At Ignite ‘25 in Anaheim, we were proud to shine a spotlight on the outstanding individuals and organizations shaping the landscape industry with our 2025 Customer Awards. This year's winners cover a wide cross-section of the industry who have all achieved remarkable success and made significant contributions to their communities. 

Our four award categories—The Founders Award, Excellence Achieved, Impact Award, and Rookie of the Year—represent not only financial success but also the values-driven approach that defines the most successful landscape businesses today. Please join us in celebrating our winners and finalists.  

Aspire Founders Award: Todd & Chad Reinhart, Reinhart Landscaping & Snow

The Founders Award recognizes outstanding individuals who embody Aspire's core values, Change Lives, Achieve the Extraordinary, and Be a Dream Team.

This year's winners, Todd and Chad Reinhart of Reinhart Landscaping & Snow, have done exactly that, leading their organization into a recognized industry powerhouse while maintaining their longstanding commitment to technology advancement, employee development, community service, and operational excellence. 

Their forward-thinking integration of autonomous mowers, fleet monitoring systems, and comprehensive data systems has established a culture of accountability and continuous improvement that extends throughout their entire organization. This innovation is joined by a philosophy of "task reduction, not people reduction," which ensures their workforce feels supported while maximizing efficiency and upholding high safety and service standards.

Todd and Chad’s influence extends beyond their business operations through the Green Initiatives program, which focuses on community outreach, customer education, and talent recruitment. Likewise, their support of educational programs, including Aspire in the Classroom further demonstrates their commitment to industry development.

It’s no surprise that the company's excellence has been recognized throughout the industry, earning consecutive wins in the Pantagraph Reader's Choice Awards for "Best Landscaper" and "Best Lawn Maintenance" in both 2023 and 2024. Additionally, Reinhart Landscaping & Snow has appeared on Lawn & Landscape's Best Places to Work list for three consecutive years, reflecting their' success in creating a valued and engaging workplace culture.

Founders' Award Finalists

Alongside Reinhart Landscaping & Snow, two other exceptional leaders were named as finalists for the Founders' Award, each demonstrating profound dedication to their teams and communities: 

James Eagan, Land Design Associates

For over 30 years, James Egan, founder of Land Design Associates, has built a community within his organization that goes above and beyond by empowering his team with ESL classes and financial literacy. James also spends time and resources to transform outdoor spaces in the community, building public parks and donating trees to schools. 

Seth Kehne, Lawn Butler

For years, Seth has dedicated his efforts to creating a supportive and thriving work environment, fostering a family-like atmosphere that values employees and customers. His focus on personal and professional development and emphasis on data-driven decision making, resilience, and continuous improvement have made a significant impact in the industry.

Aspire Excellence Achieved Award: The Aspire Team at HeartLand Company

The Excellence Achieved Award recognizes organizations that demonstrate significant growth and improved performance with Aspire. This year's winner, HeartLand Company, has experienced impressive growth while keeping operations running smoothly across a nationwide network of landscaping companies.

Their rapid growth through acquisitions required sophisticated system integrations to ensure consistent service and operations. This included over 20 successful Aspire implementations, tailored to local needs while also maintaining system integrity across the organization.

This strategic approach has enabled HeartLand to achieve 120% new business growth from 2020 to 2024, scaling their platform to over $500 million in revenue while maintaining the excellence that defines each operating company, earning record-high client satisfaction levels in the process.. 

This success is due in large part to their people-first approach to technology implementation. Through HeartLand University of Excellence, they provide comprehensive training that builds confidence and drives adoption at all organizational levels, from field operations to financial management.

The Aspire Team at HeartLand Company’s efforts exemplify the impact technology and training, combined with empathy and strategic vision, can have on driving business results while maintaining the strong personal relationships that often define successful service organizations.

Excellence Achieved Award Finalists

Like the team at HeartLand, our Impact Award finalists, Danielle Anacan and Jason Dumayne, perfectly illustrate the power of strategic technology adoption and dedicated leadership within the green industry.

Danielle Anacan, Juniper Landscaping

Over 18 months Danielle successfully led the integration of more than seven acquisitions while managing over 30 branch-level support requests. Her focus on streamlining workflows, implementing scalable processes, and driving user adoption has improved efficiency, supported rapid growth, and ensured consistent performance across newly acquired entities.

Jason Dumayne, Alliance Landscaping & Excavation

Since 2020, Jason has driven Aspire's adoption within Alliance, overcoming challenges and streamlining operations. Starting at $4.5M revenue, his efforts have helped put the company on track to surpass $8M by 2025 while also boosting profit margins. Jason's continuous dedication to leveraging technology ensures seamless integration and ongoing success across teams.

