Advisory Board

We are pleased to introduce you to the 2023 Lawn & Landscape Technology Conference Advisory Board.

Eric Blevins
Owner
Evolve Landscaping and Evolve Flight

Eric has been in the landscape industry for over 25 years and has been the Branch Manager for two national landscape companies in the Atlanta and Raleigh markets. In January of 2017 he left the corporate landscaping world to follow his passion of developing and growing his own business, and has been very successful in this endeavor. Eric also has always been interested in technology and started flying drones for his business 3 years ago. In 2020, he passed the Part 107 exam to receive his Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) license from the FAA.

Eric holds a degree in Botany and Horticulture from the University of Tennessee, is a licensed pesticide applicator in North Carolina, and is a member of the National Association of Landscape Professionals and NC Nursery and Landscape Association.

Elizabeth Bonadonna
President
Busy Beaver Lawn and Garden

Elizabeth Bonadonna, CSP is President of Busy Beaver Lawn and Garden based in Buffalo, NY. Busy Beaver is a Landscape Design Build company that also offers maintenance services. In addition to the Landscape services, Busy Beaver has a Retail Center offering all the Lawn and Garden goods and events to the community.

During the off season for landscaping, Busy Beaver specializes in Commercial Snow and Ice Management. Elizabeth started this business with her two partners in 2014 and has continued to grow the company each year since its inception. Elizabeth has always had a passion for art and design growing up leading into her career as a Landscape Designer.

Daniele Collinson
Director of Client Experience
Blades of Green Lawn Care and B.O.G. Pest Control

Daniele Collinson is the Director of Client Experience for Blades of Green Lawn Care and B.O.G. Pest Control. Daniele is a very passionate leader that wants those on her team to be excited about learning new things and growing themselves in both a technical and personal aspect. Her mission is that whether those team members stay at BOG or follow a different path that they are able to look back knowing that they grew themselves as an individual and a business professional during their time at BOG. Along with her fellow colleagues they want to truly change the way people think about the industry by empowering their most important asset...their people!

Daniele is actively involved with the National Pest Management Association and several of their committees and is a graduate from their Executive Leadership program. She is also a part of the George Washington University Women in Leadership council helping to support growth of future women leaders in the workforce.

Ben Collinsworth
Director of Operational Technology
Yellowstone Landscape

Ben began his commercial landscaping career in 1999, but started mowing lawns in 1989 as a 13-year-old in the Dallas area. Ben earned a Bachelor's degree in Horticulture and Landscape Architecture from Texas A&M University. Upon graduation from college, he worked for Clean Cut in Austin, Texas, which was soon after purchased by TruGreen Landcare. Following the transition to TruGreen Ben decided to start Native Land Design in 2001 and grew the business into one of the largest commercial providers in Texas by 2019. In January of 2019 he sold Native to Yellowstone Landscape and continued with them as a shareholder and General Manager for one of the leading landscape companies in the country.

In addition to supporting work in Texas, Ben has been tasked with developing a robotics program for Yellowstone, assisting in battery testing and deployment, as well as playing a supporting role in acquisitions and software selections.

Ben and his wife Barbie recently had a section of the Texas A&M University Gardens named in their honor to help teach gardening and landscaping to future generations. Ben and his wife currently live in the northwest Austin area with their three children and two labs.

Janet DeNicola
Chief Technology Officer
The Greenery, Inc.

As Chief Technology Officer at the Greenery, Inc., Janet leads the vision to implement the technology-related strategic operations for the company including both internal systems and client-facing technologies. She has implemented and integrated the internal platforms to simplify the processes and provide better visibility to field data as well as has supported the operations to improve products and services.

Wade Gerten
Owner & CEO
Clearscape Outdoor Services

Wade Gerten has been improving customer experiences for over 25 years by building high-performance teams, companies, and innovative technology. Since acquiring the company in 2018, Wade has been focused on improving our customer experience culminating in the relaunch of the company under the Clearscape name in 2021. When not at work he’s either spending time with his family, exploring the BWCA, or mentoring tech entrepreneurs with TechStars. His favorite piece of equipment is Clearscape’s first lawn mowing robot; his name is Hans.

