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July 2025 Edition
Read a message from CEO Randolph Hoover, check out the MVV Recognition Program Quarterly Winners, and learn about our new blogs!
Introducing
A Message from Randolph Hoover
I am pleased to introduce XKIG, our new parent company. You may have seen this name in some of our communications already. XKIG will operate through our subsidiaries—Xylem Tree Experts, Kendall Vegetation Services, and River City Construction, our recently added partner—to safely and professionally support our customers’ delivery of reliable energy to the communities they serve. Together, we maintain and protect vital utility infrastructure, ensuring the lights stay on for millions of Americans.
This is an exciting time in our company's history. We continue to grow both organically and through acquisition, and we continue to take market share from our competition as the customers we serve want a true partner committed to innovation and excellence. And of course, when future natural disasters occur, XKIG’s rapid-response teams will be among the first on the scene, restoring critical services and building community resilience. Driven by an unwavering commitment to the communities in which we live and work, XKIG combines the key strengths of our subsidiaries—as well as advanced technologies, strict safety standards, and top workforce retention—to deliver superior service on a large scale.
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome River City Construction, founded in 1975 and based in Washington, North Carolina. The company provides utility infrastructure construction and maintenance in North Carolina, Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, and West Virginia. As one of the fastest-growing infrastructure companies in the Mid-Atlantic states, it has adapted its services to meet evolving regional power, telecommunications, and alternative energy needs. With River City, we are excited to expand into adjacent business lines beyond Xylem and Kendall vegetation management services. Together, all subsidiaries have tremendous opportunities for synergistic growth.
Look for future XKIG announcements, including a new website, in the weeks to come. You can view our landing page now.
In the meantime, you can like and follow our XKIG pages here:
Blogs: “How We’re Redefining Routine (Part 1)”
We’re not just trimming trees. We’re cutting outage risks, chaos, and emergency costs, before the storm hits. Our latest blog post dives into how a proactive, tech-enabled approach can prevent outages and streamline storm response. Read Part 1 of our smarter vegetation management series here: How We’re Redefining Routine (Part 1) - Xylem Tree Experts
Blogs: “How We’re Redefining Routine (Part 2)”
We’re not just clearing corridors. We’re clearing the way for safer crews, smarter budgets, and stronger public trust. Part 2 of our smarter vegetation management series is live. In this installment, we focus on strategy and doing the work before it becomes an emergency. Read here: How We’re Redefining Routine (Part 2) - Xylem Tree Experts
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June GF School is Complete!
We wrapped up another great GF School session with the following 18 attendees: Bryan Walters, James Scott, Omar Guevera, Austin Furtick, Preston Whitaker, Ryan Skipper, Marshall Crouse, William Wingfield, Steve Hosaflook, John Golden, Derick McBroom, Steve Mulkey, Andrew Kluesner, Michael Cosgrove, Zach Gregori, Awilda Rivera, Ryan Smart, and Randy Lamb.
Mission Vision Values Employee Recognition Program Quarterly
Award Winners
After introducing the Mission, Vision, and Values Recognition Program in February, it’s now time to announce our first quarterly award winners! Team members were initially nominated by their Regional Managers. These nominations were then reviewed by an impartial panel of judges who selected an outstanding employee for each of our core values. Here are the winners!
Core Value Trust:
Emory Harvey
Xylem Region 5
“Emory Harvey, trust is real important when putting someone in charge or giving a promotion. That's why I have chosen Emory. When asked to complete a task or work with people out of the ordinary you can trust Emory to always do the right thing. A big part of trust is honesty. Emory has always been honest and trusted no matter the situation bad or good. "
Core Value Transparency:
Codie Buckner
Xylem Region 1
“He lets me know right when something happens or someone done something that was not supposed to happen. No matter how hard the conversation is to deliver.”
