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How a Lakewood Landscape design company tackles the new-century trend of combining backyard and traditional living spaces

by Jessica Jones-Gorman • Photos By Tina Colella

For Brian Hatfield, who has been designing backyards and commercial landscapes for more than a decade, this is a frenetic time of year.

“As the warm weather approaches, home and business owners pay closer attention to outdoor living spaces,” noted Hatfield, who owns and operates By Design Landscapes Inc., a South Jersey-based full-service landscape company that handles design and upkeep of residential and commercial properties throughout the state. “We offer a full range of landscape design, installation, and maintenance services, which during this season, are, of course, a priority.”

And as trends in outdoor décor have become more complex and detailed over the past few years, Hatfield’s landscape design tasks have increased.

“Within the past five years we’ve seen a trend, for example, of homeowners taking the inside out—creating these elaborate outdoor living spaces that are an extension of a home’s interior,” he said. “So, designing and maintaining the yard has become a grander project: we’re involved in creating a space for entertaining and carrying over a reflection of the interior space with different color palettes and furniture as well as laying out the dimensions for fire pits and other luxury additions.”

Hatfield started in the industry at a young age, working for several large landscaping companies during high school and college before taking courses in golf course management and horticulture.

When he opened By Design in 2005, he not only focused on that acquired knowledge of the industry, but also put a great deal of emphasis on customer service.

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“A lot of other competitors in this business have the mindset of ‘Get in and get out…mow and go,’” Hatfield explained. “But what I’ve strived to do here is base the business on good customer relationships and good quality work. We pride ourselves on the clean appearance of our workers, trucks and equipment, for example; our crew is always in uniform and our logo is always clearly displayed, because we are proud of the work we do. In the landscaping industry, image is everything, and we try to show that not only by enhancing your property but also in maintaining our own appearance.”

By Design employs a staff of over 200 and maintains a fleet of 75 trucks. The company consists of several different divisions: Landscape Design, which encompasses everything from planning to build-out; Residential Hardscaping, which includes pools, cabana houses, and large-scale driveways; Irrigation, both commercial and residential; and an Arbor division that handles tree removal and pruning. There’s also a full-service snow and ice management division as well one dealing with commercial lawn maintenance.

“Grounds maintenance is our largest sector; we service over 75 corporate campuses, townhomes, and condo developments throughout the state,” Hatfield said. “And our estate maintenance division handles the grounds care of larger residential homes.”

A big portion of By Design’s time, however, is reserved for community involvement.

“Giving back to the place where we live and work is a priority,” the owner explained. “We are very heavily involved with the American Cancer Society. My mother passed from ovarian cancer in 2011, and I believe that almost anyone you talk to is affected by this disease.” By Design is also involved with a number of local charities like Michael’s Feat, a Matawan non-profit which helps ease the burden of parents caring for a seriously ill newborn, and the Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide (SPTS), based in Freehold.

“Working with local charities has been so fulfilling, because you can actually see and feel where our donations are going,” Hatfield said. “We personally know families who were affected by teen suicide, so it’s important and meaningful for us to support an organization that goes into schools and educates students about warning signs and the importance of speaking to someone about their problems.”

For Hatfield, who has lived and worked along the Jersey Shore his whole life, it’s important to give back to the people who have supported him along the way.

“My customers are my neighbors, and the reason why I have a successful business,” he concluded. “For me and my employees, it’s important to give back to the people who have given us so much support over the past decade.”

By Design Landscapes Inc.
175 Lehigh Avenue, Lakewood / 732.901.5566 / bydesignland.com