Serving Utility Companies Across the Nation for More Than Three Decades
At ACRT, our roots run deep. Founded in 1985, we are 100% employee-owned, independent, and customer-focused. Our primary objective is to be an end-to-end solution provider for utility companies, so they can provide safe and reliable service to their customers and members.
We were the first, and remain the largest, national commercial urban forestry consulting firm in the United States, and the first national line clearance, tree care, and urban forestry training organization.
This history follows us into our future endeavors. The equity our brand has built with our customers and the communities they serve helps us expand our organization into new opportunities and industries.
The Founding Story of ACRT
Dick Abbott and his wife Sue were the founding members of ACRT, officially incorporating the acronym Appraisal, Consulting, Research, and Training in February of that year. In the beginning, Dick and Sue ran ACRT out of their home, but the company quickly grew and eventually moved to Akron, Ohio where our headquarters are today.
Dick’s influence is also the reason behind our organization’s close ties to safety. For 15 years, Dick was the chairman for the Z-133 Safety Standards Committee, the creators of the Tree Trimming Safety Standards that are still used today.
In 2003, we became completely employee-owned, a move that Dick and Sue decided to make for the benefit of our people and our company. Our employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) gives our employees a qualified retirement plan and enables them to be a direct part of the success of our organization.
As we’ve updated what ACRT believes, we’ve also updated what we stand for, literally: the ACRT acronym now stands for Assessments, Consulting, Representation, and Training. Mixing in our past with our future, this helps define what we do and lights our path for future growth and evolution in our industry.