in Tempe, Arizona was struggling to maintain the palm trees around their football field. Since they had gone many years without care, the trees became a hazard to students who were outside near them. Thankfully, in October 2010, a crew from the Will Willis Region in Arizona was referred to the school by Salt River Project to prune the palms and make the area safe once again for the students, faculty and community. Pictured (L to R) are: Trimmer Gabriel Chavez, Forepersons Alfredo Nunez and Lorenzo Benitez, Trimmer Alfredo Lares and Forepersons Ismael Garcia and Kenneth Knight who volunteered their time along with RSS Alex Teran (not pictured) and his son, Joseph (front row), who helped the crew with groundwork that day.

aWards&ReWaRds COMMuniTYseRVICe


30-YearWatChes

t At a general forepersons’ meeting in February, General Foreperson Michael Quick (L) was presented with a specially-engraved watch by Vice President Tom McDonnell (R) in recognition of 30+ years of dedicated service. Michael originally started with the company in August 1974 as a groundperson on Oklahoma Gas & Electric

(OGE) property. He left the company for a couple of years, but returned in November 1977 as a climber when he realized arboriculture was the career for him. Michael continued to work for OGE and numerous cooperatives in the state before moving to Tennessee in 1985 with a promotion to general foreperson on Bristol Electric Co. property. He remained there for 12 years until an opportunity to advance to supervisor took him back to Oklahoma. In 2005, Michael moved once more, this time to Northern Neck Electric Cooperative property in Virginia. He has remained there ever since, working as a general foreperson overseeing crews in the Warsaw area.

u A glitch in the system delayed

the presentation of Foreperson Larry Leviner’s (center) specially-engraved watch, but it didn’t

dull the heartfelt appreciation Supervisor

Gary Parker (L) and General Foreperson

Mike Carden (R) have for Larry’s years of

dedicated service. He first joined Asplundh in April 1976 as a groundperson on Tampa Electric Co. property in Florida. Larry left Asplundh briefly before joining Farrens Tree Service (which became an Asplundh subsidiary) in 1986 as a foreperson. By 1988, he was back, working as climber on Duke Energy

property in North Carolina. Four years later, Larry moved to Alabama and began working on Huntsville Utilities, where he has remained ever since.

t Everything is bigger in Texas, including the well wishes for Vice President Allen LeBlanc (fourth from L) on his 30 th anniversary with Asplundh. Sponsor/Senior Vice President Chris Asplundh, Jr. (fourth from R) presented Allen with a specially-engraved watch at a local restaurant and offered his congratulations along with customers (L to R) Margie Regalado, Albert Lara, James Koenig, Eulalio Gamboa, Clyde Stroud and Sid Bonilla from City Public Service of San Antonio (CPS Energy). Allen first came to work for Asplundh in September 1978 as a foreperson. He left briefly, but returned in November 1980. He was promoted to general foreperson in 1987 and advanced to supervisor in 1992. He became manager of his own region in 1996 and was elected vice president of the company in 2004. Along with CPS Energy, Allen currently manages Asplundh operations on the properties of AEP Texas, Austin Energy and various rural electric and municipal accounts.

t Supervisor MartyRobinson (center) received a specially-engraved watch and congratulations from Sponsor/Senior Vice President Matt Asplundh (L) and Vice President Eugene Wyatt (R) for 30 years of dedicated service at a regional supervisors’

meeting in December. He started after high school in November 1978 as a groundperson. After a brief departure, Marty returned in November 1980 and worked his way up through the ranks with a promotion to general foreperson in 1988. He advanced to supervisor in 1997, a position he continues to hold to this day, overseeing crew operations in the north region of Florida Power & Light property. Marty has worked his entire career in Florida for various customers, including the City of Coral Gables, Tampa Electric and Florida Keys Electric Cooperative. He has been recognized numerous times for controlling costs, outstanding safety performance and storm response.

t General Foreperson Randy McQueeney (R) was presented with a specially-engraved watch by Vice President Dave Puckett (R) to mark his 30 th anniversary with Asplundh. Randy began his career in October 1980 as a tree trimmer trainee on Pennsylvania Electric Co. (now First

