Meet the Team: Jill Bleher

Meet the Team: Jill Bleher

For November we are highlighting landscape designer Jill Bleher, who has been with Madrone for nine glorious months. She says one of her favorite things about working at Madrone is the positive team energy. We feel the same way about you, Jill – we’re so glad you joined our team!

What is your favorite thing about working at Madrone?

What I enjoy most about working at Madrone is the positive team energy and the fact that every day I get to work on interesting projects.

I really appreciate being able to bounce ideas off of my teammates. The feedback I receive from my managers and peers helps me to delve deeper into my designs and develop my ideas. Sometimes you just need someone else to look at a design in progress and question you or offer their opinion in order to arrive at the best possible solution for a space. This creative collaboration is my favorite thing about working at Madrone.

What is your favorite project that you’ve worked on and why?

I have enjoyed so many things about so many different projects, but my favorite projects are those that integrate old with new. I like the challenge of tying together existing features – especially those with history – with new aspects of a design, knitting it all together into a cohesive design.

One such project is a backyard in SLO. The property slopes steeply down to a creek and my first view of the site was just a sea of nasturtiums and weeds beneath ancient Sycamore trees. Cleanup of the site revealed several stone and mortar walls that spoke of the history of the place. These walls are featured in the new landscape, along with a new wall built to match the same rustic style. The design also blends in contemporary features such as poured in place concrete pavers of varying sizes and cable railing on the upper wood deck.

Ultimately this project reminded me of the tale of the Secret Garden. Old can be made refreshed and revitalized with love and attention to detail! What sealed this job as a favorite for me was getting to know the owners through the process of design and installation, and seeing their joy as it developed. One vision that sticks with me is of the family’s young daughter sitting on a stepping stone, feeling the plants and looking quite happy.

 

What is your favorite, or least favorite, plant and why?

As a designer I tend to picture plants in terms of colors and textures. I’m hard pressed to pick a favorite, but these are a few plants which I come back to again and again:  

1. Calylopus (Sundrops) is a plant I love for its bright yellow pop when in bloom. I especially like using it to brighten a rockscape or spill over a wall or container.

2. Euphorbia characias (Mediterranean Spurge) is one of my favorite plant species because of its unique forms and colors. It’s a great year-round background of filler plant that will pop out at you when it blooms. ‘Blackbird’ is an especially neat specimen for interesting foliage!

3. Agave ‘Blue Glow’ is in my top plants list for its beautiful symmetry and year-round interest. This is a great stand-alone feature plant or planted en masse for a striking landscape.

My least favorite plant would be Stipa tenuissima (Mexican Feather Grass), because although it is beautiful it spreads everywhere and is a pain to get rid of! Early in my design career I used it in a few landscapes only to be dismayed by how it took over everything else, so now I fervently steer clear of using it.

What are some of your favorite hobbies outside of work?

I’m an avid vegetable gardener and collector of interesting succulents. I also enjoy hiking and identifying our local native plants. Indoors you can usually find me doing something creative like knitting, baking, drawing or playing cello.

Give us a fun fact about you!

On sunny days you might see me walking around town with a lizard on my shoulder. Her name is Aurora and she’s a bearded dragon. My husband Alec and I have had her for about 5 years and love to take her places with us. It’s a great conversation starter.

Meet the Team: Angie McCamy

Meet the Team: Angie McCamy

It’s a wonderful day to Meet the Team! For October, we are happy to spotlight Angie McCamy, our Office Manager.  While many of us have worked from home, Angie has gone into the office nearly every day, making sure things run smoothly. We appreciate you Angie!

1. What’s your favorite thing about working at Madrone?

It’s a relaxed and productive atmosphere.

2. What’s your favorite project that you’ve worked on and why?

My favorite project is the one I’m working on currently. 

3. What’s your favorite plant and why?

My favorite plant is Plumeria – it has beautiful flowers and smells awesome!

4. What are some of your favorite hobbies outside of work?

Bike riding, rollerskating, hanging out with family and friends.  

5. Share a fun fact about yourself.

I’m afraid of heights … but I love to zipline!

Celebrating Ten Years with Ramiro Hernandez

Celebrating Ten Years with Ramiro Hernandez

Ramiro “Romy” Hernandez is a driven leader and a skilled craftsman who aspires to get better at everything he does.

Romy has been a project manager at Madrone Landscape for 10 years and had decades of landscape construction experience before Madrone.

He is always jovial and looking to make people smile with a joke or a compliment. Even while having fun on his job, his dedication to doing quality work and working efficiently goes down to the minute. “Almost doesn’t count” is his famous catchphrase, because he is not satisfied until the job is done and done well. He takes enormous pride in his work and great satisfaction from a happy client.

His crew leadership is a comradery that transforms a group of people into a single body working seamlessly to complete the job. Romy’s character, discipline, and leadership have always been impressive.

After ten years, we are so proud he is part of our Madrone Family!

Celebrating Ten Years with Humberto Hernandez

Celebrating Ten Years with Humberto Hernandez

Humberto “Beto” Hernandez is one of the best crew members at Madrone. Literally any crew would take him in a heartbeat and when he does get to work with other crews, those crews perform better.

