The Davey Tree Expert Co. announced the acquisition of Kerns Brothers Tree Service & Landscaping, Wilmington. a residential tree care company based near Wilmington.
The acquisition is Davey’s eighth in the last year and the second in 2015.
Jim Stief, executive vice president, U.S. residential operations, said Davey is committed to future growth – organically and through acquisitions. “We will continue to focus on high-quality companies with customer demographics that are similar to our own, within markets where we want to grow density,” he said. “Our intent is always to pick up talented, safety-conscious employees intent on providing a high level of customer service.”
Stief stressed the acquisition gives Kerns Brothers employees more opportunities to grow as industry leaders. “We have no doubt they will benefit from Davey’s diversified service offerings, technology and equipment resources, research and development capability and of course the culture of employee ownership.”
Kerns Brothers is more than 40 years old, and has about two dozen employees providing residential tree care, plant health care and landscaping to its clients in the greater Wilmington area. A logo that accompanied the announcement seemed to indicate the Kerns name will remain for a time.
“We are excited about the direction we are heading,” John Kerns said. “I want to assure our clients that we will continue to provide reliable and exceptional service. Additionally, our clients can now benefit from more comprehensive service offerings, including access to the Davey Institute, an industry-leading diagnostic and research facility.”
Davey’s David Balint will help manage the Kerns Brothers office during the transition. Balint is an International Society of Arboriculture certified arborist and currently manages Davey’s Wilmington office. He has more than 25 years with the company, and he started as a landscape foreman before working his way through the ranks to district manager.
“Kerns Brothers is a welcome addition to Davey Tree,” Stief said. “Both Kerns Brothers and Davey are actively involved in efforts to preserve and improve the health and beauty of our environment and are committed to supporting the highest professional standards.”
The Davey Tree Expert Company has more than 8,000 employees provide tree care, grounds maintenance and environmental consulting services for the residential, utility, commercial and government markets throughout the U.S. and Canada. Davey has been employee-owned for 35 years. For more information, visit www.davey.com.
