Interview with Karen Schakarov, Chief Marketing Officer of Monarch Landscape Companies

Interview with Michael Bellows, Co-Founder and CEO of GoMaterials

Michael Bellows is the Co-Founder and CEO of GoMaterials. A seasoned entrepreneur, he has built and led high-performing teams across Fortune 100 companies and his own ventures, driving growth at the intersection of technology and company culture. Under his leadership, GoMaterials has become one of North America's fastest-growing companies, earning consistent recognition for innovation and business performance.

Interview with Ryan Markewich, Founder of Creative Roots Landscaping | Business Coach at RMark Coaching

Ryan Markewich is a landscape entrepreneur and business advisor based in Kelowna, British Columbia. He founded Creative Roots Landscaping over 30 years ago and has since transitioned the company to an employee ownership model, selling 85% of the business to key team members. For nearly two decades, Ryan has operated using open-book management, building a highly engaged team that understands the financials and participates in improving them. Today, Creative Roots is known for its strong culture, leadership development, and long-term approach to ownership and succession. Ryan now works with a small number of companies as a strategic advisor, helping owners improve profitability and build more resilient, people-centered businesses. His focus is simple: when more people understand how the business works and have a stake in the outcome, better decisions get made. He spends part of the year in Mexico, is actively involved in developing future leaders, and continues to explore how transparency, structure, and shared ownership can change the way companies operate.

Interview with Luke Rykbost, Commercial Project Manager at Natorp's Nursery Outlet & Landscape

Luke Rykbost is a Commercial Project Manager at Natorp's in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he oversees complex landscape installations with a focus on operational excellence and technical precision. A graduate of Cedarville University with a degree in Management and a minor in Construction, Luke brings a disciplined, modern perspective to one of the region's most established green industry leaders. His expertise is rooted in the field, having grown up in his father's full-service landscape company in Massachusetts; this background instilled in him a "boots-on-the-ground" understanding of production, crew dynamics, and the critical role of technology in a successful business. Beyond his work at Natorp's, Luke is deeply invested in the intersection of legacy craftsmanship and modern innovation. He is currently spearheading the implementation of AI and advanced software systems at Natorp's to streamline commercial operations, while simultaneously developing a business management platform for growth-minded contractors. Whether he is navigating complex architectural plans or refining software architecture, Luke is passionate about equipping the next generation of landscape professionals with the tools and systems they need to scale effectively.

Interview with Joshua Canfield, President & CEO of Pinstripe Lawn Care & Landscaping

Josh Canfield is the President and CEO of Pinstripe Lawn Care and Landscaping. He founded the company in 2020, turning the challenges of the COVID era into an opportunity to build something of his own. What began as a single venture has since grown into an operation spanning four states, specializing in commercial lawn maintenance. Under Josh's leadership, Pinstripe has earned a reputation for reliability and quality, serving commercial clients with the kind of attention to detail that keeps customers coming back. Beyond his work, Josh is a proud husband and dad, and that same commitment to the people he cares about carries through into how he runs his business.

Interview with Eric Watkins, President of Abstrakt Marketing Group

Eric Watkins is the President of Abstrakt, the nation's top lead generation agency. He leads the company's enterprise growth strategy across its portfolio of B2B services. Since joining the organization in 2012 as an intern, Eric has played a hands-on role in scaling the business into a national leader for each of their products: Outbound BDR, Inbound SDR, Creative Sweets, Talent Solutions, Sapper, and Cloud. His background spans sales leadership, operational strategy, and team development, with a focus on building predictable, repeatable growth systems for both Abstrakt and its partners. Eric is known for his practical, results-driven approach to business growth, emphasizing disciplined outbound strategy, strong sales culture, and continuous process improvement. He has helped shape Abstrakt's omni-channel prospecting model and its commitment to performance accountability, including appointment-setting guarantees and market exclusivity. Today, he works closely with executive leadership and enterprise partners to drive long-term revenue outcomes, while continuing to mentor internal teams and develop future leaders within the organization.