Core Value Respect:
Jairo Samayoa Cifuentes
Xylem Region 2
“I want to nominate Jario Samayoa for respect. Jario is one of the best leaders I have in the region. He treats his employees with respect and leadership. His customers praise him for the work he does, and he is always willing to learn and improve. He has the respect of his people and customers and his peers."
Core Value Unity:
Agustin Villegas
Xylem Region 12
“After a serious injury, he chose perseverance over pity, returning to work with quiet strength and a focus on recovery. His steady presence, resilience, and humble attitude continue to bring daily value and encouragement to our team.”
Between the Branches
Congrats to our Newly Licensed Commercial Drivers!
Congratulations to the employees who participated in our most recent training class in Kirksville, MO, and to the following 11 team members who obtained their Commercial Driver’s License last month:
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Class A: Pintle Hook Restriction: Bobby Messer, Johnnie Lykes
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Class B: Paul Wirsching, Ernest Grubb, Austin Furtick, Joshua Ball, Christian Ayala, Justin Hammac, Berry Bennett, Trevor Strickland, and Timothy Scott
We applaud these 11 employees for successfully completing the classroom session, field training course, and skills test to achieve these qualifications!
Our upcoming training sessions will be held in Buffalo, NY, on August 1-2; Chattanooga, TN, on August 15-16; Aurora, MO, on August 15; and Hamlet, NC, on August 29. For more information about the CDL program, contact Tim Haynes at thaynes@xylemtree.com.
Work Anniversaries
Congratulations to all Xylem employees who celebrated milestone anniversaries this past quarter, especially Supervisor Gary Johnson, who has been with Kemp West and now Xylem for 35 years! Thank you for your contributions to our company’s success. Here’s to many more years ahead! Click the button below to learn more about Gary and see the employees who hit milestone anniversaries.
Compliments for the Crew
"I received a phone call from Joe E. out of Monroe, NC, this morning. He called to state that Rusty Russ and his crew did a phenomenal job on his property. Said he's had many crews from other companies over the years, but never had a good experience until now. Said the crews were so courteous and nice and cleaned everything perfectly. Said he could not go any longer without calling to brag on the crews and that he hopes that our teams will be the ones that cut on his property forever. "
Compliments for the Crew
"I just had a Jon on the phone, and he wanted to say thanks to all the work you guys do with the trees, and he thinks the Kendall contractors (Timothy Johnson, William L Mayes, Billy Johnson, Robert Harvey) are wonderful people. —Randall Johnson, GF, Kentucky"
Compliments for the Crew
As realtors, we see a lot of crazy, and we often get close to the finish line, and 99.9% of home buying deals will have an issue...just want to call out a Kempsville friend who helped us get a closing done, not in the 11th hour, but the 11.999! Mark Griffith saved our transaction, and he and his team literally saved our buyer's deal! We called him the night before closing, and he answered the phone, sent an easy digital bid/acceptance, and I promise that we would not have been able to close without him! If you need tree removal (emergency or not), you call Mark, and it is done! Thank you so much! - Shane R., VA.
Compliments for the Crew
Kimberly S., a resident in Conway, SC, called to tell us, “Thank you so much. You have an excellent crew (Natthan Ward, Thomas Collins, James Moore, and Ronald Ward) out here. When they first came out, I shared with them some of my concerns, and they very patiently listened to me. But y'all were already prepared to take care of things. So, thank you so much for coming prepared to trim and mulch, and you’ve left it looking better than ever. Thank you again.”
Compliments for the Crew
A Seattle, WA, resident said, "I’m so impressed by the service we received by the city of Seattle utilities and arborists (Wesley Spencer and crew) who were here today trimming trees to protect our power while preserving our trees as much as possible. I made a request months ago to be notified before cutting was done near my property, and was amazed and grateful to have the arborist come to my door and explain what they would do today. We all want and need our power and to preserve our green canopy in Seattle, and it’s gratifying that we’re on the same page about it!"
We Want to Hear from You!
Do you have suggested article ideas or pictures to share? Email us at feedback@xylemtree.com!