The Davey Tree Expert Co. — No. 3 on the 2022 LM150 list — promoted Travis Evans to market manager of Bay Area operations, residential/commercial (R/C) services, Jeremy Nama to district manager, Santa Cruz, R/C services and Brian Baker to market manager of the South Chicago market R/C services.

Evans was the district manager of the new Santa Cruz R/C office, previously known as Nature First. Evans is an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) certified arborist, an ISA-certified utility specialist and a Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA) certified tree safety professional.

Nama began his career in tree care in 1994 and founded Nature First in 1999. He joined Davey as a sales and service coordinator for the new Santa Cruz office in 2015 after Nature First joined Davey. Nama is an ISA-certified arborist and a TCIA-certified tree safety professional.

Baker started his Davey career in 2009 at the Menlo Park R/C office. He moved to Davey’s San Franciso office in 2010 and served as a sales arborist, assistant district manager and district manager before being promoted to market manager of the Bay Area in 2019.

Baker is an ISA-certified arborist and a 2010 graduate from the Davey Institute of Tree Sciences, Davey’s flagship training program in biological sciences, safety, tree and plant care and management techniques.

Stihl adds new vice president of finance

Stihl named Uwe Hirsch as its vice president of finance. Hirsch will plan, direct and control the company’s overall financial plans, policies and activities, including its accounting and treasury practices.

Hirsch will also support the company’s business transformation and leadership of IT operations and system implementations.

“We are pleased to welcome Uwe to Stihl,” said Terry Horan, president and CEO of Stihl. “Uwe has a proven track record leading cross-functional transformation and development projects that achieve long-term target profitability, as well as overseeing and monitoring operational and strategic initiatives. He is a great addition to Team Stihl.”

Hirsch joins Stihl after a career with the Bosch Group, where he most recently served as global vice president of finance, controlling and purchasing for Bosch Automotive Service Solutions in the Automotive Aftermarket division. Prior to that, he served as vice president of finance at Bosch Automotive Service Solutions.

Robin Autopilot promotes from within

Robin Autopilot, a robotic mowing technology and the robotics-as-a-service (RaaS) platform, promoted Ellen Bruno to the new chief of staff position.

“Ellen has played an important part in the growth and success of Robin and many of our other companies,” said Logan Fahey, CEO of Robin Autopilot and founder of its parent company, Fahey Group. “We are privileged to have Ellen on our team and look forward to her continuing contributions as we expand Robin’s offerings and strengthen our position as a leader in the robotic lawn care service industry.”

Bruno’s new responsibilities include overseeing staff relations, strategic planning and assisting in mergers and acquisitions. She will retain all of the responsibilities she had as vice president of operations for the company, including day-to-day operations, finance, e-commerce and logistics.

Bruno helped launch and manage several Fahey Group acquisitions and ventures, including Robin Autopilot and Landmark Lawn and Garden Supply.

In September, Husqvarna expanded its position in Robin Autopilot following integration with Lawn Buddy‘s management software.

IA names E3 program winners

The Irrigation Association selected 25 winners for its 2022 Irrigation E3 (Experience, Education & Exposure) program. This year’s class, 22 students and three educators, will receive education and travel awards to attend the 2022 Irrigation Show and Education Week, Dec. 5-9, in Las Vegas.

The E3 program provides students and educators with exposure, experience and education in the irrigation industry by giving them the opportunity to experience the trade show floor, take education classes and network with industry professionals.

The 2022 E3 winners represent the following universities:

• Central Piedmont Community College: Joseph Crouch; Nancy Hoover; Tucker Williams; John Royals;
• College of Sequoias: Benjamin Halleck;
• Fresno State University: Omar Abulghanam; Konner Gilman;
• Kansas State University: David Culp; Komlan Koudahe;
• Louisiana State University Agricultural Center: Stacia Conger, Ph.D.;
• New Mexico State University: Bhimsen Shrestha;
• North Dakota State University: Bhuwan Shah; Uday Bhanu; Prakash Vaddevolu
• Oklahoma State University: Trevor Shaw;
• Pennsylvania State University: Meetpal Kukal;
• Piedmont Technical College: Archie Ferqueron;
• Prairie View A&M University: Trinity Bluford; Lah’Daisha Thomas; Marisa Trehy;
• University of Nebraska: Anthony Amori; Ishani Lal; Eric Wilkening;
• Utah State University: Karem Meza Capcha; Moises Duran; Kátherine Osorio