New Hire | Brandon Smith - Landscape Workshop

Michelle McMurry

Chief Of Staff

Michelle joined the LW staff in 2024 and comes to the team with a unique skill set to support and expand the productivity of our C-Suite. A University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill graduate, Michelle holds a degree in journalism and has a diverse background in communications, taking her from the fast-paced arena of professional sports marketing to the rewarding world of educational consulting to the complex inner workings of the United States government. For the past 11 years, she has served as a C-Level executive assistant in an international consulting firm and was an integral part in establishing a new division of the company. With this variety of experience across multiple industries and having set up and built several small businesses from the ground up, Michelle brings a keen eye for detail and expertise in administration to the LW team. She is responsible for managing special projects, driving strategic initiatives and collaborating with the senior executive team to optimize company performance.

Chase Matherson

Director of IT

Chase Matherson has served Landscape Workshop for 10 years under the IT umbrella. Starting his career in IT as a systems admin, Chase worked his way up the ranks to a Network Engineer. Through his hard work and dedication, he now serves as the Director of IT. Under his leadership Landscape Workshop has been able to seamlessly evolve in the technology realm and continues to progress.

Taylor Langley

Director of Marketing

A native of Birmingham, AL, Taylor Langley brings significant marketing experience with her. She has worked on numerous campaigns for both local and national brands. Langley comes from RealtySouth, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, where she had significant marketing experience with a focus in digital marketing. Langley is responsible for overseeing all aspects of Landscape Workshop’s marketing initiatives including brand awareness, website design and optimization, digital campaigns and more.

J.T. Price

Chief Executive Officer

J.T.’s main priority as CEO is to keep Landscape Workshop’s customers and employees happy. Since joining the leadership team in 2014, his primary goal has been to cultivate a performance culture – not a political one. We believe that we have the best talent in the industry, and J.T. aims to align every team member with our mission to be the most dependable landscape service provider in the Southeast.

Joe Socolof

Chief Operating Officer

A dedicated professional with over 25 years of experience as a management consultant and operator, Joe brings with him his expertise in operations, supply chain/procurement, finance and capital productivity. Joe’s main focus is to ensure that all of the LW branch locations are delivering consistent, superior service in every market we serve, while also developing LW employees to be the best that they can be every day. With Joe’s comprehensive experience, we are dedicated to maintaining our reputation of industry-leading customer service as we continue to grow the LW brand.

Christianna Denelsbeck Rudder

Chief Financial Officer

Christianna is responsible for overseeing all IT, Supply Chain, and Financial operations of Landscape Workshop. Joining the LW team in 2015 with a dedication to high-performance, she progressed through the ranks and has contributed mightily to LW’s excellence in systems and finance. As a result, we’ve not only seen an increase in profits, but in productivity, as well.

Chris Rance

Chief Revenue Officer

Chris is an experienced Sales Leader and joined Landscape Workshop in 2023. He brings expertise scaling sales teams, and driving revenues from previous roles spanning London, Singapore and now the USA. He has consistently delivered proven success through analytics-based decisions with a strong focus on revenue growth and prospecting strategies. His primary focus at Landscape Workshop is to oversee Sales, Business development and Marketing teams and operations, and to contribute to a high-performance culture.

Mark Pettke

Vice President of Operations

Mark joined the Landscape Workshop team in 2017 with 23 years of landscape experience. He works closely with our branch operation teams to ensure consistent field operations and high quality, professional service across the company. Having served in nearly every role in the landscape business, Mark coaches our team members with the knowledge he has gained in order to help them meet and exceed their goals.

Tim Christie

Vice President of Operations

A green industry veteran of over 35 years, Tim brings expert level experience including business ownership to the LW team. With his expertise, Tim oversees all aspects of operations for our Atlanta area branches.

Chad Galloway

Vice President of Operations

Chad Galloway is a seasoned professional in the green industry, with over two decades of experience. Holding his Setting of Landscape Plants (SLP) license in AL, Chad has demonstrated expertise in various management roles. Currently, he plays a key role in overseeing operations in our southern branches.

Bill Cobb

Vice President of Operations

Bill is a highly accomplished professional in the green industry, boasting more than 32 years of experience. He proudly holds a B.S. in Ornamental Horticulture from Auburn University, along with Alabama state licenses in Setting of Landscape Plants (SLP) and Landscape Design. As the Vice President of Operations, he is dedicated to cultivating future leaders who not only possess knowledge and expertise, but also demonstrate an unwavering commitment to LW’s core company values.

