Employee Spotlight: Jack & the NALP Elevate Conference

At M.J. Design, we love celebrating the people who make our team so strong. This month, we are spotlighting one of our newest faces, Jack, who joined us in February of 2025.

Jack came to us with over 20 years of experience in the coffee and restaurant industry, where he helped run operations for one of Columbus’s most-loved cafés, Fox in the Snow. After years of managing people, processes, and coffee beans, he decided to bring that same energy and organization into a new passion and field – landscaping!

Jack discovered M.J. while in an Industry Survey class, at Columbus State, that had come out to tour our facility. Jack was enrolled in their Landscape Design and Management degree. We love when classes come out to visit our grounds because not only do we love sharing our knowledge and education with others, but occasionally we get lucky to find students, like Jack, that want to partner alongside us.

When we asked Jack what drew him to M.J. Design, he openly said our family atmosphere. After being on our team for 9 months, he can confirm that the family atmosphere is ever present.

Since joining the M.J. family, Jack has become an integral part of our daily rhythm, aiding in operations and crew efficiency. He is a natural leader, quick learner, and genuinely fun to be around. His curiosity about plants, materials, and the art of landscaping has taken off fast. He is already making leaps and bounds in his knowledge.

When he is not working, Jack enjoys all things sports, traveling (he has been to Paris, Brazil, and Guatemala!), and spending time with his new wife, Amber, and their dog, Funny, and cat, Tottie.

M.J. Heads to Phoenix for NALP Elevate

This fall, Jack joined Gavin and Michael for the NALP Elevate Conference in Phoenix, Arizona—a national gathering focused on education, innovation, and connection within the landscape industry.

The trip gave our leadership team the chance to learn, share ideas, and bring fresh perspectives back home to M.J. They attended sessions on maintenance strategies, marketing, and new industry trends. We are proud to share that Michael was not only on the program committee this year, helping plan and coordinate the conferences educational content, but even taught a class on cultivating the future of landscaping.

It was a week full of innovative ideas, inspiration, and a few well-deserved moments of sunshine before Ohio’s winter sets in!

Looking Ahead

We are so grateful to have Jack on our team — his leadership, positive attitude, and willingness to grow have already made a lasting impact. His transition from coffee to landscaping has been nothing short of inspiring (and we will admit, his taste in espresso does not hurt either).

As we wrap up the season and look ahead to 2026, we are excited to see how the lessons learned in Phoenix, and the talent we have here at home, will help us continue to grow stronger as a team and as a company.

If you know anyone that may want to join our team, check out our open positions!