The Commercial Landscaper Podcast

Ryan Markewich is a landscape entrepreneur and business advisor based in Kelowna, British Columbia. He founded Creative Roots Landscaping over 30 years ago and has since transitioned the company to an employee ownership model, selling 85% of the business to key team members. For nearly two decades, Ryan has operated using open-book management, building a highly engaged team that understands the fi...

Luke Rykbost is a Commercial Project Manager at Natorp's in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he oversees complex landscape installations with a focus on operational excellence and technical precision. A graduate of Cedarville University with a degree in Management and a minor in Construction, Luke brings a disciplined, modern perspective to one of the region's most established green industry leaders. His e...

Josh Canfield is the President and CEO of Pinstripe Lawn Care and Landscaping. He founded the company in 2020, turning the challenges of the COVID era into an opportunity to build something of his own. What began as a single venture has since grown into an operation spanning four states, specializing in commercial lawn maintenance. Under Josh's leadership, Pinstripe has earned a reputation for rel...

Eric Watkins is the President of Abstrakt, the nation's top lead generation agency. He leads the company's enterprise growth strategy across its portfolio of B2B services. Since joining the organization in 2012 as an intern, Eric has played a hands-on role in scaling the business into a national leader for each of their products: Outbound BDR, Inbound SDR, Creative Sweets, Talent Solutions, Sapper...

Byron is an accomplished entrepreneur, advisor, and speaker who has made a significant impact in the world of business. With his expertise in guiding entrepreneurs on selling a business to management and maximizing the value of their enterprises, he has become a trusted source for strategic advice and practical solutions. Throughout his career, Byron has helped entrepreneurs unlock the full potent...

As the owner of Avanza Landscaping, Noe Loarca is passionate about more than just creating beautiful outdoor spaces—he is committed to growing a company that empowers individuals, builds strong relationships, and delivers exceptional results for clients. With a focus on innovation and collaboration, Noe strives to create an environment where both his team and customers can thrive, believing in rai...

Courtney Krstich is the Co-Founder and CEO of EarthaPro, a software platform built specifically for small lawn care and pest control businesses. With a background in sales at Fortune 500 companies, she now focuses on helping green industry operators simplify their back office, improve profitability, and modernize without unnecessary tech complexity. She's active in the industry through trade shows...

Ryan Hogan is a Partner & CEO at Talent Harbor, a specialized core leadership search and fractional services firm catering to EOS-powered businesses. Talent Harbor has a unique methodology focusing on the particular needs of EOS-powered companies to provide tailored talent solutions that align with the company culture and growth goals. The Talent Harbor Methodology involves three essential phases:...

Kory Mitchell is a strategic growth expert, proven business builder, and trusted advisor. He has walked the exact path he now helps other Founders navigate. With over 25 years in the specialty contracting industry, Kory has experienced the full entrepreneurial journey—from building a small regional business into a nationally recognized brand to a nine-figure transaction. Like most business Owners,...

Daniel Simpson is a Product Marketing leader at  Fleetio , where he helps fleet-driven businesses solve everyday operational challenges with practical, easy-to-adopt technology. Before entering the software world, Daniel worked in construction and has supported business operations across Canada, the UK, Australia, and the United States. That hands-on experience shapes his approach today, with a fo...

Katelyn Milanes is the Director of Culture & Employee Engagement at Fisk Lawnscapes. Katelyn has a proven track record of cultivating positive workplace cultures and creating people-centered organizations that thrive. She specializes in organizational culture, professional development, and human resources strategy. Before moving to Colorado, she spent eight years working in Media & Advertising in...

Karen Schakarov joined Monarch in January 2024. As Chief Marketing Officer, Karen is responsible for leading strategic marketing initiatives and enhancing the Monarch brand to drive growth and value for all stakeholders. Prior to joining Monarch, Karen was President and founder of ES&SY Group, where for two decades she drove growth and innovation for clients such as Toyota, JFK International Airpo...