Pam Blankenship

V.P. of Human Resources

An SHRM Certified Professional, Pam’s focus is on Landscape Workshop employees. She oversees all Human Resource functions, including the H2B program, and coordinates with management to ensure the company provides a safe work environment where employees are treated fairly.

Kerry Early, CPA

V.P. of Finance

Kerry joined the LW team in 2021, bringing with her over 8 years of experience in public accounting, corporate accounting and banking. She holds a BS in Accounting magna cum laude and a Masters of Tax Accounting from the University of Alabama. Kerry’s technical expertise and experience is crucial to the LW team as we continue on into our next phase of growth.

Nicole Lee

Dir. of Corporate and Talent Acquisitions

Nicole focuses on Landscape Workshop’s growth, both internally and externally. One of her goals is to recruit the top talent needed for Landscape Workshop to have the most professional management team in the industry. Additionally, she focuses on expanding the LW footprint through potential acquisitions. With over 12 years of talent acquisition experience, Nicole is skilled in building connections and seeking out valuable opportunities for the company.

Marcus Jones

Director of Systems

Marcus holds his Master of Business Administration in Project Management from Columbia Southern University and has over 9 years of senior-level management experience in the software and logistics industry. Within Landscape Workshop, Marcus functions as LW’s system expert providing data analysis, training and support to the operations division.

Sarah Cash

Director of Floriculture

With over 20 years of green industry experience, Sarah serves as our Director of Floriculture. She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Science Horticulture and is a Certified Horticulturist. Sarah has extensive work experience in the industry including account management, business development, garden management, and landscape design & consulting.

Whit Joseph

Corporate Development Manager

Whit graduated with his Bachelor’s degree in Finance & Marketing from the University of Alabama and his Master’s degree in Finance & Consulting from the University of Tennessee. With his mixture of education and over 5 years of work experience, Whit assists in many different avenues of business development including sourcing and qualifying acquisition targets, project management over the acquisition process, and general business reporting and analysis.

Darby Gilbert

Corporate & Talent Acquisition Manager

Darby joined LW at the beginning of 2021, bringing with her 8 years of knowledge and experience in HR function and recruiting. Her main goal is to build the most effective workforce possible through customized processes to draw talent in and help them develop further in their chosen field. At LW, Darby has a heavy focus on collegiate recruiting, including training and development, to help create talent that will be the future leaders of the green industry. Darby also serves on the Workforce Advisory Board for the National Association of Landscape Professionals where she provides her insight to combating the industry’s workforce crisis.

Justin Smith

V.P. of Install Division

Justin joined the Landscape Workshop executive team to lead our growing Install Division. Justin comes with vast experience building high performing organizations, most recently with Fleetcor (NYSE: FLT) where he served as VP of Corporate Strategy and M&A as well as serving as an executive in portfolio companies predominately focusing on sales, revenue, and growth. Prior to that, Justin worked as an Engagement Manager in management & strategy consulting for various industrial clients at while at Accenture and Partners in Performance. He graduated from Georgia Tech with Highest Honors in Industrial Engineering and lives in Atlanta, Ga with his wife and two young kids.

Adam Leger

Vice President of Operations

With over 15 years of experience in the green industry and a bachelor’s degree in landscape Horticulture from Auburn University, Adam has dedicated his career to providing exceptional landscaping services to a wide array of commercial clients. Since joining Landscape Workshop in 2014, Adam’s exceptional performance and dedication to customer service resulted in numerous promotions. Prior to his role as General Manager of LW Birmingham, Adam served as Operations Manager for Central Alabama, General Manager of LW Montgomery/Auburn and General Manager of LW Nashville.

Jim Davis

V.P. of Construction

Jim joined the Landscape Workshop team in 2022, bringing with him more than 30 years of industry experience in landscape construction and maintenance. In his new role as VP of Construction, he is challenged with developing, enhancing and scaling our current construction operations. His wealth of knowledge and professionalism is a welcomed asset to the LW team.

Paul Young

Special Advisor

A 30+ year industry veteran, Paul is an expert on all things landscaping. His main charge as CIO, includes performing operational due diligence and post-merger integration of acquisitions. Since 2014, Paul has successfully defined and implemented a clear set of processes, aptly named, “The LW Way,” that guarantees every customer will have a first-class experience and every property will look its best. In this new position, Paul will continue to do what he does best, coach people and develop the culture in newly acquired parts of the LW family.

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