The Davey Tree Expert Company SEED Campus

The Davey Tree Expert Company is currently working on expanding its corporate headquarters to include a specialized training and research facility on an almost 200-acre property. It comes on the heels of the third-wing addition to its existing corporate building, which was completed in 2023. Both are located in Kent, Ohio, where Davey was established in 1880.

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SEED Campus

About The SEED Campus

The Davey Tree SEED (Science, Employee Education, and Development) Campus, the almost 200-acre property that formerly housed the Oak Knolls golf course and Franklin Elementary School on State Route 43 in Kent, Ohio, will be the new home to specialized training and research facilities for The Davey Tree Expert Company. The science and learning campus is being designed to ensure that Davey continues to attract and retain the most qualified, well-trained, and engaged employees possible. Planned facilities include a 70,000-square-foot training center with two classrooms, laboratories, associated offices, event center, and a 10,700-square-foot indoor at-height climbing training center. Some of the other additions to the property included 10 spans of non-energized utility lines, greenhouses, a container nursery, an arboretum and multiple research plots and fields.

For over 140 years, Davey has shown an uncompromising commitment to the training and education of our employees and to giving back to the industry through the support and sponsoring of scientific research that enhances our collective safety, techniques and results as arborists and environmentalists. Our investment in the SEED Campus elevates this commitment to a new level, cements our standing as the thought leader in the green industry and creates a facility that our employees, shareholders and community will all benefit from.

Pat Covey

Chairman, President and CEO

SEED Campus Training Center

The training center classrooms will be more than double the size of the current classrooms at the Davey Institute across the street at Davey Tree’s corporate headquarters. The classrooms are used to teach many of Davey’s educational and training programs, including the Davey Institute of Tree Sciences (D.I.T.S.) classes, which is Davey’s flagship training program in biological sciences, safety, tree and plant care and management techniques. The anticipated completion of the SEED Campus is summer of 2025. Research and training have started taking place on the property, including tree and shrub plantings on research plots and utility and safety training.

Training and research facilities on the SEED Campus may also include:

Outdoor climbing centers
Distance learning facilities
Canopy walk, turf/golf fairways and greens
Greenhouses, research/diagnostics laboratories
Replicated tree plantations
Mature tree, soil ecology and wetland research

See Plans & Progress Of The SEED Campus

Progress at Davey’s SEED Campus

Talking Trees With Davey Tree Podcast

Tune in to hear Dan Herms, vice president of research and development at the Davey Institute, and Dan Joy, executive vice president and assistant to the president, talk about their experience leading development of the Davey Tree SEED Campus.

Continue listening for these highlights:

History, present and future of the SEED Campus
Sustainability features at the SEED Campus
Laboratories and research plots

Listen Here

The Davey Tree SEED Campus will be the green industry’s premier research and training facility. It will be used to generate science-based knowledge that will be applied by highly trained professionals across Davey throughout our industry. Sustainability is emphasized as the SEED Campus is home to wonderful natural areas, including nearly one mile of Cuyahoga River frontage, a bog and other wetlands, and many mature trees that provide long-term research opportunities. Everything that we do as a company will be reflected in this property in some way.

Dan Herms

Vice President of Research and Development, Davey Institute

Our vision for the SEED Campus is to be a state-of-the-art research and education center for use by not only our employees, but also to include client interaction, community involvement and educational opportunities for regional institutions and our peers in the green industry. This will be a special place to gather and experience all that Davey has to offer. It will be something we can be proud of for many generations to come.

Dan Joy

Executive Vice President and Assistant to the President

Another interesting piece of this project is that Davey is making space for archives and building a museum for Davey's historical items. The SEED Campus property is located just down the street from the historic Standing Rock Cemetery where our founder John Davey began his career in arboriculture in the late 1800s, so this is the perfect place to shine a spotlight on Davey’s 140-year history and display some of our equipment, documents and artifacts. And as part of this emphasis on history, the barn that was on the property previously will be reconstructed and have a special location on the campus.

Sandee Reid

Vice President of Corporate Communications and Strategic Planning

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Looking for a rewarding career with opportunities for growth? Whether your dream office is somewhere in the great outdoors or something more traditional, we have a career path for you. We believe in providing a healthy, growing work-environment where you choose your career path and have access to constant education and the tools you need to set yourself up for continued success.

With jobs available throughout North America, Davey has an opportunity for you in the location you desire.

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About The Third Wing

The third wing built at the corporate headquarters is a 38,400-square-foot addition to the already existing corporate building. Construction started in April 2020, and was completed in November 2022. The third wing houses office spaces for various corporate service lines and support functions. With its completion, the combined building, consisting of the new wing and completely renovated existing space, is 80,000 square feet. The addition of the third wing is a visible symbol of Davey's commitment to Kent, and to the remarkable growth that Davey has seen over the last 40 years.

Third Wing Progression & The Final Beam Install

Employees had the opportunity to sign their names to the "Davey" steel beam, painted Davey green, in the fall of 2021, before the beam was lifted into place by construction crews.

>> Watch this video to see the progression of the third wing and final beam install

History Of The Corporate Office

Construction on the corporate office, located at 1500 N. Mantua St. in Kent, Ohio, started in July 1984, when Davey had approximately 3,000 employees nationwide and a revenue of $118.9 million. Employees moved into the original 41,000-square-foot building in June 1985, which was designed in a way that a third wing could be attached to accommodate future growth. In addition to the main corporate office opening in 1985, the Company also unveiled the Davey Institute, a separate 10,000-square-foot building consisting of classrooms, a laboratory and a greenhouse, to serve Davey’s science and training needs. Since 1984, the company has grown to more than 12,000 employees nationwide and revenue of $1.6 billion in 2023.

Davey in the News: SEED Campus & Third Wing Updates

SEED Campus:

National Association of Landscape Professionals: The Davey Tree Expert Company Invests in Their Employees with SEED Campus
Talking Trees with Davey Tree podcast: Progress at Davey's SEED Campus
T&D World: Davey Tree Builds Training & Research Center in Ohio
The Portager: Kent will annex 175 acres of Franklin Township, site of a major Davey Tree expansion
TCIA Magazine: Davey Expands its Corporate Headquarters
Crain's Cleveland Business: Davey Tree proceeds with major expansion in Kent

Third Wing:

Landscape Management: Davey Tree prepares for future growth as it celebrates its past
Akron Beacon Journal: Photos of the Davey Tree's renovated headquarters and the expanded facility in Kent
Record-Courier: Davey Tree in Kent unveils expansion, marks 45 years of employee ownership
Lawn & Landscape: Davey Tree celebrates corporate building renovations
Landscape Management: An inside look at Davey Tree’s new addition to its Ohio headquarters
The Portager: Davey Tree unveiled a major expansion to its corporate headquarters
Crain's Cleveland Business: Davey Tree readies Kent HQ expansion for opening
Lawn & Landscape: Davey Tree expands with third corporate campus wing
Properties Magazine: Davey Tree accommodates growth with $14 million headquarters addition

The Davey Tree Expert Company provides research-driven tree services, grounds maintenance and environmental and utility infrastructure consulting for residential, utility, commercial and environmental partners in the U.S. and Canada. Established in 1880 and headquartered in Kent, Ohio, Davey has over 12,000 employees and is the ninth largest employee-owned company in the U.S. This year, Davey celebrates 45 years of employee ownership – Join us and apply today!