Meet the Landscape Experts

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Kevin was born and grew up in a small town near Stuttgart, Germany. In 2005 he moved to Maryland with his parents and two sisters. Kevins passion for outdoor living spaces stems from a childhood of eating dinner outside. "It could be 100 degrees and we would have dinner outside. To this day, my mother insists on eating on a deck or patio if it's not raining." These outdoor family meals are what made Kevin passionate about backyard design and creating spaces for families to be together. "If I can create a space for a family to come together, eat, talk, play and disconnect from the rest of the world, I'm winning. That's what gets me out of bed in the morning and helps me sleep at night!"

Kevins first taste of actually building an outdoor living space was with Jame in 2010, when they built a flagstone patio in Lusby; he was hooked. After graduating from the University of Maryland in 2016, Kevin started working as assistant landscape project manager under Jame and worked his way up to residential project manager/designer. In 2020 Kevin and Jame decided to take a leap of faith and start The Outdoor Living Company. Kevin’s favorite thing about this industry is being able to create awesome outdoor living spaces for families to enjoy. "One of my favorite parts of the whole process comes after completion, when the customer sends me a picture of them sitting around their new firepit or on their new patio furniture with friends and family."
In his time off, Kevin loves to spend time with his wife, 2 goats, duck, 2 cats and dog. He plans to fulfill one of his life dreams and get his private pilot’s license within the next few years.

What is your favorite color and why?

• Blue because it's the color of the sky and that's where I want to be!   

What is your favorite plant and why?

• River Birch because they are native to our area, great for the watershed and just beautiful trees. 

What is your favorite season and why?

• Fall because my birthday is in September and the weather is usually not too hot and not too cold. 

Jame has been obsessed with backyard design, plants, art, inventing/creating, and engineering from a very young age.  He discovered that the Landscape Industry is the perfect professional avenue to merge all these passions by creating designs and installations for others to enjoy.  Jame joined the Landscaping Industry in the summer of 2001 and in 2020 he and Kevin created The Outdoor Living Company as a side hustle to build hardscaping and landscaping projects for friends and family.  In October of 2020, it was time to build The Outdoor Living Company into a full-time company.  It was all about building a company with landscape experts that love the industry.

Why did Jame want to create a full-time company?  It was time to provide quality installations while having time to provide customer service.  It is important for a company to have good culture, room for individuals to grow, and a place for individuals to tap into their creativity and passions.  "If we can create employee passion through quality work then customer service, workmanship, and quality installations will happen naturally."  For Jame, creating The Outdoor Living Company is all about getting both employees and customers passionate about Landscaping. In his off time, Jame enjoys art, gardening, kiteboarding, sailing, and spearfishing.

What is your favorite Color?

•  Blue.  It always reminds me of the ocean when I miss it.  The color in general brings me peace.

What is your favorite plant?

• Serviceberry. They are rare to find in their natural setting.  When they bloom, it's an indication that fishing season is in full swing.  Their fruit is vibrant, and the Cedar Wax Wings go nuts for it.

What is your favorite season?

• I love summer!  Days are long, wildlife is active, plants are thriving, and its warm enough to be naked or barefoot.

Theo always had an interest in plants since he was 8 years old and has been working in the landscaping industry for 13 years.

He loves to get creative with designs while thinking outside of the box. Studying hardy tropical plants and palms is one thing that has driven his passion especially for the DMV region.

In December 2021 Theo was given the opportunity to work with The Outdoor Living Company as a Landscape Designer/ Project Manager. His reasons for joining this company were because of the family-oriented environment.  The company’s slogans were very catchy, but one really caught his attention the most “Redefining Landscaping” and lastly the ambition, passion, drive and open-mindedness the owners of this company based in Indian Head, MD.

All of these reasons made Theo enthusiastic and more confident in making a difference in landscaping by joining the team of landscape experts. Outside of work he loves going on nature walks, hanging out with friends and family as well as bonsai arts. His goal with the company is to open a new design branch for the DMV. His personal goal is to own his own bonsai shop.

What is your favorite color and why?