Energy/Penelec) property. He rose through the ranks, being promoted to foreperson in 1988. Randy left Pennsylvania in 1999 to install and dismantle highway billboards in Ohio for Asplundh’s now defunct outdoor maintenance subsidiary. In February 2000, he joined the Asplundh Brush Control Co. as a foreperson overseeing spray and mowing crews for PennDOT. Three years later, he rejoined the Tree company and was promoted to RSS in 2004. Randy became a general foreperson in April 2007, responsible for pipeline maintenance crews working on PEPCO property in Ohio. He returned to Pennsylvania later that year, and has been overseeing work for First Energy/Penelec and Northwestern REC ever since.

u Manager Rickey Bailey (third from L) had a veritable “watch-a-polooza” last fall when four employees in his Alabama-based region all marked their 30 th anniversaries with the company within a two month period. Joined by Supervisor Jeff Findley (far R) and customers from Alabama Power Co. (APCo.), Rickey took the celebrants out to lunch where they were each presented with specially-engraved watches to thank them for their service to Asplundh.

Foreperson Robert Rigsby (far L) joined the company in 1978 with over five years of previous line clearance experience on a Farrens Tree Service (which became an Asplundh subsidiary) crew. After a short break, he returned to Asplundh as a climber in August 1980 and was promoted to foreperson in 1982. He has worked his entire career in the northern half of APCo.’s western division in Alabama.

Permissions Person Larry Attaway (second from L) got his start as a climber on an APCo. crew in the northern half of the western division and

has worked there for his entire career as well. His hard work was recognized with a promotion to foreperson in 1987, which he served as until 2004 when he took on the duties of a permissions person.

Operator Cecil Oden (third from R) was hired on as a groundman in August 1980 to work in APCo.’s western division. His good work was recognized with a promotion to foreperson in 1997. In 2008, he took on an equipment operator position, still working in the western division.

Climber/Operator Dale Sudduth (second from R) began his Asplundh career in October 1980 as a groundman on an APCo. crew in the southern half of the western division, where he still works today. He was promoted to climber/operator a few years later and continues to do a great job in this territory.


30-YearWatChes

u Vice President Doug Smith (L) gave Head Mechanic James Bethea (R) a hearty handshake of congratulations along with a specially-engraved watch to

mark his 30 th anniversary with the company. James came to work for Asplundh in December 1980 as a groundperson in South Carolina. Through his hard work,

James was promoted to foreperson in the late 1980s. He advanced again, this time in 1995 to general foreperson overseeing crews working on the properties

of various electric cooperatives, such as Santee Cooper and Lynches River. James’ vegetation management career took a different turn in 2002 when he took on the

role of regional mechanic. Today, he continues to make sure the Doug Smith Region fleet is ship-shape and always ready to work for its investor-owned, cooperative and

municipal utility vegetation management customers.

t Also on Vice President Doug Smith’s (R) list of recognition was Foreperson Jerry Montague (L), who was presented with a specially-engraved watch to mark his 30 th year with the company. Jerry began his career with Asplundh in February 1979 when he was hired on as a groundperson in North Carolina for

Progress Energy’s northern area. After leaving the company for a short time, he returned in January 1981 as a climber helper. From there, Jerry’s hard work helped him progress through the ranks to his current position of foreperson.

u Equipment Operator David Stone (L)

received a visit from Vice President Doug Smith,

who presented him with a specially-engraved

watch to commemorate 30 years of loyal service. David started in October

1979 as a climber helper in Raleigh, North

Carolina on Progress Energy property, which is the utility property he has worked on for most of his career. He left the

company for a short time, but was back for good in December 1980. Over the years, David has shown his versatility as an employee by working on

everything from a climbing crew, to an Asplundh Street Lighting Division crew, to filling in on other crews when extra manpower was needed.


