Jay Ippolito Honored with 2024 VISTA Award
On April 23 , 2024 , Jay Ippolito , MCA was presented with the association ’ s prestigious VISTA Award . The award was established by the MAA in 2000 to recognize leaders in our industry . It is given to an individual whose actions serve as a guide and challenge to other members . The award ’ s title – VISTA – is an acronym for Vision , Integrity , Service , Talent , and Action – the leadership qualifies inherent in all award recipients . It is the highest honor the MAA bestows upon a member .
Congratulations ! Kevin Cleveland , MCA presented Jay Ippolito , MCA with the VISTA Award .
A crowd of colleagues , family and friends gathered at The German Club to celebrate with Jay and his family as he received his VISTA award . MAA president Kevin Cleveland made the presentation that was followed by a standing ovation for Jay . Here are excerpts from Kevin ’ s remarks that night :
“ Our honoree tonight , Jay Ippolito , is a man of great character , unwavering professionalism , and extraordinary service .
A 1980 Stockbridge grad , Jay started his career at Lowden Tree . He credits Henry Davis with sharing his vast knowledge of trees , and Ed Gagnon for patiently teaching him to be a true arborist ( although he does remind us that in those days , they climbed with manilla rope and using a buck strap was a laughable offense ). the helm , Olde Colonial Tree & Landscape has grown to become one of the most-respected green industry companies around .
Jay has been a strong supporter of the MAA and our entire industry . He chaired many Arbor Day of Service events , served on the MAA board of directors for years , and was president in 2017 . He is a life-long learner who rarely misses an MAA event and safety training has always been his number one priority .
The thing I admire most about Jay is his positive outlook and genuine commitment to helping others . Through the years he has given back in countless ways to his community . Most notably , Jay has run a prison ministry for decades . I remember way back when we moved away from textbooks as study material for the MCA exam ( you remember those huge reference books : Shigo , Dirr , Sinclair & Lyon ?). Jay carted all those books off to the prison library to help others learn about plants and trees . Clearly Jay exemplifies all the values of a VISTA award recipient .“
After a standing ovation from the crowd , Jay gave a heartfelt acceptance speech , ending with the following : “ Being an arborist is not just a job , it ’ s a vocation . There is something very special about people who care for trees . We are scientists , we are entomologists , we are pathologists , we are industrial athletes . We remove , we spray , we prune , we cable , we fertilize , we plant , and we consult . Every aspect of what we do is important to keep trees safe and healthy . We are caretakers of one of God ’ s great creations … the tree .”
Jay started Olde Colonial Tree and Landscape in Hingham in 1984 , as a one-man show . Eventually he added more people to his crews and created a very successful landscape installation arm of his business . With Jay at
Header photo caption : Jay ’ s family joined the celebration ! ( l-r ): Son James ; Jay ; wife Bernadette ; daughters Hilary and Alexandra .
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