At the 2019 ISA Annual International Conference and Trade Show in Knoxville, Tenn., TREE Fund President and CEO, J. Eric Smith, bestowed the 2019 Ken Ottman Volunteer Award upon Geoffrey Kempter, technical services manager for Asplundh Tree Expert, LLC.
The Ken Ottman Volunteer Award is the highest public service award offered by TREE Fund, and is named for the legendary Ken Ottman, an unparalleled champion for the work of TREE Fund and its predecessor organizations, the ISA’s Research Trust and the National Arborist Foundation. The Ottman Award honors sustained, high-impact support for TREE Fund and its mission, and the awards committee could not think of anyone more deserving of this award than Kempter.
A founding Trustee of TREE Fund, Kempter was a rider in the very first Tour des Trees in 1992. He has been a regular participant in countless TREE Fund activities throughout the years, and whenever he speaks at conferences, he always includes TREE Fund in his remarks and enthusiastically encourages support for TREE Fund. Kempter is an inspirational champion, the embodiment of everything TREE Fund stands for: giving skilled tree care professionals the very best information and tools available, so they can work as effectively, efficiently, and safely as possible.