We recently connected with Glenn Frey and have shared our conversation below.
Glenn, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?
In some ways what’s old is new again. Water wise landscapes are very popular as they should be. We are in the middle of another major drought so water conservation is extremely important. Today there are new methods to help reduce water consumption even more that we did not have 20 years ago… rain harvesting, improved drip irrigation, Smart(wi-fi based) irrigation controllers that take the weather into account and reduce or temporarily shut off irrigation in cooler weather and rain. Outdoor living has taken on even more importance to homeowners since Covid so we are creating multiple outdoor living spaces that serve various functions. We have created outdoor living and dining areas in the smallest of spaces. S Our emphasis has always been on sustainable design so we have tried to promote eco-friendly practices.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
We are a family run landscape design business with a focus on sustainable design with an emphasis on water conservation and upcycling materials. My wife and I worked in healthcare most of our lives but needed a change and created Black Mountain Landscape Design in 2009. This year our youngest son Alex joined us and became a partner. We offer Concept Designs, Planting Plans, Lighting Plans and Consultations. We pride ourselves on being service oriented to come up with a custom landscape design to compliment your lifestyle. In the process of designing we are usually solving problems like privacy, drainage and underutilized spaces. Most clients want a low maintenance, water wise yard that they can use for outdoor living.
Have you ever had to pivot?
I was working in healthcare from the time I was in college well into the 2000s covering 30+ years. I was suffering from burnout, did not like the hours and did not enjoy what I was doing. Once I figured out that I wanted to be a landscape designer I went back to school and then started our business. I could only take 1-2 courses per semester and it had to be in the evening. Because of work it involved more dedication than I originally thought but it was worth it. Once I came through on the other end of school I started my business and love what I do for a living. I have met great people over the last 13 years.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
This story is actually quite funny(now). I was taking a CAD(computer aided design) course that was 5 hours of lecture and lab once a week. I usually was up at 5 am for work and would travel from work to school, then get home about 11 pm. It was brutal and all the older students were still in the lab at 10 pm when class ended. The 20-somethings were done with the 3 hour lab in under an hour and out the door. They would get nasty looks from the rest of us and they thought we were dinosaurs. I made it through that class thankfully as CAD is such an important part of design. My son Alex learned CAD in a matter of weeks, but then he is a youngster.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.blackmountain-ld.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmldesign/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BMLandscapeDesign
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glennfrey/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/fezandmario
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BMLDTV
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/black-mountain-landscape-design-san-diego
Image Credits
Picture Credits – San Diego Filmworks