• Purple even though it symbolizes      royalty, religion and mysteriousness it has always calmed me when I see it. I get attracted to its deep vibrance quickly but overall, it makes me feel at peace.

What is your favorite plant and why?

• Bougainvillea, not only for its prolific and vibrant flowers but it symbolizes welcome, peace and promotion of free trade.

What is your favorite season and why?

• Late spring into summer because I have always enjoyed warmer weather. Hearing the leaves rustling in the breeze.

Victor has been with The Outdoor Living Company since March of 2021 but has worked in the landscape industry for 26 years. His favorite projects are large paver patios. When asked what he likes most about installing paver patios, Victor responded: “I can’t pick one part of the paver install process I like the most, I enjoy it from when the patio or walkway gets painted out, to installing the polysand at the very end.” Victors leadership and customer service stands out, making it is easy to see his passion in backyard design, this company and his fellow landscape experts.  Victor can often be spotted driving a company truck, rocking out to ACDC or his favorite country jams. When not installing paver patios or delivering materials (while singing like no one’s watching), Victor enjoys spending time with his two daughters and wife as well as playing/watching soccer with friends and family. 

What is your favorite color?

• Blue! 

What is your favorite plant and why?

• Japanese Maple because of the red color it has in the summer

What is your favorite season and why?

• Fall, because it’s not too hot and not too cold.

Manuel has been with The Outdoor Living Company since January 2022 and has been in the landscaping industry since 2004. When asked what his favorite part about this job is, with a huge smile on his face, Manuel responded “I love all of it! Landscaping, Hardscaping, Drainage, everything!” Manuel is known for his contagious positive attitude and willingness to spearhead tasks with his fellow landscape experts. When he’s not landscaping, hardscaping, backyard design or cracking jokes at work, Manuel enjoys fishing with his son. When asked about how often he gets to go fishing with his son, his response was “My son asks me every day about fishing and I think if he could, he would spend every minute of every day with a fishing pole in his hands. We go at least once a week for about 12 hours each time.” Whether working or fishing, Manuel can be found blasting Cumbia music.       

What is your favorite color?

• Favorite color in the whole wide world is Fossil Beige :)  

What is your favorite plant and why?

• Crape Myrtle because of all the different varieties.

What is your favorite season and why?

• Spring because the temperatures start to go up and everyone seems happier.

Wuitman has been with The Outdoor Living Company since July 2021 but has been amongst landscape experts for 5 years. His favorite work task is installing plants because plants can quickly transform a space faster than almost anything else. Regardless of what kind of project he is apart of, Wuitman is continuously learning and spreading his high energy and good attitude amongst his colleagues. When not working or laughing at Manuels jokes, Wuitman enjoys to fish and play soccer. Wuitman hopes to be in the outdoor living industry for his entire career and plans to grow with The Outdoor Living Company. When asked what his favorite type of music is, Wuitman responded “I love Corridos and Reggaeton! Anything that is fun to listen to while working and that I can occasionally sing along to.” Often (usually shy) Wuitman will randomly sing a tune or loudly shout “whoo” to keep everyone on their toes.   

What is your favorite color?

• Yellow!  

What is your favorite plant and why?

• Red Maple because it is a beautiful shade tree.

What is your favorite season and why?

• Spring because trees are starting to get their leaves and the temperature outside is just right.

Erik has been with The Outdoor Living Company since September 2021 but has worked with landscape experts for approximately 4 years. His favorite part about this job is installing pavers. Erik is often the one installing the concrete edge around patios and has become an expert at installing polysand. Erik works extremely hard while never complaining, making him a pleasure to be around and a tremendous asset to the company. When not at work, Erik spends time with his wife and kids. When asked what is most important to Erik, he without hesitation responded, “Family is everything to me; everything I do, I do for them.” Whether at work or at home, Erik likes listening to Rock & Roll!   

What is your favorite color?

• Blue!

What is your favorite plant and why?

• Japanese Maple because it’s the perfect accent to many landscapes.

What is your favorite season and why?

• Spring because the days are starting to get longer, and plants are beginning to thrive.