Our Team of Landscaping Experts
Our group of landscaping experts stands ready to Take The Hard Work out of Yard Work! And provide an “Elements of Excellence” to your Austin-area landscape.
Craig Hodge
Operations Manager
If you asked Craig what he wanted to be when he grew up, he’d tell you he wanted to be like his dad. His dad was a hard worker who taught Craig to build things, and took him hunting or fishing almost every weekend. This explains grown-up Craig’s love of building and working with his hands, and his love for the outdoors.
He especially enjoys fishing. Salt water is his favorite, but he’d “fish in a mud puddle” if that was the sole option.
Craig and his wife, Michele, have been married for more than 30 years. They have three kids, eight grandkids, and three dogs. He enjoys cooking for family and friends. As a foodie, he values Austin’s multi-cultural food offerings.
His bucket list reflects his character. It includes proclaiming his faith in God through actions, building an off-grid tiny house (with a greenhouse for year-round fresh veggies), taking a deepwater, offshore fishing trip, and becoming fluent in Spanish. It is his goal to leave a legacy of servitude.
Erick Luna
Operations
Erick is a car enthusiast. As a kid, he imagined becoming a journalist who specialized in automobiles. He currently owns a Challenger. His dog, Milo, a terrier mix, is also a car fan. Joyrides and long road trips make Milo very happy.
Erick finds plenty to like in the Austin area, from its diversity and many weekend events to its abundance of outdoor activities. He paddle boards on Lady Bird Lake and hikes area trails.
He is an outdoors guy who finds time, on trips back to Amarillo, to hike Palo Duro Canyon, and he lists a trip to Santa Catalina Island, where he went parasailing, as his favorite vacation. The scenery, says Erick, made it very relaxing.
When he’s home, Erick likes cooking for family and friends. It’s a pretty sure bet that Milo also enjoys these food occasions. In the future, Erick intends to do some skydiving, and also to visit the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor.
Michele Hodge
Operations
Michele has spent most her life in Louisiana, the Sportsman’s Paradise, and she learned young how it gained its nickname. Her daddy taught her to hunt and fish, and she still enjoys both. She loves everything Jeep-related, including rock crawling, off-roading, and Jeep runs.
Being in nature, she says, is very calming for her – although probably not when she’s rock crawling in a Jeep! In younger years, she trained horses and barrel raced. Dogs have always been beloved companions; currently, she and her husband have two boxers and a border collie. Her husband, Craig, has been both husband and closest friend for over 30 years. They have three kids and eight grandchildren.
Michele is enthusiastic and adventurous. She “absolutely loves” Austin’s vibrancy, as well as the nearby Hill Country. She has enjoyed being an Encourager Coach for Celebrate Recovery, seeing humpbacks in Maui, and visiting mountains for the first time in Colorado. She would like to go on a real cattle drive where you “get dirty and dusty and camp out under the stars.”
Nicole Barrientos
Operations
Nicole loves the outskirts of Austin, where you can “shop at country markets during the day and see stars at night.” The food trailers are another local attraction that this Mission, Texas native enjoys.
Her deepest affection is, of course, for her family, her husband, Javier, and their one-year-old daughter, Adelene. Playing with Adelene, and watching her grow, are at the top of Nicole’s ‘things I most enjoy’ list. Watching football is on the list, too.
She’d like her future to include travel to the sorts of interesting places most tourists don’t frequent; she values the authenticity of these places. Her favorite trip to date is to Estes Park with its stunning views.
Marshall Bush
Account Manager
Marshall is a music lover. Here in the “Live Music Capital of the World,” he loves both listening and playing. At 14, he first took up the guitar. He’s got several of them now. Sitting down at day’s end with the acoustic guitar is one of his favorite ways to unwind.
Generally, he strums alternative tunes, although he’s also fond of folk music and the blues. Music is his form of artistic expression.
He says that designing landscapes for clients is similarly creative.Marshall grew up around farm animals, and he used to think he’d like to be a biologist – or, if not that, something equally animal-focused. He still loves creatures of all sorts, but cats are his favorites. He has a cat named Mr. Kee Kee and one named Spooky.His favorite vacation was a trip to Jamaica; he liked experiencing such a different culture. He’s also a big fan of airplanes and cars, and he is happy to converse about either of them for hours on end.
He would not object to, someday, owning the insanely fast – and insanely expensive – Ford GT.
Hope Burkhart
Account Manager
Hope loves the arts, painting, drawing, music, and film, and not just a little. She owns, for instance, more than 600 movies on itunes, and a movie room to watch them in! Her favorites are thrillers, comedies, dramas, horrors, classics, westerns… you get the point.
She has very eclectic tastes! The same goes for music. She’s played the guitar since she was 12, and has since added in some unique hand percussion, like the djembe! She loves playing almost every style of music, although folk is her favorite.
Hope is a breast cancer survivor. Maybe that’s where some of her enthusiasm comes from! She continues to celebrate life with her wife, Shannon, and their 7-year-old son, Oliver, who is “so freakin’ cool!” The family also includes Australian Shepherds Zowie and Hank. Favorite family trips have included a trip to Jamaica, and one to Hope’s grandparents’ beach house in Cape Cod, which is where she spent most her summers as a kid.
She’d like to do a lot more traveling someday to places like Australia, Hawaii, and Paris. For much shorter trips, she’d have great fun driving an off-road vehicle called an International Harvester Scout. Ideally, it’d be a 1961 model. In orange.
Ignacio
Crew Leader
Ignacio loves animals. He has cows and horses, and spending time with them is a favorite activity. He also has a 14-year-old chihuahua named Amigo. Amigo must be living his best life, out there in the country and surrounded by interesting animals!
Ignacio grew up in Zacatecas, Mexico, and still loves vacationing in his home country. In Austin, he enjoys the lakes, creeks, and historical places. As you might guess, he likes to fish. He is quick to help friends and neighbors with home repairs and maintenance, and in other areas where he is able to meet a need. Helping others has been one of his prime goals since he was a kid.
His future hopes include continuing to help out, living a peaceful life, and bettering himself each day.
Israel
Crew Leader
Israel is a huge car fan, and long dreamed of designing vehicles professional. Today, he enjoys modifying cars, and collects the die cast variety. He’s also into sports, and particularly enjoys playing basketball, baseball, and golf.
He has coached basketball to 13 and 14 year old kids, and gives his support to the Yankees, the Lakers, and the Golden State Warriors.
He is also an amusement park enthusiast. Some of his best memories, he says, have been made at Disney World, Aquatica, Busch Gardens, Sea World, and Volcano Island Adventure.
Israel is married to Diane and has two step daughters, Adainellys and Diagelys. He also has a dog named Reyna. He plans to one day buy a home in the country. He wants it to be a farm with lots of animals!
