Davey Expands its Corporate Headquarters

The Davey Tree Expert Company has begun construction on a Science, Employee Education and Development (SEED) Campus and Third Wing to its main corporate campus in Kent, Ohio.

The Davey Tree SEED Campus, the 170+ acre property that formerly housed the Oak Knolls golf course and Franklin Elementary School on State Route 43 in Kent, 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 25,000-square-foot training center and associated offices, a 10,700-square-foot indoor climbing center, 18 spans of non-energized utility right-of-way, laboratories and greenhouses, a container nursery and multiple research plots and fields. The training center classrooms will 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 2026. Research and training have started taking place on the property, including tree and shrub plantings on research plots and utility and safety training.

The third wing being built at the corporate headquarters is a 38,400-square-foot addition to the existing corporate building. Construction started in April 2020 and is expected to be completed in the fall of 2022.

The third wing will house office spaces for various corporate service lines and support functions. After its completion, the combined building, consisting of the new wing and completely renovated existing space, will be 80,000 square feet. The addition of the third wing will bring 70 new jobs to Kent, Ohio, and will be a visible symbol of Davey’s commitment to Kent and to the remarkable growth that Davey has seen over the last 40 years.