The completion of Davey Tree Expert Co.’s new Science, Employee Education and Development, or SEED, Campus on state Route 43 in Kent has sped up to the first quarter of 2025, executive president Dan Joy said. The site is expected to open for employees that summer.
The professional tree service’s 174.8-acre property plans to enhance employee training and education, among other goals. It will be a net-zero site by generating renewable energy through a solar power system.
Joy called it a “fabulous” project and said its acronym fits well with the company’s mission.
“We visualize the campus as an opportunity to plant a seed for our future generations and develop their careers, along with doing research on plant material, and turf and ornamentals,” he said. “It’s unlike anything else that is out there in our industry. To be able to continue our research and development for plant health care needs, insects, disease control, best management practices, all the above – this facility and the site provides that ability to us.”
After purchasing the property for $1.875 million, Joy said the company spent a few years organizing a master plan. During the beginning planning stages, heads of Davey Tree talked with researchers, developers and other employees who will use the space about what their needs are from the space.
Construction of the 70,000-square-foot building and work on surrounding land, which used to be Oak Knolls golf course and Franklin Elementary School, was originally set for 2026, but the process became more accelerated than expected.
Joy said Davey Tree has doubled in staff numbers over the past 10 years, and with that, the demand for greater education and training space for the company’s employees grew. Also in Kent, the company recently constructed a 40,000-square-foot addition to its corporate headquarters at 1500 N. Mantua St., along with completing renovations on the building’s existing two wings.
Along with research and diagnostic laboratories, the SEED Campus plans to feature a container nursery, research plots and fields and an indoor climbing training center.
The space has everything the company deals with daily, including trees, turf, wetlands and bogs, which aligns well with the services Davey Tree provides to its clients, Joy said.
The site will have classroom space for up to 100 people, and it will also house a dedicated area to store archives of company history and video and photo studios. Joy described the site overall as a “mini convention center.”
“We can use it for recruiting, we can use it for training, we can use it for for client engagement – the property is going to lend itself to so many benefits for the corporation,” he said. “It will really set us up with some infrastructure for the next 20 to 30 years without needing to worry about expansion or office space or anything like that.”
In addition to an amphitheater and outdoor classroom, an old timber frame barn at the end of the building, which the company is rebuilding, will act as a “fun and historic” event space for company meetings, parties and future industry events. Joy said the beams of the barn date back to 1890 – which fits with the company’s founding in 1880.
The company purchased the property in 2016 and spent a few years organizing through a master plan, Joy said. During the beginning planning stages, heads of Davey Tree talked with researchers, developers and other employees who will use the space about what their needs are from the space.
In addition to the building, Davey Tree is also creating a greenhouse space for researchers, with hopes of earning silver or “probably” gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.
LEED certification rates projects based on energy efficiency, use of water resources and waste production, among other criteria. Certification levels, from highest to lowest: platinum, gold, silver and certified.
The site’s primary intent is for education and training within the organization, but Joy said the company is open to hosting industry-related events, and there may be some opportunities for community engagement and utilization of the facility. Davey Tree will reserve 30 acres of property for an arboretum open to the public, which is set to open in summer 2025. The company plans for it to hold 500 different species of plants, which will also help employees learn plant identification.
Joy said the company will look to certify the site with the international company ArbNet, whose accreditation process looks at planning, support and species numbers. The company works to advance conservation and study, according to its website.
“It’s intended to be a destination arboretum – it will obviously offer some beauty to the site,” Joy said. “We want people to make a plan to crawl in the car and bring their kids there and enjoy it. Enjoy the beauty and also get some education out of it while they’re there.”
Joy said the SEED Campus will continue the company’s history of innovation.
“We’ve always been at the forefront of our industry, that’s just always been our place, but this will definitely affirm and solidify that position without any question,” he said.
Isabella Schreck is editor-in-chief. Contact her at [email protected].
