Summer 2022 : New Nebraska Certified Nursery and Landscape Professionals
Jeff Carney - Campbell’s Nursery & Garden Center
WHAT FACTORS MOTIVATED YOU TO BECOME CERTIFIED?
Honestly, I just wanted to be part of the club. And many of the people I hold the utmost respect for in this industry are NCNLPs. It was also good to refresh my memory and learn many new things along the way.
Certification was both a great learning experience and a refresher course for me. It’s also fun to see so many people with the same passion for horticulture and how each person applies this passion and experience in their respective career fields.
WHAT IS YOUR EDUCATIONAL/WORK BACKGROUND?
I worked and interned with the Nebraska Forest Service while pursuing my Masters’s in Environmental Planning from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln – graduating in 2010. Since graduating, I’ve worked for a sustainable landscaping firm, an ecological restoration firm as a restoration ecologist, and a nursery manager for a native plant nursery – all while living in Wisconsin. I moved back to Nebraska in 2020 and worked as an environmental scientist in Omaha before coming to Campbell’s.
Mark Charipar - Landmark Nursery and Landscaping
WHAT FACTORS MOTIVATED YOU TO BECOME CERTIFIED?
Well, it was more so a re-certification. I feel the certification adds merit to the landscape professional. Acknowledgment of those who have gone the distance, have the credentials, and have put forth the extra effort is essential in elevating our industry. In my opinion, we are an industry that has traditionally remained undervalued.
WHAT IS YOUR EDUCATIONAL/WORK BACKGROUND?
I earned a Horticulture degree from the University of Nebraska in 1997, and my emphasis was business and landscape design, with a minor in psychology. My work background has been composed of working for most of the big landscaping companies over the years in Lincoln, Nebraska. I was a manager trainee at Earl May, and Campbell’s throughout college. From 1997-2004, I had my own company in Columbus, Nebraska, Landmark Landscapes. In 2004, I moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, where I landed a job with Nebraska Nursery and Color Gardens as operations manager. In 2009, I started a new Landmark Landscapes in Lincoln with my business partner, Kasey Olson. From 2009 to 2015, we grew our landscaping company. In 2015, I acquired 15 acres of land at 1269 N. 2nd Rd, in Eagle, Nebraska. Development of the location commenced; we opened a retail nursery and garden center in 2017 and re-named it Landmark Nursery and Landscaping. Our company has significantly grown over the years to what it now comprises some 20+ employees. Currently, Landmark Nursery and Landscaping is complimented by a retail nursery and garden center. In addition to retail, Landmark offers a full-service landscape design, installation, and maintenance division. In 2021, we added a gift shop named “The Refuge,” In 2022, we opened a tree care division that offers tree care services in addition to tree trimming and removal. Our picturesque setting completes the look and feels we have strived for and highlights our mission of creating the ultimate destination center for plant lovers and landscape-focused clients.