Merit Awards

This photo was taken in early July during the presentation of Silver Merit Awards to a Rod Cornett Region crew for assisting an elderly man who had collapsed from heat exhaustion.

It is with great pleasure that we take a moment once again to recognize the heroes among us. These Asplundh Silver Merit Award recipients were recently commended by Asplundh management for their keen observations and prompt actions that possibly saved lives and definitely prevented serious property damage.

Keeping An Eye Out For The Elderly

An unusual spring heat wave struck the upper Midwest this year and it proved to be life threatening to Mr. Raymond Jones of Chicago on May 17. On that day, the elderly gentleman collapsed from heat exhaustion in the alley behind his home.

Fortunately for him, a couple of Asplundh crews from the Rod Cornett Region were driving by on their way to their next job for ComEd when they noticed Mr. Jones laying next to a small wagon full of brush. Foremen Jesus Rodriguez and Scott Tschida, along with Crew Members Nestor Iao and Chuck Ackerman, immediately came to his aid.

While they tried to evaluate Mr. Jones' injuries and cool him down with water in the shade of the garage, Nestor ran to a neighbor's house and Jesus ran inside the Jones' home to find a phone to call 911. Mr. Jones' wife was a bit surprised by the news Jesus delivered as she did not even know her husband had gone outside. She said she was grateful for their presence, though, because her husband might have laid there for a long time before she would have known to go looking for him.

In a letter to Mr. John Goff of ComEd, Mr. Jones thanked the tree trimming crew and wrote: In my former capacity as Superintendent [Division of Electrical Construction and Maintenance for the Chicago Board of Education] in charge of 90 electricians, I can appreciate competent and helpful people who bring credit to their organization. Thanks again to all!

Our employees receive their Merit Awards in the series of photos above for their part in helping to extinguish a car fire.

Car Fire Fighting Tree Crew

On May 31, 2000, the quick actions of some observant Asplundh employees from the Rocky Robinson Region in Florida prevented a life-threatening explosion. On that fateful day, Mr. Mark Warren was driving along in his convertible Volkswagen bug when he heard a loud bang behind him. Lift Foremen Mark Hudson, Marvin Hudson, Sr. (Mark's father), Josh Mathis and James Rogers were clearing lines for Tallahassee Electric when they heard the bang. As the VW slowed down, flames began shooting out the rear of car. Without hesitation, the foremen grabbed the fire extinguishers from their trucks and ran 200 feet or so to the car as Mr. Warren was climbing out of it. Mark wasted no time in calling 911 to dispatch the local fire department, but by the time the firemen arrived, the flames had been extinguished.

In a letter to Asplundh, Mr. Warren wrote: Had your employees not responded as quickly as they did, the car would have been engulfed in flames. As a result of their actions, the car was saved and a potential explosion was prevented. Please extend a "huge" thank you to these four employees from my family. We say thank you, too!

 

 

 

 

 

Retirees Honored

Congratulations and best wishes for a happy and healthy retirement to all the Asplundh retirees listed here!

Ralph Bowman Foreman, Florida First employed August 1963 Retired August 2001	Essie House Foreman, Kentucky First employed January 1981 Retired September 2001
Donald Bullard Foreman, Ohio First employed December 1997 Retired July 2001	Charles Johnson Crew Member, New York First employed May 1993 Retired July 2001
Robert Goldsmith Crew Member, Maryland First employed July 1991 Retired June 2001	Paul Overfield Foreman, Michigan First employed December 1996 Retired May 2001
James Graham Crew Member, Ohio First employed August 1994 Retired July 2001	David Prestopine Crew Member, Pennsylvania First employed December 1964 Retired July 2001
Kenneth Harwick Foreman, Illinois First employed October 1999 Retired June 2001	Jean Witherspoon Meter Reader, Tennessee Utility Meter Services, Inc. First employed March 1994 Retired July 2001

Foreman Bruce Townsend (above, left) of the Steve Miller Region received a handshake of congratulations from General Foreman Roy Hess (and a friendly Asplundh dummy, center) who attended the retirement dinner held in his honor in June. Approximately 70 co-workers, friends and family members came to wish Bruce farewell after almost eight years with Asplundh and more than 17 years of prior experience with Tree Preservation Co., an Asplundh subsidiary. He and his crew worked on the property of Conectiv in southern New Jersey.