Team

Charlie graduated from The Iowa State University with a BS degree in Horticulture, then started a 35 year career in the landscape industry. Having worked for some of the largest companies in the country in Denver, Dallas and then Chicago, Charlie decided it was time to create Woodlawns Landscape Company in 1997. Charlie started Woodlawns knowing anyone can plant a landscape but having the knowledge and imagination to manage an evolving landscape is a skill that can be hard to find. Woodlawns has assembled a team of professionals, each with a unique skill that when brought together ensures the client that they will find consistently superior service in the field and in their office. One of Charlie’s greatest achievements is to have created a place where people want to come to work everyday because of the spirited company culture he’s fostered. The rule here is when we are on our property we are family; and when we are on your property we are your team. By the way, Charlie does not hold anything against Chris or Melissa for going to Iowa and not Iowa State.

Melissa graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in Geography and Business Management. She began her 20 year career working for a large commercial landscape firm in Chicago developing their seasonal color program before eventually becoming the company’s Vice President of Sales. Melissa joined the Woodlawns family in 2014 as a Senior Account Manager and today is our Vice President of Sales. Her time at Woodlawns has been spent managing Class A commercial properties in the city and throughout the suburbs and a team of knowledgeable account managers.

Katrina graduated from North Park University with a degree in Business Administration. As Woodlawns Office Manager, Katrina is instrumental in maintaining the effective communication between all departments. Her skills have been fundamental in development of administrative procedures that ensure all departments operate in conjunction with each other. Katrina’s relationships with the field and administrative personnel have become the bridge that keeps both sides working as one.

Heidi graduated from the University of Illinois with a BS degree in Horticulture. She began her horticulture career in the commercial landscape industry holding many supervisory positions. In 2016, Heidi joined the Woodlawns family to develop and manage the seasonal color department. Her 10 years of industry experience has helped provide Woodlawns with the reputation as the destination to go for incredible seasonal color displays.

Victor has been part of the Woodlawns team since 2005. In those 13 years, Victor has rose through the ranks from foreman to his current position as Landscape Management Operations Manager. Victor’s excellent organization skills have helped establish the base for our downtown operations. These same skills have aided him in hiring, training and scheduling for his department. Victor is also responsible for developing the equipment inventory and maintenance program that ensures each team has the proper functioning equipment. Victor enjoys spending time with his family and coaching two youth soccer teams.

Gabino has worked in the landscape industry for 30 years. He graduated from the College of Lake County with an A.A.S.in Horticulture with a Landscape Design Certificate. His expertise in the landscape installation, hardscapes and seasonal color areas have set us apart from the rest of the pack. In addition to supervising our installation crews, Gabino is responsible for procuring materials, scheduling and holding production meetings. Gabino is also on the board of the National Hispanic Landscape Alliance. One of this organization’s goal is to increase the personal and professional development of Hispanic workers.

Dorie is a graduate from Saint Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin with a degree in Communications. She genuinely enjoys working with all people and developing long term relationships while managing and improving their landscapes. While she has worked on developing relationships throughout the western suburbs, Dorie has been concentrating on expanding the Woodlawns footprint throughout northern suburbs. Her experience with her previous company has brought many new ideas and concepts to help us better serve our customers.

Bridget started with Woodlawns in 2017 and with a degree in Psychology from Saint Mary’s in South Bend, Indiana. She brought her years of client relationship development and account management from a mix of customer focused industries to develop new relationships for Woodlawns. Bridget has a great appreciation for landscaping and seasonal color design, which melds well with her love of client interaction and providing high quality service.

Chris graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, after which she went on to work for one of the largest insurance companies in the United States. Chris has taken her experience of managing hundreds of employees and systems management, to assist in the development of some of the processes that Woodlawns uses in our daily operations. Having taken over the accounting department, Chris has streamlined the processes in order to ensure that our clients have all of the financial information they need, when they need it.

Sarah graduated from the University of Illinois with a BS degree in Environmental Sustainability. She knew she wanted to build a career in a dynamic industry and began a landscape career in 2017. Her interest in plants and experience in design led her to join Woodlawns’ Seasonal Color Department in 2019. Sarah is excited to be working towards the beautification of Chicagoland’s commercial landscapes, learning from seasoned professionals along the way.

Jose has worked in the landscape industry for nearly 30 years and has found a home at Woodlawns Landscape Company. He oversees a number of our management teams in the field, ensuring safe practices and quality. Additionally, Jose oversees our Pesticide License Training Program, keeping team leaders up-to-date on the latest laws and safety procedures.

Pablo has made a 20-year career of expertly managing employees in the landscape industry. At Woodlawns Landscape Company, he works closely with our Landscape Enhancement Manager and oversees our Enhancement teams. Sharing his extensive knowledge of landscape materials and techniques, Pablo ensures we consistently deliver the highest quality landscapes.