TrainingtImes

p August 9–13 ASTP—(Front row, L to R): Ron Didyk, PA; Scott Russell, OH; Jose Luis Lopez, FL; Jeffery Gatlin, LA; Kenny Pierce, OH; Robert Nieto, OK; and Pete Wicklund, CT. (Back row, L to R): Jose Enriquez, TX; Mitch Salek, IA; Peter Ibarra, Jr., TX; Blake Self, AL; Anthony Preast, SC; Bobby Johnson, SC; Jeff Hughes, OH; Ricky Sizemore, IN; and Brian Odom, GA.

p September 13–17 ASTP—(Front row, L to R): Phil Cason, MO; Oscar Aviles, CA; Julio Bonilla, MD; Dan Roberson, Jr., IL; and Gabe Alderdice, IL. (Back row, L to R): Joe Kasisky II, PA; Ike Jones, KY; Steve Pennycuff, KY; Mike Goriesky, MI; Todd Martinchek, CT; Kenny Lewis, IN; and Bill Griffith, OH.

p September 20–23 GFPDP—(L to R): Stacy Baugh, GA; Justin Knouf, PA; Richard Taylor, NC; Randy Clark, WA; Mark Burwell, WV; Leonard Hall, TN; Billy Higgins, VA; Clint Barron, CO; Rick Hall, IL; and Matt Kirk, TN.

p October 4–8 ASTP—(Front row, L to R): Heber “Buck” Dougherty, Jr., OH; Matt Grell, NE; James Gray, MO; Andres Rodriguez, CA; and James Cramer, OH. (Back row, L to R): Lucky Kelley, SC; Tommy Kelley, OK; Jason Hiser, MI; Rodger Fry, PA; James Woolums, IN; and Jake Wilson, OH.

p December 13–16 GFPDP—(Kneeling, L to R): Steve Baker, KY; and Tim Dickerson, OH. (Standing, L to R): Dave Gamble, MI; David Craddock, FL; Chuck Hess, PA; Jamie Culp, WA; Dennis Fosbenner, PA; Gary Redden, MS; David McConnell, NC; Mike Sheffield, AL; Dave Robinson, WV; Jose Barrera, TX; and Greg Chapple, MO.

Field Personnel Manager Joe Lee, with assistance from Chuck Hitzemann of Positive Growth International, led the employees shown below through the General Foreperson Professional Development Program (GFPDP) and the Asplundh Supervisory Training Program (ASTP).

p December 6–12 ASTP—(Front row, L to R): Tom Gray, OH; Kevin Kasal, IA; Joe Hughes, AL; Dave Tronson, MN; and Hector Benitez, CA. (Middle row, L to R): Jerry Necessary, VA; Bob Formhals, CO; Tim Filteau, NH; Mark Dennis, LA; and Jimmy Jenkins, OH. (Back row, L to R): Shawn Stewart, OH; Keith Hondlik, NC; Chad Rucker, CO; Brian Hunsicker, PA; and Andy Rogers, LA.

t February 7–11, 2011 GFTP—The General Foreperson Training Program, formerly known as the Asplundh Supervisory Training Program, graduates are (front row, L to R): Josh Magrath, KS; Omar Lopez, FL; Ron McCauley, OK; James Mager, FL; Richard Kleinkauf, GA; and Nate Baker, NH. (Middle row, L to R): Matt Knisley, OH; Rene Mingucha, PA; Darrin Steele, OR; Matt Stone, PA; and Lee Cortez, TN. (Back row, L to R): Luke Thrush, MI; Chase Livingston, NM; Chris Temples, LA; Anthony “Opie” Caudle, VA; and Jason Davis, IA.


faMilYaLBUmEmployee Of The Year DEBBIE MILLER

During the annual Holiday Assembly at the Home Office in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania,

Equipment Inventory Coordinator Debbie Miller of the Fleet

Services Department was named Employee of the Year. Her

excellent work was noticed by Vice President Barry Suddreth from

North Carolina who nominated her for the award. She was presented

with a plaque, a bouquet of flowers, a $1,000 cash award and

an Asplundh fleece jacket.

A previous Employee of the Month Award winner for March 2010, Debbie started with Asplundh in September 1994 working for Dave Ramsden in the Equipment Department, handling transportation and payroll for drivers. In May 1995, she was promoted to administrative assistant for Donna Boyer and Chris Rote, and then started her current job as an inventory coordinator in April 2009. Debbie is responsible for all chassis inventory, purchasing and assigning equipment to the field, as well as handling money meeting requests.

When Debbie is not working, she enjoys gardening, shopping and spending quality time with her husband and five Pomeranians.

