MEMBER SPOTLIGHT Faces of the Industry: Michael Davie By Jill Odom


MICHAEL DAVIE HAS ALWAYS ENJOYED LANDSCAPING, GROWING UP working in the yard with his mother, but it wasn’t until after he worked at Men’s Wearhouse for 20 years that he decided he needed to change careers.


Davie wanted to be involved in some- thing he could be passionate about, so he went back to school and earned his associate degree in landscape design management from Columbus State Community College.


“Having over 20 years of management and customer service experience by this point, along with a love of creating fine art, I figured I would be able to combine these skillsets to make a successful Davie says.


, g


these skillsets to make a successful career,” Davie says.


we


He says his mentors in the industry were his professors at Columbus State –


He says hismentors in the industr his professors at Columbus State –


Dick Ansley, Steve O’Neal and Deb Knap- ke. He says their passion and knowledge for the industry are infectious. He has been in the landscape industry for 13 years now. He operated his own landscape maintenance company for three years, was a project manager with HRH Landscapes, Ltd. for five years and is now starting his fifth year at M.J. Design Associates, Inc., based in Plain City, Ohio, as an account manager.


, , as an account manager


Davie’ company was something he started t supplement his income while he wo ed full-time at M n’


vie’s company was something he


started to supplement his income while he worked full-time at Men’s Wearhouse to


house to support his g owing family. While he t his growing family. While he y,


enjoyed it, he felt it was becoming cost and time prohibitive to acquire all the things he needed to have a successful business. “I also realized that there were a lot of things I still needed to learn about both the business and horticulture aspects of the business,” he says. “I decided I needed to go work at a company to gain real word/ hands-on experience and training.” Davie says in his current position, ev- ery day is a little bit different. He’ll check to make sure the maintenance crews understan


understand the daily work orders and he coordi


he coordinates the weekly safety and training c


training classes for the staff. “As an a


sible for e isfacisfaction/ and some days, I am in the fiel site. I am a associatio ff on w


s an account manager, I am respon- sible for enhancement sales, client sat- tion/retention, sales appointments and some design work,” he says. “Some days, I am out working with the crews in the field to help and to train while on sit


I am a member of several industry associations and share information with staff


staff on what’s going on in the industry and how


and how it affects us as a company.” He says


“There


“There is a large space for Caucas


push for more African Americ


He says his favorite part of working


Caucasian, Hispanic and now the lar


the larger push for women workerworkers in the industry. I would


would like to see the industry push f


American members of this commu


community. Representation matter


matters to me and especially to the


to the younger generation. If theyw like the work, t


we are a part lands icha


10 The Edge //May/June 2023


they were to see other people like them doing this type of work, they would be more apt to taketo take an interest in the work we are doing and become a part of the next wave of landscape professionals.” - Michael Davie, M.J. Design Associates


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