Faces of the Industry Archives - The Edge from the National Association of Landscape Professionals

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Faces of the Industry

Faces of the Industry: Mackenzie Chris

In her six years with Southern Botanical, Mackenzie Chris has been a rising star. She has gone from account manager to senior account manager and then to assistant branch manager. Now, she is in her second year as branch manager for their residential division, which earns over $6 million in annual revenue. Chris is the […]

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Faces of the Industry: Jason Chang

After serving in the Army for four years, Jason Chang was looking for a refreshing career he was passionate about. He had worked for local landscapers when he was a teenager, and Green Lawn Fertilizing was right down the road from one of his previous employers. Chang says it was the fact that the business […]

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Faces of the Industry: Brian McGrady

Brian McGrady served in the Marine Corps for 20 years before retiring at the rank of gunnery sergeant. A fellow Marine introduced him to the landscape industry, and he has been in the industry for roughly five years now. ā€œWe have always had similar goals and values,ā€ McGrady says. ā€œHe knew that this would be […]

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Faces of the Industry: Eddie Ramirez

ā€œYeah, why not?ā€ was Eddie Ramirezā€™s response to Mark Chaffin when he suggested Ramirez join him as he started his own landscaping company. That was in 1979, when the two were working together at a restaurant. Chaffin left the restaurant industry and started EarthWorks, Inc., based in Lillian, Texas. Ramirez started as a laborer, then […]

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Faces of the Industry: Julie Hayes

Julie Hayes didnā€™t plan on working in the landscape industry. In fact, she worked as a community association manager for over 20 years before making a career change. She mentioned her boredom with her current career to Joel Sullivan, vice president of Sullivanā€™s Landscaping & Maintenance, based in Milford, Delaware, while waiting for a community […]

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Faces of the Industry: Jacob Hong

Jacob Hong started mowing lawns with his brother when he was 13 years old, but it wasnā€™t until he was in college that he realized he could have a career in the landscape industry. ā€œI felt it was the best of both worlds,ā€ Hong says. ā€œA little bit of business along with working outside. Initially, […]

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Faces of the Industry: Sarah Greene

Sarah Greene has 20 years of experience in the landscape industry. She has been an account manager, floriculture manager, business development manager, garden manager, landscape designer and consultant. Greene acknowledges that her career path has been unconventional, but she was intentional about taking on all these different roles. She notes that her different jobs have […]

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Faces of the Industry: Emily Seely

When Emily Seely first started working for Farmside Landscape & Design, based in Wantage, New Jersey, she was looking for some short-term office work as she was completing her associate degree and was unsure of her next steps. She admits because she didnā€™t have a background in landscaping, she was a little intimidated to learn […]

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Meet Rachel Green: Former Teacher Applies Classroom Skills to Career in Commercial Landscaping

Guest content by Ginny Shikle, communications specialist for Michael Hatcher & Associates After pouring herself into her students for nine years, Rachel Green knew it was time to move on. ā€œTeaching is a very demanding job, and you cannot be halfway,ā€ says Green, a former high school special education teacher, volleyball coach, and cheer sponsor. […]

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Faces of the Industry: Michael Davie

Michael Davie has always enjoyed landscaping, growing up working in the yard with his mother, but it wasnā€™t until after he worked at Menā€™s Wearhouse for 20 years that he decided he needed to change careers. Davie wanted to be involved in something he could be passionate about, so he went back to school and […]

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