The Commercial Landscaper Podcast

Robert Clinkenbeard
  • 4.8 (12)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

The journey of an entrepreneur, replete with the challenges of self-belief, vulnerability, and consistency, can often feel overwhelming. "The Commercial Landscaper Podcast" hosted by Robert Clinkenbeard, is designed to elevate your entrepreneurial mindset. Robert offers a fresh perspective that ensures you never feel isolated in your journey, instilling a firm belief that you not only deserve success but are fully capable of achieving it. Through twenty-minute weekly episodes, his podcast features interviews with global experts to maintain a well-rounded perspective on all aspects of your life, both personal and professional. The content is both highly relatable and motivating, empowering listeners to take decisive steps as emerging business pioneers.

  1. 4H AGO

    Interview with Eli Zevin, General Manager of Aspire

    Eli Zevin is the General Manager of Aspire, the leading business management platform for commercial landscaping companies, operating under ServiceTitan. He leads the Aspire business and is responsible for its growth, customer success, and product direction. Eli came to Aspire after nearly a decade at ServiceTitan, where he built and led implementation teams serving contractors across the residential skilled trades, from small emerging businesses to large enterprise clients. He became known for transforming how customers get onboarded and set up for long-term success, which is a thread that runs through everything he does today. Since stepping into the GM role, Eli has focused on deepening Aspire's roots in the landscaping industry, driving meaningful product innovation, and building the kind of customer relationships that make software companies worth sticking with. He's passionate about the intersection of technology and the trades, and believes the best software companies don't just build tools, they become true business partners.

    34 min

  2. MAR 25

    Interview with Angelique Robb, Founder & Owner of SYNKD Media

    Angelique Robb, a certified landscape designer and owner of award-winning Papillon Designs and Landscaping in Scotland, UK, launched the idea for SYNKD in January 2021. Built upon Angelique's passion for the profession and helping it "raise the bar," today SYNKD media and the SYNKD Live events unite landscape professionals across architecture, construction, and horticulture to accelerate progress, spark innovation, and shape a more sustainable planet - one smart solution at a time. Angelique's mindset is one of constant growth. Initially launching SYNKD as the magazine brand Pro Landscaper and the event FutureScape USA, she is constantly evolving and crystallizing goals for the landscape industry—just as she did with her design-build company. In 2008, after qualifying as a landscape designer, she launched Papillon and built the company into a national award-winning design + build + maintain practice. Angelique graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree in Petroleum Engineering, and worked in the oil industry for many years in the USA and UK. She has now returned to her hometown in Lafayette, LA.

    31 min

  3. MAR 18

    Interview with Dustin Walker, Owner and President of Landscape St. Louis

    Dustin Walker is the Owner and President of Landscape St. Louis, a high-end residential landscape design, build firm based in St. Louis, Missouri. After building leadership experience outside the green industry, Dustin made the intentional leap into landscape ownership, acquiring Landscape St. Louis and stepping into the challenge of leading an established company through transition and growth. In his first year as owner, Dustin focused on learning the business from the ground up—working closely with crews, designers, and operations leaders to understand the realities of production, job costing, horticulture, and client expectations. That first year was defined by balancing respect for the company's legacy with the need to improve systems, clarify roles, and build a foundation for scalable growth. Dusty brings a disciplined, process-driven mindset to the landscape industry, with a strong emphasis on people, intentionality, and craftsmanship. What drives him most is building a company where talented professionals can do their best work and where clients feel confident trusting their homes and properties to the team.

    26 min

  4. MAR 11

    Interview with Justin Bates (CEO) & Melissa Blake (Business Developer) of Bates Landscaping LTD

    Justin Bates Justin Bates is the CEO of Bates Landscaping, a fast-growing landscape contractor based in the Northeast that specializes in HOA and community work, snow operations, and high-end design-build projects. With a mission to be the best company to work with and for, Justin has scaled Bates from a family-run operation to a multimillion-dollar business built on strong systems, a people-first culture, and relentless focus on client experience. Beyond landscaping, he's passionate about using AI and lean processes to cut down on human error, increase efficiency, and build a business that creates long-term opportunities for both his team and his clients. Melissa Blake Melissa is the Business Developer at Bates Landscaping, where she focuses on commercial snow removal and landscape maintenance for HOAs, senior living communities, and high-end apartments. She's helped Bates earn (2) NALP Awards of Excellence, grow sales year after year, and build a standout brand in a crowded market. Melissa also teaches as an adjunct professor at Williamson Trade School, sharing her industry know-how with future landscape leaders. Known for her quick wit, fast pace, and creative approach, she's the kind of person people always remember — usually because she makes them laugh while solving their toughest problems. And she likes Dad jokes 🙂

