The Commercial Landscaper Podcast

Greg Wittstock, The Pond Guy, is owner and CEO of Aquascape, Inc., which he founded in 1991. He has been dabbling in water gardens since the age of 12 and has a love of everything water and turtles. After experimenting with ponds for over eight years, Greg had a “light bulb” moment during a drive home from the boring summer job he took during college in 1990. He decided that he wanted to do something he loved for a living – he wanted to build ponds. Just 30 seconds later, he had a company name, Aquascape. The next year, Greg began building ponds during his breaks in the school year. From there, he developed the Aquascape business model, which includes a mix of distribution, retail, and contractor services. Aquascape Inc. is now the leading manufacturer of water feature products in North America, serving and educating thousands of customers world-wide.

Greg authored The Pond Guy on Marketing, has appeared on the cover of Inc. Magazine, and was a cast member of Nat Geo Wild’s Pond Stars series. Follow Greg’s current adventures on his YouTube channel as he meets incredible people, views beautiful water features, and shares what it means to truly love and be Living the Aquascape Lifestyle®. https://www.youtube.com/gregwittstockthepondguy

Shelia Matthews has joined the Wilson360 team as culture practice leader and first-ever chief people officer. She leads people and organizational performance consulting for Wilson360 clients.

Shelia Matthews’ approach to scaling businesses is simple. Get the people part right and everything else falls into place. Shelia has worked with businesses from many different industries like manufacturing, services, and private equity to name a few. She’s worked for large Fortune companies like UPS and MetLife, and most recently, a small startup known as Acquisition.com, where she oversaw the People Operations function and scaled the company from a handful of employees to an army of amazing talent. While working in the private equity space, she helped hundreds of founders and business owners identify constraints in their business and offered practical solutions to help them scale.

Although Shelia loves the work she does, she is most passionate about helping business owners level up their companies. She strongly believes that you must have an understanding of the business in order to build a strong and healthy culture to support it. “Knowing HR and understanding people isn’t enough. You must be able to translate culture into profitability,” she says, right along with, “It’s more affordable to do the right thing for your people than you realize.”

Shelia is the founder of Culture Pro, LLC, where she offers fractional People Operations leadership to small services-based businesses. Culture Pro’s mission is to create environments where people thrive and the business flourishes.

Though originally from Florida, Shelia currently lives in the Atlanta suburbs with her husband and two children, who are five and ten years old. Her son is a competitive swimmer, and her daughter believes she is a princess. When Shelia isn’t being her kids' personal Uber driver, she spends her free time at the gym, traveling, or hiking with Ranger, the family’s Boxer dog. Shelia received an MBA from Colorado State University and prior to that, graduated with highest honors from the University of North Florida, where she received a bachelor’s degree in psychology.

The habitat of Zech Strauser’s childhood were the farms and free-ranging open spaces of eastern Pennsylvania. During a time when most children’s lives move indoors, Zech was homeschooled by parents who inspired his curiosity in the natural world, giving him a powerful connection with nature that defines him to this day.

Zech’s journey, from playing outdoors to making a living outdoors, was the road trip of a lifetime. He pursued the life of a ski instructor and mogul coach In Vermont, became interested in outdoor performance apparel, and in 1998, he launched one of eastern Pennsylvania’s most recognized regional landscape companies, a firm – Strauser Nature’s Helpers that was acquired by Schill Grounds Management in 2023.

Zech remains a senior advisor and investor in Schill Grounds Management and is an ongoing advisor and investor in Strauser Nature’s Helpers. He’s an investor in robotic mowing technology and owns and manages a commercial real estate portfolio. He’s shaped nature-focused non-profits and sat on the board of Come Alive Outside.

Recently, built a sustainable farm retreat in southern Vermont and launched Urture, a green collar workwear and outfitter specializing in gear for careers outside. “Urture brings me full-circle,” said Zech. “Growing up and being outdoors my entire life, I had a dream to have an outdoor clothing brand with the ability to make an impact. The rapid growth of green collar jobs gives me an opportunity to make sure that the people doing next generation green jobs have the right protective gear and apparel to do their jobs well.”

Part of Urture’s platform is its Patch Project passion project, a program that gives back to vocational schools that advance green collar careers. “We know that children need to play outside more. But it’s also true that everyone needs to be outside more. It’s on us to make nature a daily, ordinary part of everyone’s life and do what we can to make green jobs and the green economy a great career choice, supported by opportunities for training and growth.”

“Public school was a challenge and a vocational horticulture class in the 9th grade was an inspiration. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the teachers and the opportunity they gave me, gratitude I can repay through the Patch Project products we sell and the performance apparel we make, and our continued commitment to make sure that everyone who works in nature has what they need to succeed.

