The Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA) is proud to announce that Bob Rouse, TCIA’s senior vice president of industry expertise, has received the 2026 American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Meritorious Service Award.

The award is part of ANSI’s 2026 Leadership and Service Awards, which honor individuals who have demonstrated sustained commitment to national and international standardization activities, industry advancement, and the global voluntary consensus standards system.

“Bob’s commitment to our ANSI standards for the tree care industry is incredible,” said David White, CAE, TCIA’s president and CEO. “His leadership and dedication have helped professionalize and strengthen the entire industry.”

Rouse has been on the ANSI A300 committee for nearly 30 years, including continuously acting as secretary of the Accredited Standards Committee (ASC) A300 since 1997. During his decades-long career in arboriculture, he has played a key role in advancing industry standards, accreditation programs, and best practices.

Sam Hill, founder and president of Sam Hill Tree Care, and chair of the ANSI A300 committee, attended his first ASC A300 committee meeting with Rouse in March 2017. He believes “Bob has done more for the development and promotion of the ANSI A300 Standards than any other person.”

“He is a wealth of information on the ANSI process and guides the committee on how to proceed to ensure we comply with its key tenets,” Hill said. “The way he provides guidance is humble, thoughtful, and diplomatic.”

Rouse will be honored alongside other distinguished award recipients at the 2026 ANSI Leadership and Service Awards Ceremony during the ANSI Innovation Summit in Denver on July 29.

ANSI is a private, nonprofit organization that enhances the global competitiveness of U.S. businesses and improves quality of life by promoting voluntary consensus standards and conformity assessment systems.

For more information about the awards, visit ANSI’s Leadership and Service Awards webpage. To learn more about TCIA, visit tcia.org.