    28 min

  5. MAR 4

    Interview with James Hatfield, Chief Revenue Officer of LiveSwitch

    James is the Chief Revenue Officer at LiveSwitch, a global technology company that serves the trades and other businesses. As an industry thought leader and expert in sales, leadership and business innovation, he has extensive experience working with entrepreneurs, small businesses and Fortune 500 enterprises. James is also an entrepreneur who founded a painting and power washing company. Website: https://www.liveswitch.com/ Start your free trial: https://www.liveswitch.com/contact-signup Coupon: Use code "CLP10" for 10% off at checkout! Book a demo: https://book-a-demo.referral-factory.com/uXYAPcUO About LiveSwitch: LiveSwitch is a leading communications platform that uses instant video to transform how people work and scale their business. Home service companies trust LiveSwitch to provide virtual estimates, document job progress, and streamline operations, all in real-time.

    26 min

  6. FEB 25

    Interview with Scott Hutcheon, Founder & CEO of HeyFlora

    Scott Hutcheon is a landscape architect, entrepreneur, and technology innovator with more than 25 years in design/build construction, green infrastructure, and landscape systems engineering. After founding one of Southern California's leading design/build firms and later pioneering the AquaFelt™ living-wall system for large commercial projects, Scott went on to build ShrubHub, which became the largest online landscape-design platform in the U.S. Across these ventures, Scott developed deep expertise in automation, data organization, and scalable workflows — long before modern AI emerged. Drawing from his architectural mindset and real-world field experience, he founded HeyFlora, the AI operating system for landscape management. HeyFlora unifies decades of landscape knowledge, comprehensive data sets, and company workflows into one intelligent platform that helps crews, managers, and executives operate with clarity and confidence. Scott's mission is to modernize the $150B landscape industry by transforming fragmented operations into unified intelligence — a category he calls Artificial Grounds Intelligence™.

    20 min

  7. FEB 18

    Interview with Will Richardson, Managing Director of Father Nature Landscapes & Architectural Heritage

    Will Richardson serves as the Managing Director of Father Nature Landscapes, a Birmingham-based design-build firm creating thoughtful and lasting outdoor spaces. Father Nature exists to "connect life and land", with a focus on serving clients well, developing leaders, and pursuing excellence in everything they do. Since joining the team, Will has guided the company through significant growth, while keeping its mission and culture at the center. He's passionate about building strong teams, and helping others discover their calling through the work they do each day. For Father Nature, the best is yet to come.

    27 min

  8. FEB 11

    Interview with Joe Iafigliola, President of Process-Smart

    Joe Iafigliola is President of Process-Smart, a business process outsourcing firm dedicated to helping landscaping companies operate more efficiently and profitably. Process-Smart manages critical back-office and operational functions such as estimating, payroll, invoicing, customer service and CRM management, allowing landscapers to focus on revenue growth, client satisfaction and team development. Under Joe's leadership, Process-Smart has become a trusted partner in the green industry by combining trained offshore talent with in-house subject matter experts and centers of excellence. The company's deep expertise with platforms like Aspire and LMN ensures seamless integration into existing workflows and delivers measurable improvements in speed, cost efficiency and service quality. With more than twenty years of experience in finance, operations and process optimization, Joe is committed to helping landscaping businesses scale profitably through disciplined processes, data-driven decision-making and talent development. His guidance enables Process-Smart to provide solutions that empower landscape business owners to concentrate on growth and build resilient, future-ready organizations.

    22 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

The journey of an entrepreneur, replete with the challenges of self-belief, vulnerability, and consistency, can often feel overwhelming. "The Commercial Landscaper Podcast" hosted by Robert Clinkenbeard, is designed to elevate your entrepreneurial mindset. Robert offers a fresh perspective that ensures you never feel isolated in your journey, instilling a firm belief that you not only deserve success but are fully capable of achieving it. Through twenty-minute weekly episodes, his podcast features interviews with global experts to maintain a well-rounded perspective on all aspects of your life, both personal and professional. The content is both highly relatable and motivating, empowering listeners to take decisive steps as emerging business pioneers.

Information

  • Creator
    Robert Clinkenbeard
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2021 The Commercial Landscaper
  • Show Website
    The Commercial Landscaper Podcast

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