Denise Baba gave the invocation, and the song was “When the Saints Go Marching In” (with a touch of Rotary flair).
Visiting Rotarians: Mary from the Stow-Munroe Falls club
Visiting Rotarians: Mary from the Stow-Munroe Falls club
Guests: Jennifer Lennox welcomed Davey guests Jill Golden, Whitney Randolph and Matt Fredmonsky. Paul Organ introduced Benjamin Tipton, who joined the club later in the meeting.
Announcements:
- President Dave announced that on Friday club members had a great time at the Kent State-Eastern Michigan game, and he thanked Amanda, Todd, Carol, and Brian for their support.
- Bill Childers said United Way will be holding an NCAA watch party at Ray’s Place in Kent on Thursday, March 16 from noon to 6 p.m. No tickets are required. Ray’s will donate a portion of proceeds to United Way.
- Amanda Senn announced that the Rotary Happy Hour for March will be at Ray’s at the same time as the United Way fundraiser to support their campaign.
- Todd Kamanesh announced that someone left a pair of glasses and a case at the game Friday.
- President Dave said there will be a Zoom seminar for the Friends of CoCoDa with information about the district trip to Nicaragua and El Salvador in June. Anyone interested in attending should contact Dave.
- The club board met last week and decided to raise money for relief efforts in Turkey and Syria. The goal is to raise $1,000 to provide one shelter box, which includes tents and other critical materials for displaced families. You can donate at the Rotary meeting or via the club’s Venmo.
Student of the Month: Dennis Love introduced Sylvester “Sly” Freeman as the student of the month for February. He said Sly has a 3.4 GPA and receives top marks for kindness and dedication from his teachers and coaches. Other students consider him a mentor. He participates in wrestling, football and track and plans to study interior design at Kent State to follow in the footsteps of his handyman father.
New member induction: Paul Organ introduced Ben Tipton as the newest member of the club. Tipton graduated from Streetsboro High School and Kent State. He’s married and has two kids. He has worked in a variety of roles, including in Cambodia for several years on poverty alleviation, as an aide for Sherrod Brown in Washington and in public service in Kent, including on the Board of Zoning Appeals. Ben is running for City Council Ward 1.
Presentation:
Jennifer Lennox introduced the guest speaker, Dan Joy, who is executive vice president and assistant to the president at Davey Tree Co. Among his many duties, Dan is overseeing the construction of the 180-acre SEED campus at Davey, which stands for Science, Employee Education, and Development. The presentation took the form of a Q&A. Here’s a summary of those questions and answers:
What are the features of the SEED campus?
The master plan includes a 30-acre arboretum that will be available for the public to enjoy. It’s located along the south edge of the property, bordering the River Bend community. There will also be a hike and bike trail connecting to the Portage Parks Hike and Bike Trail. There will be a repurposed barn, which was torn down and will be reconstructed piece by piece for events. There will be increased classroom space for Davey employee trainings, along with a climbing and training center. They’re striving for certifications in sustainability.
What’s the progress of the development?
Davey officially started construction on Feb. 20, 2023. Target completion date for the building and a good chunk of the arboretum is the end of 2024 to start occupying the building at the beginning of 2025.
Why did they decide on this location for their SEED campus?
Davey’s roots are in Kent and their desire to stay in Kent was strong. When that property came available, they grabbed it and found a great way to use it.
Why now?
Davey is growing. The company has doubled in the last 10 years and revenue is breaking past the $1.5 billion threshold. So they have a high need to expand and train their workforce. “We want to make Davey the go-to place to work,” he said.
What are the benefits to the community?
“Well, it’s not going to be a retail shopping center or a multi-family apartment complex.” Davey designed their master plan with the intent for it being available for the public to utilize. The space can be used for public events, and they are engaged with Kent State and Hiram College who could use the facility for their programs in the green industry. Davey will also be able to host significant events, including industry gatherings and international tree-climbing competitions, that will all benefit local businesses.
What kinds of training will happen there?
Davey has a culture of investing in its employees. They bring in people from across the U.S. and Canada to the Davey Institute of Tree Sciences, where they spend a month in Kent learning essentially a semester of college education.
How much of the land is in city limits?
All of it. Davey acquired the old Franklin School site and recently annexed the rest of the site to the city of Kent from Franklin Township.
What kinds of trees will be at the arboretum?
Davey wants the arboretum to be a destination. They will have over 500 different kinds of trees, including an Ohio native garden, a four-seasons colored garden, ornamental trees, shade tree, etc.
What will they do about increased traffic to the area?
Davey is in agreement with the city of Kent to study the traffic patterns and determine some options for what the North Mantua Street area will look like. There will be community meetings on the subject. The school district, the River Bend community, Davey and the city are the various stakeholders.
Will they use the bricks salvaged from Franklin Elementary for anything?