Congratulations, Debbie!

p Home Office Employees of the Month—Six Home Office employees were recently recognized for outstanding performance and service to the field with a presentation of the Employee of the Month Award. The winners are (front row, L to R): Tina Growe of Customer & Field Liaison who won in December 2010; William Gutsche of Tax Accounting who was named in January 2011; and Suzanne Hare of Fleet Services who was honored in March. In the back row are (L to R): Rena Parente of Customer & Field Liaison who received the award in April; Sally Mantione of Customer & Field Liaison who was honored in May; and Beth Toritto of Customer & Field Liaison who was recognized in June. Congratulations to all the winners!

If you know someone at the Home Office who has gone above and beyond the call of duty to assist our folks in the field, you can nominate them for the Employee of the Month by e-mailing Office Personnel Manager Sue Jurina at [email protected].

hOmeOFFICehOnORs

p Kendra Sue is a little miracle to parents Darrell and Tiffany Curtis. Kendra was born August 1, 2010 at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo, Michigan, weighing 5 lbs., 14 oz. First time dad Darrell is a groundperson for AEP / Indiana and Michigan Power Co. in the Dave Sachs Region.

p This little guy bouncing around is Jaxson Suttie, who was born on October 1, 2010 at Abington Memorial Hospital in Pennsylvania. Weighing 8 lbs. even and 21" at birth, he is the darling grandson of Lisa Suttie, who is a Billing Clerk in the Customer & Field Liaison Department at the Home Office in Willow Grove.

t On October 14, 2010, Seth Charles was born to Amanda and Scott Greenwood at Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Weighing 8 lbs., 1 oz. at birth, Seth’s favorite toys are his small measuring spoons and little, stuffed bunny. In June, he was learning to crawl. Proud father Scott is a foreperson in the Ralph Guadagno Region in Massachusetts, working on the properties of National Grid and Reading Municipal Light Board.

u Congratulations to Christine and Brian Bauer, who were married

April 17, 2010! Friends and family celebrated with the newlyweds at the Northampton Country Club in Bucks

County, Pennsylvania. At the reception, Brian surprised Christine when he

serenated his new bride with “At Last” on the piano. The couple works at the Home Office in Willow Grove. Christine is an insurance specialist

and claims examiner in the Risk Management Department and Brian works in Corporate Accounting as the

company’s controller.

Correction: Taylor Grace Bailey, pictured in the Autumn/Holiday 2010 issue, is the title holder of the Miss West Alabama pageant, not the first place winner as reported.


reTireeshoNored

Congratulations and best wishes for a happy and healthy retirement to all the Asplundh retirees listed here!

Charles Abbe, Sr.Permissions Person, California First employed April 1991 Retired April 2011

Christopher AsplundhChairman of the Board Willow Grove, Pennsylvania First employed January 1963 Retired September 2010

Bonny BechtelAsplundh Brush Control Co. Secretary, New York First employed September 1993 Retired April 2011

Garold BilbreyForeperson, Virginia First employed February 2001 Retired March 2011

Ronald BoucherGF, New Hampshire First employed May 1977 Retired February 2011

Eddie BrownTrimmer, North Carolina First employed August 2003 Retired December 2010

Francis DemerskiPermissions Person, Massachusetts First employed October 1969 Retired December 2010

Mary DiNezzaExecutive Assistant Willow Grove, Pennsylvania First employed February 1989 Retired October 2010

Thomas DurstForeperson, Ohio First employed May 2009 Retired December 2010

Michael Eastman, Sr.Trimmer, Ohio First employed May 2009 Retired August 2010

George FredrickTrimmer, Virginia First employed October 1985 Retired February 2011

Luis GonzalezFlagger, New York First employed May 1993 Retired February 2011

Benjamin GrahamTrimmer, Ohio First employed January 1981 Retired February 2011

Celso GutierrezTrimmer, California First employed April 1988 Retired April 2011

Vernis HardyTrimmer, North Carolina First employed February 1995 Retired April 2011

Stevie HillegassJourneyman, Pennsylvania First employed February 2002 Retired December 2010

Edward McDonaldForeperson, West Virginia First employed January 1976 Retired April 2011