Aspire Impact Award: Paul Hansen, SouthWest Landscape

The Impact Award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to their communities and the landscape industry. This year, the award honors Paul Hansen for his 15 years of leadership with the California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA) and innovative work at SouthWest Landscape.

Paul’s extensive involvement with CLCA includes eight years on the State Board of Directors and serving as State President in 2021. His leadership during a pivotal period helped advance CLCA’s mission by promoting professionalism and sustainable practices, and safeguarding the C-27 contractor license. 

He actively represents landscape contractors in legislative discussions, contributing to meaningful progress on industry licensure clarity, environmental accountability, and public perception of professional landscaping. Paul also mentors and serves as an industry ambassador, participating in CLCA's statewide initiatives, judging landscape award programs, and speaking at many industry events.

At SouthWest Landscape, Paul’s leadership in developing the Client Services Team transformed client relationships and operational transparency, leading to significant organic growth. Under his guidance, revenue doubled from $6.1 million in 2016 to a projected $12.5 million in 2025, maintaining over six consecutive years of 12%+ net profit. 

Impact Award Finalists

Congratulations are also in order for our two Impact Award finalists: the team at Landscapes by D&J and Kevin Hunt of Shinto Landscaping, for their exceptional contributions to the landscape industry and their communities.

The Team at Landscapes by D&J 

Last year, Landscapes by D&J’s Touch-A-Truck event raised over $8,000 for a local nonprofit, supporting homeless and low-income individuals. They also delivered a trailer full of gifts through their holiday toy drive. Though their "What's Your Dream?" initiative, the organization supports employees with personal goals, like home ownership and education, and offers financial workshops.

Kevin Hunt, Shinto Landscaping

As State Board President of the Landscape Inspectors Association of Florida (LIAF), Kevin expanded membership, certified over 300 inspectors, and updated exams to meet Florida’s 2022 plant standards. He organized a free Tree Pruning education day, partnering with ISA Florida Chapter to share best practices with property managers and arborists. His efforts reflect his deep commitment to his community and to advancing the green industry in South Florida. 

Aspire Rookie of the Year: Carlos Camacho, Custom Cleaning and Management Services

The Rookie of the Year Award recognizes new Aspire users who have achieved exceptional results. This year's recipient, Carlos Camacho, has done just that. His strategic approach to implementing Aspire at Custom Cleaning and Management Services shows the significant impact that thoughtful technology adoption can have in a short amount of time. 

Taking a proactive approach to integrating Aspire, Carlos developed a comprehensive strategy, customizing the system's features and mapping workflows to fit his company's specific needs. This resulted in immediate efficiency gains across scheduling, quality control, and reporting functions.

Recognizing that technology adoption hinges on team engagement, Carlos developed a structured training program with hands-on workshops, video demonstrations in Spanish, and individualized support sessions. This people-centered approach led to 100% user adoption within 90 days and reduced operational errors by over 40%.

Carlos's implementation efforts have generated significant operational improvements including enhanced team productivity, reduced administrative time requirements, and improved transparency through real-time performance data access. His leadership and commitment to continuous improvement has led to amazing results for the organization and set them up for even more success in the future. 

Rookie of the Year Award Finalists

We're also proud to recognize our finalists Thomas Jacoby of Ward's Lawn Service and Kailye Nolte of Local Landscapers whose dedication and strategic implementation have truly set them apart. 

Thomas Jacoby, Ward's Lawn Service

Thomas exemplifies growth at Ward's Lawn Service, starting as a mower and now leading their Aspire system transition. His dedication to training staff was instrumental in ensuring the team's proficiency with the system, perhaps most notably through his creation of bilingual presentations. His calm, forward-thinking approach proved vital for a smooth and effective Aspire adoption, which in turn has led to significant success with the platform. 

Kailye Nolte, Local Landscapers

Kailye joined Local Landscapers in October of 2024,just one month before their transition to Aspire. With nearly every system needing attention, Kailye immediately stepped up and became a driving force behind a successful implementation, streamlining processes, resolving issues, and rebuilding the company's foundation. Her meticulous work and leadership enabled the team to operate efficiently, growing from 18 to 25 people. Kailye's impact across every department and her commitment to teaching, documenting, and supporting others are truly exceptional.

Setting the Standard for Industry Excellence

Congratulations to all our winners and finalists. Your success proves that innovation, strong leadership, and a people-first approach are the keys to building a better future for the landscape industry. Your achievements are a source of inspiration, showcasing how technology like Aspire can fuel professional growth, improve efficiency, and create a competitive edge.

Thank you to everyone who submitted nominations and joined us at Ignite ‘25 to celebrate these exceptional leaders. We're already looking forward to hearing about the incredible stories next year's nominations will bring.