They saved about 100 bricks from Franklin Elementary because most were unusable, but they plan to build something with them, such as a wall or ornamental piece.
The responder was Dave Hansford, who lives next to the property and thanked Dan for all the work on the facility.
- President Dave announced that on Friday club members had a great time at the Kent State-Eastern Michigan game, and he thanked Amanda, Todd, Carol, and Brian for their support.
- Bill Childers said United Way will be holding an NCAA watch party at Ray’s Place in Kent on Thursday, March 16 from noon to 6 p.m. No tickets are required. Ray’s will donate a portion of proceeds to United Way.
- Amanda Senn announced that the Rotary Happy Hour for March will be at Ray’s at the same time as the United Way fundraiser to support their campaign.
- Todd Kamanesh announced that someone left a pair of glasses and a case at the game Friday.
- President Dave said there will be a Zoom seminar for the Friends of CoCoDa with information about the district trip to Nicaragua and El Salvador in June. Anyone interested in attending should contact Dave.
- The club board met last week and decided to raise money for relief efforts in Turkey and Syria. The goal is to raise $1,000 to provide one shelter box, which includes tents and other critical materials for displaced families. You can donate at the Rotary meeting or via the club’s Venmo.
Student of the Month: Dennis Love introduced Sylvester “Sly” Freeman as the student of the month for February. He said Sly has a 3.4 GPA and receives top marks for kindness and dedication from his teachers and coaches. Other students consider him a mentor. He participates in wrestling, football and track and plans to study interior design at Kent State to follow in the footsteps of his handyman father.
New member induction: Paul Organ introduced Ben Tipton as the newest member of the club. Tipton graduated from Streetsboro High School and Kent State. He’s married and has two kids. He has worked in a variety of roles, including in Cambodia for several years on poverty alleviation, as an aide for Sherrod Brown in Washington and in public service in Kent, including on the Board of Zoning Appeals. Ben is running for City Council Ward 1.
Presentation:
Jennifer Lennox introduced the guest speaker, Dan Joy, who is executive vice president and assistant to the president at Davey Tree Co. Among his many duties, Dan is overseeing the construction of the 180-acre SEED campus at Davey, which stands for Science, Employee Education, and Development. The presentation took the form of a Q&A. Here’s a summary of those questions and answers:
What are the features of the SEED campus?
The master plan includes a 30-acre arboretum that will be available for the public to enjoy. It’s located along the south edge of the property, bordering the River Bend community. There will also be a hike and bike trail connecting to the Portage Parks Hike and Bike Trail. There will be a repurposed barn, which was torn down and will be reconstructed piece by piece for events. There will be increased classroom space for Davey employee trainings, along with a climbing and training center. They’re striving for certifications in sustainability.
What’s the progress of the development?
Davey officially started construction on Feb. 20, 2023. Target completion date for the building and a good chunk of the arboretum is the end of 2024 to start occupying the building at the beginning of 2025.
Why did they decide on this location for their SEED campus?
Davey’s roots are in Kent and their desire to stay in Kent was strong. When that property came available, they grabbed it and found a great way to use it.
Why now?
Davey is growing. The company has doubled in the last 10 years and revenue is breaking past the $1.5 billion threshold. So they have a high need to expand and train their workforce. “We want to make Davey the go-to place to work,” he said.
What are the benefits to the community?
“Well, it’s not going to be a retail shopping center or a multi-family apartment complex.” Davey designed their master plan with the intent for it being available for the public to utilize. The space can be used for public events, and they are engaged with Kent State and Hiram College who could use the facility for their programs in the green industry. Davey will also be able to host significant events, including industry gatherings and international tree-climbing competitions, that will all benefit local businesses.
What kinds of training will happen there?
Davey has a culture of investing in its employees. They bring in people from across the U.S. and Canada to the Davey Institute of Tree Sciences, where they spend a month in Kent learning essentially a semester of college education.
How much of the land is in city limits?
All of it. Davey acquired the old Franklin School site and recently annexed the rest of the site to the city of Kent from Franklin Township.
What kinds of trees will be at the arboretum?
Davey wants the arboretum to be a destination. They will have over 500 different kinds of trees, including an Ohio native garden, a four-seasons colored garden, ornamental trees, shade tree, etc.
What will they do about increased traffic to the area?
Davey is in agreement with the city of Kent to study the traffic patterns and determine some options for what the North Mantua Street area will look like. There will be community meetings on the subject. The school district, the River Bend community, Davey and the city are the various stakeholders.
Will they use the bricks salvaged from Franklin Elementary for anything?
They saved about 100 bricks from Franklin Elementary because most were unusable, but they plan to build something with them, such as a wall or ornamental piece.
The responder was Dave Hansford, who lives next to the property and thanked Dan for all the work on the facility.
