Queenstown landscaping company nurturing good people
A commitment to recruiting and nurturing professional, qualified staff is paying dividends for the owners of a Queenstown landscaping company.
Southern Landmarx owners Joe and Jaye Nutting say “hard-working” employee Andrew Rae fully deserves his nomination for the City Parks Services Young Landscaper of the Year award.
The award is part of Landscaping New Zealand’s 2012 awards event to be held later this month.
The company, which carries out work throughout the Wakatipu and Central Otago region, has always ensured anyone joining their successful team has suitable qualifications in the fields of landscaping, horticulture or landscape architecture.
“It’s important to us that anyone who comes on board is extremely capable, and will complement the existing skills we have within the team,” said Southern Landmarx managing director Joe Nutting.
“We offer our clients a ‘one stop shop’ for their landscape projects from design through to construction and maintenance, and they rely on us to deliver a quality service and product,” he said.
“We’re rapt that Andrew has been selected for the finals. He’s a great asset to Southern Landmarx and it’s great to see him recognised for his range of capabilities.”
As well as a National Certificate in Landscaping from Otago Polytechnic, twenty-seven year old Andrew also has a broad range of practical experience including many years landscaping work in Otago, grain harvesting in Australia and grounds work on a large estate in West Sussex, UK.
Andrew will accompany Mr and Mrs Nutting to the awards ceremony in Hamilton on July 28, where two of the company’s stand out properties have made the finals in three categories.
Held every two years, Landscaping New Zealand’s Landscapes of Distinction Awards event is billed as one of the landscaping industry’s most prestigious events. The event gives Landscaping New Zealand members the opportunity to showcase their projects.
As part of the proceedings, Mr Rae will compete in practical activities and present a speech to the judges before attending the awards dinner to hear the winner announced.
“I’m really looking forward to this event, because it will be great to see how my skills match up against the other five finalists,” said Mr Rae.
Mr Nutting said the bonus of having Andrew work with them was that he was from the area. “He has a great understanding of this environment and which plants will thrive in this region.”
Mr Nutting said creating successful landscape designs for the harsh Central Otago climate was all about knowing what to plant where.
”That comes from professional know-how, and we pride ourselves on creating landscapes based on more than just good looks. We really focus on what is going to grow well, and what will ensure long term pleasure for our clients.”
Mr Rae enjoys the range of landscape projects that he gets to work on as part of the Southern Landmarx team.
“I’ve seen some really unique landscape designs since I’ve been working with Southern Landmarx. I love this, getting to test my skills in landscaping and construction every time we work on a challenging project,” said Mr Rae.
This is the first time the company has entered the awards but not the first time it has been associated with award-winning properties. Southern Landmarx was responsible for implementing the landscaping at Queenstown’s new Remarkables Primary School which won Commercial Project of the Year (Southern Region) in 2011 for builders Naylor Love.
The company has also been associated with a number of Registered Master Builders House of the Year winners since 2006, most recently a Crown Range property which won last year’s regional award.
About Southern Landmarx
Operating since 2003, Southern Landmarx is a growing Central Otago business that has built a reputation for creating landscapes that reflect and complement the natural landscapes of the region. Part of its commitment to quality is its knowledge of the plants that will thrive in the area and the provision of on-going maintenance plans.
The company operates in the Wakatipu and Central Otago regions with a full plant nursery, Burn Cottage Nursery, located in Cromwell.
Southern Landmarx only employs suitably qualified staff-- a talented team of landscape architects, landscape builders and garden experts dedicated to sustainable design for outdoor spaces in any location and any building, whether commercial, industrial or domestic.
The company aims to provide its clients with inspirational environments that exceed their greatest expectations. The company is also capable of large scale projects, having recently created the design plan for the Hayes Creek development in Queenstown, a landscaped streetscape incorporating natural materials, native plants and the provision of screening through planting.