Jim Brubaker Born to Bloom transforms the local landscape

By Julie Young

Jim Brubaker has been making the ordinary extraordinary for over 40 years. The landscape architect is owner of Jim Brubaker Designs, Inc. and JBD Home. He enjoys transforming the local landscape and is not planning to stop any time soon.

“I just turned 70, and I have no plans to retire,” he said. “My work is what keeps me alive, and I hope I can continue doing quality work for as long as possible.”

It certainly seems that Brubaker was born to make the world a beautiful place. A lifelong lover of the land, he grew up on a farm before taking a job at the Sandpoint Greenhouse where he served as a floral designer and buyer for the company’s small gift shop. Together with his late wife Vicki, he began his own company and eventually founded Jim Brubaker Designs, Inc. and JBD Home 14 years ago.

“I was the one in the office designing while Vicki stayed home and did the financials. Our daughter Courtney has picked up on that and she handles the administrative aspect of the business for me today,” he said. With Courtney overseeing the numbers, Brubaker spends his days creating landscape blueprints for both residential and commercial clients, contracting the labor out to firms he’s worked with for several years. He sources all the live material himself, making sure that it is up to his strict quality standards, and he’s often present at the jobsite and avails himself to his clients should any questions or concerns arise.

“It’s important for my clients to know that even though I use contractors for the install, they are still reporting to me,” he said.

Brubaker’s approach to landscape design is no different than the way he approaches interior design. He sees exterior areas as outdoor living spaces that have similar functions to their interior counterparts and must be treated the same way.

“The front porch is the first thing people see so it has to look great, while the backyard is for entertaining and play, so it has to be more multifunctional,” he said.

Of course, when you are in such a seasonal business, it’s important to have something lined up during the other months of the year. Brubaker understands this and has worked tirelessly to expand his operations to include Christmas light installation, and holiday décor set up and tear down for both residential and commercial clients.

“I have a great group of part-time, seasonal employees who will take the hassle and stress out of holiday decorating so that a homeowner can relax and enjoy the season,” he said. “If you want to become a better company, you have to be flexible and there’s not much we will say no to.”

Brubaker says when you love what you do, you never work a day in your life and his long-time clients feel more like family than business contacts. a

Fort Wayne, 260.436.3639, jimbrubakerdesigns.com