Thomas PolulakRSS, Pennsylvania First employed June 1990 Retired January 2011

Clarence RamseyTrimmer, West Virginia First employed November 1993 Retired November 2010

Terry RobsonJourneyman, Ohio First employed May 2006 Retired December 2010

Rafael RodriquezForeperson, Florida First employed April 1988 Retired October 2010

James SmithTrimmer, West Virginia First employed October 1993 (plus one year with Blume Tree and Tree Preservation Co.) Retired May 2011

Paul SunderlageForeperson, Wisconsin First employed June 1999 Retired March 2011

James UmphletteEquipment Operator, Virginia First employed March 1997 Retired January 2011

p Supervisor Ben Hunter (R) dedicated 33 years of service to Asplundh Brush Control Co. (ABC) before his retirement celebration in March 2011. When Ben first started with the company in June 1977, he was an equipment operator. Over time, he worked his way up to the rank of general foreperson in 1981 and he became a supervisor in October 1997 for the remainder of his career. Sponsor/Vice President Larry Moore, along with family, co-workers and representatives from several utility companies in New York attended a dinner in Ben’s honor in Watertown, New York. Ben plans to spend more time with his wife, Linda (L), and their family now that he’s retired. A special thank you goes out to National Grid Senior Transmission Forester Ken Kirkman for assisting in the coordination of Ben’s celebration.

p General Foreperson Jerry Dube (R) spent 42 years with the Asplundh Brush Control Co. (ABC) before stepping into retirement in February 2011. There were 51 attendees at the celebration in Festus, Missouri to honor his long career, including his wife, Jean (L), their three daughters, ABC Vice President Rod Cornett, Sponsor/Vice President Larry Moore and many friends, co-workers and family members. When Jerry first began in April 1969, he started out as a gate builder and then became a cutting crew foreperson in 1974. He advanced to general foreperson in 1987. During his retirement, Jerry plans to travel for pleasure, spend more time with his family and 10 grandchildren, go fishing and tend to his 58-acre property.


INMeMOriaM

t On May 4, co-workers joined Forepersons Tom Sipling (second from R) and Dayne Rowland (center) to celebrate their retirements in New Oxford, Pennsylvania. Pictured to the left are a few of the attendees from Adams Electric Cooperative (from L to R): Line Superindentent Mike Ward, Vice President of Operations Ron Plank and Line Superintendent Rich Redding. Tom started with Asplundh 36 years ago working on Adams Electric property. He became a foreperson in 1981 and worked with Met-Ed for a short while before going back to Adams Electric. Tom plans to go camping and relax with his family during his retirement. Dayne Rowland followed in his father’s footsteps and worked with Asplundh for 47 years. He started out on Met-Ed property as a groundperson then switched to Adams Electric in 1984 as a foreperson. Dayne plans to golf and help his son run a tree business for his retirement.

t dan Cole, retired vice president in Virginia, passed away March 7 in Anderson, South Carolina at the age of 78.

Dan came to work for Asplundh in 1966 as a general foreperson in North Carolina after ten years in the engineering department of Duke Power Co. (now Duke Energy). In 1972, he was promoted to supervisor in Virginia and two years later, he

became the manager there when Vice President George Burrows retired. In 1977, Dan was elected vice president and he received a Silver Merit Award in 1987 for developing a mileage bid program. He retired in 1988. Dan is survived by his wife, O’Dell; a son, Randy; a daughter, Allison Leahy; a step daughter, Sandy Elgin; and six grandchildren.

t paul Musel, retired vice president and 40-year Asplundh veteran, passed away on May 10 at the age of 76 in his home state of Iowa.

Paul started out on an Asplundh tree crew in Iowa in 1956, but the following year, he left to serve two years active duty in the U.S. Army. He returned to the company in 1959 and rose through the ranks to

general foreperson in 1975. Five years later, Paul was promoted to manager of a newly created region consisting of Iowa, Nebraska and later, part of Illinois. He was elected vice president in 1984 and retired in 1996. Paul is survived by two sons, Tom and Corey; one daughter Tam; a brother, Francis; and six grandchildren.

t don Telge, retired spray manager for the Asplundh Railroad Division’s Western Region, passed away May 10 at the age of 77 in Bee Caves, Texas.