With several decades of experience in the field, he knows all aspects of landscape installation inside and out. A man of few words, Beto lets his work do the talking. His ability to know the next step and his stamina to work longer and harder than most makes him an invaluable team member.

His confidence and pride translates to his suave style, generally making him the sharpest dressed at the yearly Christmas Party.

Beto’s loyalty to his crew, commitment to hard work and pride in being a master of his craft make him an all-star. Happy 10-years, Beto!

Meet the Team: Ian Parker

Meet the Team: Ian Parker

It’s a wonderful day to Meet the Team! For July, we are putting a spotlight on our Sales Manager: Ian Parker. Ian’s strong leadership skills, great sense of humor, and wealth of knowledge of the industry make him a fantastic leader for our Sales and Design Team. This September will be his 8th year with us and we can’t imagine our team without him!

1. How did you get into the landscape industry?

 I had a passion for art and was already pursing a degree in graphic design at a local community college. I liked the idea of being a graphic designer, but found the thought of being trapped indoors in a competitive industry may not be for me. I had always enjoyed being involved with construction work, and had held several summer jobs helping on job sites growing up, so I started to think that this might be something worth pursuing. One day my Mom came across a brochure for Cal State Northridge’s Extended Learning Program, which described their Landscape Design curriculum. It sounded like the perfect blend of creative and hand-on practices, so I enrolled. I started looking for a low-level landscape labor job and was quickly hired on by a landscape contractor in Malibu: I was hooked on the first day. The sunshine, the smell of fresh cut grass… ahh it still gets me excited to this day. Now ~20 years later I’m still excited about my work, and every day seems to be a new adventure! 

2. What other positions have you held within the landscape industry?

After spending a few years working in Malibu, I founded a small landscape company in Los Angeles where I was able to incorporate my own designs into my work. I learned the business of being a Landscape Contractor during this time, and gained some experience doing real-world designs. I made a lot of rookie mistakes and learned a lot through trial and error. This was a lot of fun, but it also showed me how stressful being an independent contractor can be. Around 2008, at the height of the recession, I made the difficult decision to shut down my business and move to the Central Coast. I landed a job as Maintenance Department Manager for a local landscape firm that managed a variety of large maintenance accounts. This exposed me to a whole new level of the landscape industry that I hadn’t seen before. In 2012, I made the move over to Madrone, and spent the next 5-6 years managing landscape construction projects. From there, I’ve gone wherever Madrone has needed me; I jumped in as a Designer for a short period, and ultimately ended up as the Sales Manager in 2018.

3. What does a typical day as Sales Manager look like?

Most of my days are spent providing support for our landscape designers, estimators and construction staff. As my job title says, I manage our Sales Department  which means lots of consultations and site visits. More often than not, I am the first person that people meet when talking with Madrone about a potential project. Between meetings, my days are very reactionary based on where I’m needed. I regularly work with our designers on plan reviews and conceptual analysis ensuring that our ideas are buildable and properly described on plan. I also spend a lot of time bridging the gap between design and construction, and I try to make myself available to both our clients and our project managers. I attend most of our design review meetings, so I get to know our clients pretty well through that process, and enjoy being involved in the construction process as well. Occasionally I still get to go help out with difficult builds in the field!  

4. What about your sales process sets you apart from other firms who offer similar services?

I think that being a design/build firm is really what makes us special within our industry. Last year, over 65% of our construction work came from in-house designs. Through our design process, we are able to really listen to our client’s needs and desires and ensure that their projects are properly planned before ever breaking ground. Our design process includes several rounds of revisions, which are each accompanied by an in-depth budget analysis. This information allows clients to properly prioritize their needs, and ultimately leads to great projects that fit within a client’s desired budget. Some competitors simply send prospective clients construction bids with minimal information, and it’s basically “take it or leave it”. With our process, we really take the time to sort out all the details and create a dialogue that builds a trusting relationship with the client long before breaking ground.   

5. What inspires you when working on landscape designs?

I’ve been a student of landscape design for close to 20 years now. In my daily life, I’m constantly analyzing everything that I see in search of inspiration. What works? What doesn’t What is it about a landscape or natural space that makes me feel a certain way? I draw from this experience to help guide our clients and designers, but ultimately, it’s all about listening to the client. Everyone is different, so our goal is always to take their initial vision for their property and mold it in a way that will be beautiful and sustainable for years to come.  The old saying ‘you don’t know what you don’t know’ is so true in our industry, so I just try to share my experience with my team and our clients to help them make the best decisions possible.     

6. What is your favorite thing about working for Madrone?

There’s a lot to love about Madrone, but my favorite thing is the commitment to our Core Values. It’s so important to me that we stand behind our work and treat all of our employees, clients, and the community at large, with the dignity and respect that they deserve. Some companies out there cut corners to make a buck, both in terms of how they treat their employees and how they treat their clients. But in my 8 years with Madrone, I’ve found that from top to bottom, we consider ourselves members of our community first, and it’s our reputation that matters more than anything else.   

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays!

Another year come and gone, and we’ve had some great moments we wanted to share. Thank you all for your support this year! Happy Holidays from your friends at Madrone Landscape, and cheers to another year together!

Song: Christmas in Hollis by Run DMC