NCNLA MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Five Minutes with Greenline Design, Inc.
Greenline Design, Inc. Charlotte, NC President and Lead Designer Hugh Crump In business 29 years NCNLA Member 4 years Services Full-service landscape design Favorite NCNLA benefits Green & Growin’ and getting to know colleagues from across the state
Hugh Crump
Walkway
How did you get into the business?
rarely turned down an opportunity, so we were able to expand our abilities and skills. We built a portfolio of work to reference that allowed us to gain higher profile opportunities.
My entry into the industry was unconventional. After a few years of sales related jobs, I decided to go back to an occupation I enjoyed when I was younger. From as early as I can remember, I was the kid in the neighborhood mowing lawns and tending gardens. When I was in high school, I worked part time during the school year and full time in the summer at Tar-Heel Natural Turf (later acquired by Budd Services). At the time they were among the largest commercial landscape management companies in the region, so I learned how a large operation was managed. I also saw that my interests could be a career. When I found myself back in the world of lawn and landscape, I held several different jobs with smaller companies where I was exposed to a completely different way of business after having worked for a large company. After a couple of years of exploring different options, I decided this industry was what I loved and where I wanted to be. When I started Greenline Design in 1991, I applied what I learned with the large corporate business and what I learned from the smaller, owner/operator businesses. We grew the company by always looking for the next new challenge. In the early years, we
8 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | SPRING 2020
What is a typical day like for you and your staff?
A typical day consists of client meetings, contractor meetings and site visits. Design implementation can range from a day to several months, all based on the size and scale of the project. Â With new construction projects, some designs take up to 2-3 years from start to finish. When working on existing properties it could be a simple consultation or a quick plan started and completed in a matter of hours. I coordinate with my office assistant to keep me on track with upcoming deadlines and responsibilities. My design assistant helps keep the projects progressing by providing feedback and necessary information.
What has been the most rewarding part of your career?
Several things come to mind; the first is that I love what I do. I have no desire to do anything other than landscape design, and I want to continually get better. Another huge reward is the amount of freedom that comes with the job.
