Winter 2023 Volume 40 Number 4
Suite 125
Indianapolis Landscape Association
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2023 Indianapolis Landscape Association Officers and Board of Directors Officers President.........Wesley Addington Wesley’s Landscape and Lawncare Phone (317) 867-1796 Vice President..Chris Geryak Greendell Landscape Solutions Phone (317) 996-2826 Secretary..........Ryan Coyle Vive Exterior Design Phone (317) 773-9933 Treasurer.........Todd Engledow Engledow Group Phone (317) 575-1100
4000 West 106th Street, Suite 125 Carmel, IN 46032
Travis Tetrault - Haulstr Landscape Group Phone (317) 413-9874 Term Expires 2024: Dan Weingart GreenImage Landscape Phone (317) 288-2921 Dennis Linner - Heath Outdoor Phone (317) 420-4636 Term Expires 2025: Alex Grafe - Reed Alexander Design Phone (812) 455-8191 Scott Levy - Sundown Gardens Phone (317) 846-0620 Executive Financial Officer: David Todd - Phone (317) 691-1752
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Honorary Director..........Joshua Brown Tiffany Lawn & Garden Supply, Inc. Phone (317) 228-4900
Board of Directors Term Expires 2023: Charlie Swartzell Swartzell Outdoor Design Phone (317)670-4012
Indianapolis Landscape Association
Reflecting on the ILA Board Experience As I pass the baton to the incoming President, Chris Geryak, I am confident that the ILA will continue to grow stronger. The association’s core values – Educate, Protect, Invest, and Connect – will always remain at the forefront of everything we do. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of my journey, and I look forward to staying connected with you all.
As I write my final article as the ILA President, I can’t help but look back on the past 15 years with a mix of emotions. It has been a tremendous honor to serve on this board and witness the growth of this association. I’m going to take you back to how it all began. I was running a small landscaping company with a million-dollar turnover when a salesman named Roy Western introduced me to the ILA. Roy was an incredible advocate for the association, and his passion inspired me to join. I knew this would be a great opportunity to meet industry leaders, and I was right. As I stepped into the role of the President, I inherited a legacy of great leadership from my predecessors, Rick Haggard, Rich Blankenship, Warren Maccaroni, Jeff Behlmer, Ken Barthuly, Jim Calvin, Brian Franco, and Joshua Brown, all of whom were president’s while I was on the board. I am grateful for their contributions and want to thank them publicly. The camaraderie that I experienced in the boardroom was something special. It was more than just working towards a common goal; it was about building lasting friendships and making a difference in the lives of others. I will always cherish the memories I made with my fellow board members, including the educational bus trips and the hospitality of our sponsors like Unilock, Belgard, and many more.
Wesley Addington ILA (past) President
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Indianapolis Landscape Association
Meet Your Newest Board Member other landscape and hardscape needs. Since 1992, our mission has been to be a dependable year-round partner who exceeds expectations. At our core, we are a family business – locally owned, operated, and led. We pride ourselves on beautifying our local neighborhoods and businesses while creating career opportunities for our fellow Indianapolis residents. According to Harvard Business Review, less than 30% of family businesses survive the transition from first to second-generation ownership. As a second-generation company, Greene Thumb is overcoming the statistics by respecting the values the company was built on.
Company History
Darius Norwood
Greene Thumb Landscape, Inc. Darius Norwood is the newest board member of the Indianapolis Landscape Association, and represents his company, Greene Thumb Landscape, Inc. Darius serves as Greene Thumb’s Vice President of Business Development. With close to 10 years of corporate experience and a diverse business portfolio in commercial landscape, residential real estate, and a business consulting firm, Darius’ eclectic experience provides him a competitive advantage. Darius specializes in sales, marketing, and optimizing business processes to promote effective and efficient operations. Alongside his entrepreneurial career, Darius shares his knowledge and expertise as Ball State University’s Entrepreneurship Center board member and a podcast co-host of “All Things Career.” You can most likely find Darius in the gym listening to audiobooks or traveling with his family in his free time.
About Greene Thumb Landscape Greene Thumb Landscape, Inc. is a commercial landscaping company providing lawn maintenance, snow and ice management, and
Greene Thumb Landscape was founded in a one-car garage by an Army Veteran and Gulf War survivor, Ron Davenport. Ron worked extremely hard to make a footprint in this industry. When asked why, he responded, “When you find your passion, you’ll never work a day in your life.” Unfortunately, on July 23, 2012, Ron was killed in a work accident, leaving his wife, Betty Davenport, to run the family business. Betty kept Ron’s legacy alive by working on prestigious commercial projects for the Indianapolis Airport Authority, Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS), and other government entities. On August 29, 2022, Betty passed unexpectedly, leaving the business to her daughter, Kirsten Davenport-Norwood, and son-in-law, Darius Norwood.