Meet Shawn Prince, President of Field Services at Attentive.ai. With over 17 years of experience in the field services industry, Shawn began his journey at Brickman/BrightView and has since played a pivotal role in driving revenue and exceeding sales targets for multiple landscaping businesses.

Now, at Attentive.ai, Shawn is leading the charge in transforming the field services industry by helping companies seamlessly integrate AI into their workflows. His expertise and vision are changing the way businesses operate, making them more efficient and competitive than ever before.

Kasey's horticultural experience started at a young age on her family's citrus farm in southwestern Arizona.  This family influence helped her discover her passion for flora and fauna and their interactions in our unique desert environment.

Her early understanding of growing crops guided Kasey to pursue a degree in Plant Biology at Arizona State University (ASU) with an emphasis in Urban Horticulture studies.  After graduation, Kasey gained experience working in various parts of the landscaping industry, expanding her horticultural and landscaping knowledge.  Her desire to share her passion for plants and to help improve the overall quality of landscaping delivered to property owners led her to found Harmony Horticultural Consulting in 2008, where she has become a trusted industry leader in providing solutions for plant health problems.  Over the last 15 years, Kasey has helped landscapers and homeowners enhance their landscapes' beauty and vitality and has educated them on improved cultural practices such as water management, fertility strategies, and pruning techniques.  Kasey's extensive knowledge and practical experience are invaluable tools to help clients manage their plant health and pest issues and keep their properties attractive and productive. Harmony Horticultural now has three consultants who service the Phoenix metro area.

Mario Hernandez is the President of Royal Landscaping LLC, where he leads with expertise and passion for the industry. A proud graduate of Grand Canyon University, Mario has honed his skills over the years to become a Certified Arborist. His commitment to excellence and deep knowledge of landscaping has been instrumental in the growth and success of Royal Landscaping.

Diego Hernandez serves as the Vice President of Royal Landscaping LLC, working alongside his brother to drive the company's vision forward. Also a graduate of Grand Canyon University, Diego combines his academic background with hands-on experience in the field, ensuring that Royal Landscaping continues to deliver top-notch services to its clients.

A strategist and storyteller, Billy Otteman leads brand communications at Scythe Robotics – the manufacturer building fully autonomous, all-electric commercial mowers in Boulder County, CO. After an agency-side career leading new product development and creative marketing initiatives for a range of consumer brands and B2B clients, he is now a leading voice in the green industry on the topics of innovation, technology, and robotics.

Founder of the COO Alliance & Invest In Your Leaders Course

Author of Vivid Vision & The Second In Command

Meet Cameron Herold, the mastermind behind the exponential growth of hundreds of companies. As the founder of the COO Alliance and the Invest In Your Leaders course, Cameron is a dynamic consultant who has coached some of the biggest names in  business, including Sprint Telecom and a monarchy in the Middle East. Known as the "CEO Whisperer", Cameron has a reputation for guiding his clients to double their profits and revenue in just three years or less.

Cameron's entrepreneurial journey began at a young age, and by 35, he had helped  build his first two $100 million dollar companies. But his greatest achievement came as the COO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, where he engineered the company's spectacular growth from $2 million to $106 million in revenue and from 14 to 3,100 employees - all in just six years.

Cameron is not just a successful business leader, but also a captivating speaker. The current publisher of Forbes magazine, Rich Karlgaard, stated "Cameron Herold is the best speaker I've ever heard...he hits grand slams”. When he's not on stage, Cameron continues to teach through his Second In Command podcast and his bestselling books, including Vivid Vision, Meetings Suck, Free PR, Double Double, and The Miracle Morning for Entrepreneurs.

Cameron is a top-rated international speaker and has been paid to speak in 26 countries and on all 7 continents, including Antarctica in early 2022. He is also the top-rated lecturer at EO/MIT's Entrepreneurial Masters Program and a powerful and effective speaker at CEO and COO leadership events worldwide.

Bryan Gyllen, Vice President of Operations, brings over two decades of experience in the landscape industry, specializing in Landscape and Civil Construction, Commercial Maintenance, and Nursery Production. Bryan oversees logistical and operational effort for DeSantis Landscapes, leveraging data analytics and sustainability principles.

Ed Wright, the forward-thinking CEO of Wright Manufacturing, has been a leading innovator in the commercial landscaping equipment industry. Growing up in the business, Ed has harnessed his hands-on experience to propel the company to the cutting edge of technology and design. His leadership has led to the creation of some of the most productive and reliable products that meet the evolving needs of landscape professionals. Ed's relentless focus on quality and innovation continues to set Wright Manufacturing apart as a leader in the industry.