Carita Koen
CEO
Green Magic Landscapes

A Serial Entrepreneur, Mom, Wife, Christian, Mobile native, and an influencer amongst community leaders and her peers. She is the Co-Founder & Chief Operations Officer at Green Magic Landscape. Her background in customer relations, sales, and development has been instrumental in building effective and lasting relationships with clients. Setting achievable goals has been helpful in keeping the business on track for success. She's extremely passionate about the growth of minority businesses, improving diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and uses the resources within the entrepreneurial ecosystem to ensure the company's continuous growth, sustainability, profitability, and opportunities to effectively compete in the marketplace. Her company has achieved many awards including 2018 Small Business of Month with the Mobile Chamber of Commerce, 2020 Eagle Awards Winner, and she was entered in the 2020 Class of 40 under 40 with the Mobile Bay Magazine. She has received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Mobile and working towards a Masters in Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation from the University of West Alabama.

Mike McCarron
Founder and CEO
Image Works Landscape Management (IWLM)

Mike McCarron is the founder and CEO of Image Works Landscape Management (IWLM), located in Northern VA, and serves the highly competitive metropolitan Washington, DC area. In addition to residential and commercial landscape management services, IWLM sports a robust and lucrative salt brine operation that serves numerous private and public entities.

Recognized by his peers and industry colleagues as a “student of the game” and seeker of new and innovative business practices, Mike brings a wealth of experience in business management, employee onboarding, and operation efficiencies from his 12 years at UPS before starting Image Works. After earning his BA in Business Management, he continues to enthusiastically embrace and learn from the challenges that he has encountered over the past 25 years as a business owner in the constantly changing landscape management industry. Others in the industry frequently seek and readily embrace Mike’s thoughts and innovative ideas when addressing challenges and opportunities in their own organizations.

Loren McIrvin
Owner
Allied Landscape

Loren McIrvin is recognized as a leader in transforming how commercial landscapes in the San Francisco Bay Area are maintained by pioneering a holistic and team approach to landscape asset management. He is both an experienced practitioner and instructor or environmentally conscious practices who is guided by the conviction practices who is guided by the conviction that managing landscapes in a sustainable way is both pragmatic and responsible for all stakeholders.

He has a passion for education, solving problems, and getting things done. His forward-thinking approach to reducing chemical use and conserving water is leading a shift in our local industry. Loren holds licenses and certifications as a General Contractor, Specialty Contractor, Expert Certified Water Manager, ISA Certified Arborist, Bay Friendly Landscaper, IA (CLWM), CLIA, CIC, CID, NALP (CLP, CLT).

Brad Stephenson
Co-Owner and General Manager
New Castle Lawn & Landscape

Brad Stephenson has spent more than 25 years in the green industry that he loves. A graduate of the Berks Career and Technology Center’s (BCTC) Horticulture program, earning the Outstanding Horticulture Award, an honor he proudly displays in his office to this day. Upon graduation, Brad worked among leaders in the lawn & landscaping industry to hone his management skills before joining New Castle in 2005. In 2014, he earned the position of partner, and now is co-owner and general manager. Brad’s passion lies in building teams of great people and in challenging individuals to grow. He believes in working smarter, not harder, and has made valuable IT and software integrations that have assisted New Castle Lawn & Landscape in identifying areas of shortfalls and implemented change improving the company’s bottom line. He is also responsible for implementing a mentorship program helping local high school juniors and seniors to explore landscaping careers; founded “Positively Led,” an online Facebook community focused on positive leadership collaboration and an information exchange; and also acts as a consultant assisting business owners and executives to build leadership teams through time-tested strategies, personal and professional coaching, allowing them to take ownership of company operations. Outside of company operations Brad is passionate about giving back. He’s an active volunteer with Helping Harvest Food Pantry and at New Castle, he developed a partnership with Habitat for Humanity Berks.

Justin White
CEO
K&D Landscaping Inc.

Justin White is the CEO of K&D Landscaping, a full-service construction, water management, and maintenance company located in Santa Cruz, California. Taking over the family company in 2015, Justin has focused on sustainable growth with increased profitability. Expanding upon a solid foundation his parents built over 30 years ago, Justin took K&D from a small, $1 million mom-and-pop operation to a humming $12 million, technology-driven landscape company in the last 6 years.

Justin and K&D are highly involved with their community. Justin sits on multiple non-profit boards and has led many community beautification projects to fruition. Justin was recently inducted into Silicon Valley Magazine's 40 under 40 list, joining an impressive group of technology-driven leaders. With momentum on their side, K&D and Justin are poised to continue their aggressive growth trajectory with a goal of $30 million by 2030.