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3 Steps to Season-Long Success
The Buttonwood Agreement
Museum of the City of New York, 104th St. and 5th Ave., New York City.
It was under the watchful eye of a buttonwood
tree that the New York Stock Exchange was conceived. In May of 1792, twenty-four of New York’s leading merchants met secretly to sign what would become known as The Buttonwood Agreement. The agreement established trading rules for the buying and selling of bonds and the trading of companies’ stock. The Buttonwood Agreement stood until 1820, when regular meetings and the daily stock calls began. It is appropriate that the signers of the agreement chose a Buttonwood because it is by another common name, the American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis). Truly a tree with many common names, it is thought that early European settlers gave the tree the common name of sycamore because it resembled the European sycamore, which is actually a maple. It also goes by the common name buttonwood,
which may be because portions of the tree were used for early buttons, and the common name buttonball because of the form of the fruit. No matter by what name, the American Sycamore oversaw a momentous day in framing of American Commerce. Photo Credit: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Gottscho-Schleisner Collection [reproduction number, e.g., LC-G612-T-45094]
About the Author:
Jud Scott is a lover of trees and history and has earned the designation of Registered Consulting Arborist #392 (RCA) with the American Society of Consulting Arborists. As an RCA, Jud advises attorneys, landscape companies, park departments, developers, architects, insurance companies, as well as homeowners concerning their trees and landscapes. Jud can be reached at Jud@ judscottconsultingarborist.com or
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COMING SOON: Our winter education series, Contractor EDU will return by popular demand in January 2024!
Indianapolis Landscape Association
2023 ILA ANNUAL MEETING 2023 has now come and gone, but not without an EPIC end-of-the-year annual meeting and holiday party where we welcomed all members of the ILA to join in the fun and festivities at Liter House in Broad Ripple and ended up having 110 attendees and over 22 different companies represented! The evening started with excellent food and fantastic live music from Jeff Day. We then moved into the annual meeting, which included committee reports to keep everyone up to speed on what is happening within the ILA. We also welcomed quite a few new members to the organization, and those would include the following (Regular & Allied Members): • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Primary Grounds Harreld Lawn and Landscape LLC Caballero’s Landscaping Lakeshore Hardscapes GKM Property Services, INC West Side Tractor Sales Lejendary Landscapes Proscape Property Maintenance Stone Artisans Ltd Moran’s Lawn Care Wilson Brothers Lawn and Landscape LLC Tresss Aquatectural Designs Emerald Meadows Pace Inc Mr. Manicure lawn and Landscape E & M Land Services Byrer Lawn and Landscape Chew’s Lawn Restoration Homestead Outdoor Living Just-IN-Time Lawn Care Greene Thumb Landscape, Inc. Great Lakes Petroleum Reyes Landscaping Turfmaster Swartzell Outdoor Design SunnySide Landscapes Alpha Turf Midwest Grok Landscapes by Design Paver Rescue
Joshua Brown, honorary director, then announced the slate of the officers and board members which are as follows: President: Chris Geryak, Mussleman Landscape Solutions Vive President: Ryan Coyle, Vive Exterior Desigin Secretary: Todd Engledow, Engledow Group Treasurer: Alex Grafe, Reed Alexander Design Board: Travis Tetrault: Haulstr Scott Levy: Sundown Gardens Dan Weingart: GreenImage Landscape & Design Dennis Linner: Heath Outdoor Charlie Swartzell, Swartzell Outdoor Designs Darius Norwood, Green Thumb Landscape Once the annual meeting was complete, we were all ready to enjoy the laughs and tears brought on by a couple nationally recognized comedians, Matt McClowry and Dave Landau, who poked a little fun at individuals throughout the venue, and then were heading to the Bob and Tom Show the next morning so we were thrilled to have them. As committee chair of the Annual Meeting and Holiday Party, I want to personally thank all who were able to make it out and look forward to another great year ahead and hope to see ALL members and employees join us for another great time. Wishing you all the best in 2024! Indianapolis Landscape Association board. Sincerely, Ryan Coyle
Membership to Date: Regular (82), Allied (41), Educational (2), Honorary (9)
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Outgoing Honorary Director, Joshua Brown presents the President’s Gavel to Outgoing President, Wesley Addington.