Richard Sperber is a veteran landscape industry entrepreneur best known for leading the family legacy behind ValleyCrest Landscape Companies and later founding Sperber Landscape Companies. He began his career at ValleyCrest, the business started by his father, Burt Sperber, and went on to take leadership of the company in 2001, helping expand it to more than 100 locations worldwide. In 2014, he le...

Aaron is the Co-Founder of Sterling Point Advisors, a boutique mergers and acquisitions firm focusing on guiding privately held companies through the strategic challenges of exiting their businesses. He has successfully completed 70+ transactions since founding Sterling Point in 2018. Aaron earned a Juris Doctor from The University of Akron in addition to a Master of Business Administration, summa...

Eli Zevin  is the General Manager of Aspire, the leading business management platform for commercial landscaping companies, operating under ServiceTitan. He leads the Aspire business and is responsible for its growth, customer success, and product direction. Eli came to Aspire after nearly a decade at ServiceTitan, where he built and led implementation teams serving contractors across the resident...

Angelique Robb, a certified landscape designer and owner of award-winning Papillon Designs and Landscaping in Scotland, UK, launched the idea for SYNKD in January 2021. Built upon Angelique's passion for the profession and helping it "raise the bar," today SYNKD media and the SYNKD Live events unite landscape professionals across architecture, construction, and horticulture to accelerate progress,...

Dustin Walker is the Owner and President of Landscape St. Louis, a high-end residential landscape design, build firm based in St. Louis, Missouri. After building leadership experience outside the green industry, Dustin made the intentional leap into landscape ownership, acquiring Landscape St. Louis and stepping into the challenge of leading an established company through transition and growth. In...

Justin Bates Justin Bates is the CEO of  Bates Landscaping , a fast-growing landscape contractor based in the Northeast that specializes in HOA and community work, snow operations, and high-end design-build projects. With a mission to be the best company to work  with  and  for , Justin has scaled Bates from a family-run operation to a multimillion-dollar business built on strong systems, a people...

James is the Chief Revenue Officer at LiveSwitch, a global technology company that serves the trades and other businesses. As an industry thought leader and expert in sales, leadership and business innovation, he has extensive experience working with entrepreneurs, small businesses and Fortune 500 enterprises. James is also an entrepreneur who founded a painting and power washing company. Website:...

Scott Hutcheon is a landscape architect, entrepreneur, and technology innovator with more than 25 years in design/build construction, green infrastructure, and landscape systems engineering. After founding one of Southern California's leading design/build firms and later pioneering the AquaFelt™ living-wall system for large commercial projects, Scott went on to build ShrubHub, which became the lar...

Will Richardson serves as the Managing Director of Father Nature Landscapes, a Birmingham-based design-build firm creating thoughtful and lasting outdoor spaces. Father Nature exists to "connect life and land", with a focus on serving clients well, developing leaders, and pursuing excellence in everything they do. Since joining the team, Will has guided the company through significant growth, whil...

Joe Iafigliola is President of Process-Smart, a business process outsourcing firm dedicated to helping landscaping companies operate more efficiently and profitably. Process-Smart manages critical back-office and operational functions such as estimating, payroll, invoicing, customer service and CRM management, allowing landscapers to focus on revenue growth, client satisfaction and team developmen...

Clay Martin is the founder of Isla Talent and former owner of MRC, two firms focused on connecting U.S. companies with skilled talent from Puerto Rico. He consults on how to recruit from Puerto Rico. His journey began with four years in the Peace Corps, living among Indigenous communities in Latin America, an experience that shaped not just his personality and crave for adventure and connecting wi...

Travis Luther is a seasoned entrepreneur, author, and business coach who has built and sold multiple successful companies across industries ranging from legal technology to consumer products. He is the founder of MOSO Pillow, a performance sleep brand featured in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and the former owner of Queen Anne Pillow and TrialLine. Over the past two decades, Trav...

J. T. Price is the CEO of Landscape Workshop , one of the leading commercial landscape maintenance firms in the Southern United States. Since taking the helm in 2014, J. T. has led the company through explosive growth—driving a 65X increase in equity value and growing the team to nearly 2,000 employees . With a background that includes time at McKinsey & Company , roles in private equity , and ext...