The Award of Merit is the highest honor paid by Tree Care Industry Association to an individual or company. We don’t always give an Award of Merit each year, so this is considered our industry’s most prestigious recognition. The award nominations are due early in the fall and the award is presented at the Winter Management Conference. Download an application form here 

Greg Daniels wins TCIA’s Award of Merit
Presented by Mark Garvin during Winter Management Conference in February 2011

With a career that spans 40 years of passionate dedication to the science of arboriculture and to the improvement of the green industry, there is no one more qualified to receive the TCIA Award of Merit than this year’s honoree.

Greg Daniels began his career in 1968 with a mid-sized tree care company, where he fostered his interest in arboriculture and solidified his commitment to this career. He moved to his present company in 1975, serving as manager of an office in Illinois. The office thrived and he was quickly promoted to division manager of the Midwest region. It was in this role that he began developing relationships with colleges and universities to recruit talented arborists for a career in our industry. In 1980, he was transferred east and promoted to vice president and division manager, serving customers in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey. Under his leadership, the company opened five additional offices and became the largest tree care operation in the region.

His dedication to the tree care industry is evidenced in his involvement in TCIA and numerous other green industry organizations. A member of the International Society of Arboriculture since 1975, he has also served as a delegate on the ANSI A-300 committee, where he helped develop standards in pruning, fertilization, tree support systems and lightening protections systems. For TCIA, he served as chair of the National Arborist Foundation. Over the years, he also devoted his time and talents
to the Utility Committee, International Development Committee, Nominations Committee, Membership Committee, Business Management Committee, Safety Committee, CEO Search
Committee, Awards Committee, Audit Committee and Finance Committee. He joined the National
Arborist Association Board in 1997, and was part of the leadership team that led us into a creative era for the association. He championed our Transformation of the Industry, which included re-branding NAA to the Tree Care Industry Association. He supported the development of TCIA’s Voice for Trees Political Action Committee. His belief in excellence, accountability and safety for green industry workers is unwavering, demonstrated by his company’s embrace of Accreditation, and most recently the Certified Treecare Safety Professional credential for his managers.

This year’s honoree is noted throughout the field of arboriculture for his willingness to mentor up-and-coming arborists. You’ll see people approach him at industry functions asking him questions about acquisitions, business models, growth, cost control, employee management, technology and
equipment. Generous with his time, he answers competitors and non-competitors alike. He is open, candid and insightful in his responses.

This participation enables him to play an active role in advancing the field of arboriculture for the benefit of all tree care workers, regardless of business affiliations. He was promoted to his current role, president of the F.A. Bartlett Tree Expert Company, in 1999. During that same year, he was
elected to the Bartlett Board of Directors, where his knowledge of the industry and his insight and experience has been integral in guiding the direction of the company. Currently serving as president
and chief operating officer of Bartlett, he is responsible for the design and execution his company’s strategic plan and directly oversees the activities of the sales managers in each of the company’s territories.

During his tenure he has been involved in more than 20 acquisitions, 31 office openings and the establishment of new locations in the U.S. and abroad. For these and countless other contributions
to our industry, today we honor Gregory S. Daniels with the TCIA Award of Merit. Your leadership during critical times and your lifelong contributions to the tree care industry will not be forgotten. Thank you, Greg.