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Member Profile: Indianapolis Landscape Association
TRESSS Aquatectural Designs Last fall, the ILA Board enjoyed the opportunity of having a board meeting hosted at the residence of Andrew and Cecilia Hear, owners of TRESSS Aquatectural Designs and a new member of the Indianapolis Landscape Association. They presented a trully unique new product for the pool and landscape industry and it seems only fitting to share this with the association.
Dive Into the Future At TRESSS Aquatectural Designs, headquartered in Zionsville, state-of-the-art technology meets beauty, safety, and outdoor enjoyment all year long. At Casa Heard, the Heard-Alvarez family home tucked along the tributaries of Eagle Creek and horse pastures near downtown Zionsville, swimming is open year-round. Here, the outdoor pool started as a dream, but became a prototype and a mission of innovation and excellence found in the luxury products they produce at TRESSS Aquatectural Designs. Cecilia Alvarez-Heard (an entrepreneur from
Monterrey, Mexico) and her husband, Andrew Heard (an engineer from Leicestershire, United Kingdom), knew they wanted a pool when they built their home more than a decade ago. They wanted it to be adaptable and flexible—fitting their family, their lifestyle, and their space. Using his engineering expertise and experience in the motorsports industry, Andrew designed and constructed the first TRESSS Moving Pool Floor, a highperformance architectural cover that transformed the Casa Heard patio, and the local pool and landscaping industry in Central Indiana. Featuring selectable depths for various water activities (from lounging to swimming to diving) and R-30 thermal
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a variety of plans, allowing homeowners to maximize their space with luxury and function throughout the year. “We are thrilled to be new members of the Indianapolis Landscape Association,” says Cecilia, who hosted the ILA monthly meeting at Casa Heard last fall. For landscape professionals, TRESSS provides the ability to maximize usable space regardless of the temperature, allowing homeowners to reclaim and transform valuable square footage for different purposes. Perfect for steamy snowball fights in the middle of winter, the adaptable pool covers also allows for splash play in a few inches of water, diving contests at 8-feet deep, or dinner and dance parties atop a pool you’d never even know was underneath. As lot sizes diminish due to the larger structural footprints of modern homes, this flexibility is especially relevant.
insulation for all-season use, the TRESSS Moving Pool Floor is an architectural cover that can be fitted to new pool builds, blending seamlessly into the hardscape when fully raised to create a safe and versatile environment built to withstand weight and pressure while saving energy, reducing water consumption, and decreasing maintenance needs. “The TRESSS Moving Pool Floor is designed to provide comfortable, year-round recreation in any climate, using minimal energy so you can enjoy your pool anytime and never need to worry about winterizing,” Cecilia explains. In 2023, Cecilia, Andrew, and the engineering team at TRESSS launched the all-in-one TRESSS Plunge Pool. Featuring the benefits of the TRESSS Moving Pool Floor architectural cover, including selectable depths and thermal insulation, these self-contained spas offer a 7-by-16-foot swimming area with swim jets and fountain options. Delivered as a complete unit, they lend to uncomplicated installation without extensive construction or additional components. For landscape architects and designers, TRESSS products elevate any outdoor space and integrate elegantly into
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Elevate your landscape designs with TRESSS Aquatectural Designs, innovative architectural pool covers and allinclusive plunge pools inspired by motorsports technology and engineered to perform.
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TRESSS Aquatectural Designs is family owned and operated, founded by Cecilia Alverez-Heard and Andrew Heard in Zionsville, Indiana. The name TRESSS is for their three children, combining the Spanish word for three (tres) with an S for each child: Sophia, Sebastian, and Stefani.
With attention to detail, aesthetic appeal, and end-to-end collaboration, TRESSS is a trusted partner that brings innovation and excellence to any landscape design. For more information or to schedule a tour of the TRESSS flagship pools in Zionsville, contact Cecilia Alverez-Heard at 317-652-1366. See the latest designs online at tresss.com and by following @tresss.designs on Instagram.
scenes from the 2023
Indianapolis Landscape Association
holiday party / annual meeting
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UPCOMING EVENTS:
FLOWER & PATIO SHOW GARDEN PARTY MARCH 11, 2024 (4PM-7PM) 4000 West 106th Street Suite 125 Carmel, IN 46032