Don joined the Asplundh Railroad Division in 1986 as a spray manager with 12 years of sales and management experience in railroad vegetation management products. He oversaw Asplundh spray operations

for numerous railroad lines west of the Mississippi River and retired in January 1999. Don is survived by his wife, Cindy; two sons, John and Don; a daughter, Susan; two stepsons, Shane and Stephen Larwa; seven grandchildren and two great granddaughters.

harry l. Williams, retired foreperson and 45-year Asplundh veteran, passed away March 25 at the age of 88 in Millersville, Maryland. He first joined an Asplundh crew in 1941 and then left to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II. After his military service and a forestry course, he returned to the company and advanced to foreperson. Harry worked in the vicinity of Anne Arundel County, Maryland for his entire career until his retirement in 1986. He is survived by his wife, Patricia; three sons, Charles, Leonard and Thomas; and eight grandchildren. Harry was laid to rest in the Maryland Veterans Cemetery in Crownsville.

t Bob herder, retired vice president and safety director, passed away January 2 at the age of 92 in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania.

Bob joined Asplundh in 1952 to work in the Equipment Department and for a time, served as a salesperson for the Asplundh Chipper Division. In 1955, he moved into the Safety Department as assistant safety director and six years later, he was

appointed director. A well-regarded speaker, Bob travelled throughout Asplundh operations to improve safety performance. He was elected vice president in 1962, a position he held until his retirement in 1983. Bob is survived by his wife, Bee; five children, Brian, Darcie, Edwin, Holly and Rex; 20 grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Our sympathies are with the family and friends of these retired asplundh veterans who loyally served the company for many years.

International headquarters708 Blair mill roadwillow grove, PA 19090www.asplundh.com

Prsrt stdU.s. PostAge PAId

PIttsBUrgh, PAPermIt No. 5605

BrighT OppOrTuniTies throUgh mANAgemeNt develoPmeNtAnew training program for

all levels of Asplundh field management is paving the

way for potential career advancement, as well as moving the Asplundh organization forward to better serve customers and maintain growth.

The new Management Leadership Academy (MLA) is led by Field Personnel Manager Joe Lee with support from the Pegasus Group and Positive Growth International. The Business Section focuses on project management, financial analysis and reporting, and AVMS training. The Sales Section focuses on effective communication, leadership and business etiquette.

Participants must be recommended by a manager and/or sponsor. Interested general forepersons, RSSs, supervisors and managers should contact them to discuss enrollment in the MLA.

The graduates of Asplundh’s first MLA Business Section, held April 26-29, were (L to R): Tim Jessup, Florida; Don Redden, Louisiana; Adam Larson, Iowa; Jeff Ness,

Illinois; Keith Confere, Ohio; Mike Wolford, West Virginia;

Bodie Miller, Oregon; Scott Harmon, Missouri; Scott Bailey, Oklahoma; Les Parsons, Ohio; Robert Coffman, Oklahoma;

and Bobby Mitchell, Oklahoma.

During the April 2011 Management Leadership Academy (MLA), Branch Manager Les Parsons (L) discusses a project management exercise with Supervisor Keith Confere (center) and Branch Manager Bodie Miller (R).

Send us your best shots of Nature and Work Related subjects. You may submit up to 10 photos total and enter in more than one category. High-resolution digital images (either e-mailed or on disc) are acceptable, as well as color or black and white prints. No cell phone photos or negatives, please.

Please be sure to include your name, address, phone number and the categories you wish to enter along with a brief

shOOt OUt deadLIne sePtemBer 30, 2011description of each picture on a separate piece of paper. Be sure to package your prints or disc carefully. Entries will not be returned unless you specifically request it.

Submit your entries to:

shoot Out 2011 asplundh Corporate Communications

708 Blair Mill road Willow grove, pa 19090

or e-mail: [email protected]

Wall Calendar Photos

due August 12, 2011

Documents

THE ASPLUNDH · PDF fileThe asplundh Tree 2 Spring/Summer 2011 safeTY perfOrManCe reCOgniTiOn t RSS Greg Hallstein (R) and General Foreperson John Devlin (L) of the Brian Fuge Region