The damage caused by Hurricane Harvey, estimated at more than $125 billion, is the most costly natural disaster in U.S. history. The storm brought with it record flooding, devastating Hilliard Elementary School in East Houston.

The floodwater pooled in hallways and classrooms, ruining furniture and supplies, leaving the district no choice but a major overhaul of the building. All 600 students were transferred to a nearby school.

Recently, an event, sponsored by Recovery Houston, BrightView, OJB Landscape Architecture, and Numotion, brought 640 volunteers from across the country together to restore the campus grounds of Hilliard Elementary.

Scott Blons, Technical Director at OJB, and his team assisted with plant selections and BrightView Landscape Development’s Dallas and Houston teams donated 3,000 shrubs, 300 trees, mulch and gravel to the project. The BrightView teams also coached 30 volunteer teams to install the new landscape which includes an outdoor classroom, community garden, picnic area, and a play space.

“The grounds were dated and needed upgrades even before the hurricane,” said Garrett Brock, Project Manager with BrightView Landscape Development. “The new landscape provides a warm welcome to students and visitors and will help kids get involved in outdoor activities.”

Staff at Hilliard Elementary said they are delighted with their beautiful new campus and it has served as an inspiration for the community. The school’s interior was also renovated and the refurbished campus will be ready for students to return for the 2018-19 school year.

“We were thankful for the opportunity to assist with the supplies and materials, and help beautify the campus, but the real hero is Recovery Houston for managing hundreds of volunteers, most whom were non-Houstonians,” Brock said. “They are doing amazing work to rebuild this community and it was special to be a part of it.”

This project is the latest effort in BrightView’s response to the three major Atlantic hurricanes. Immediately following Harvey, one of BrightView’s Houston teams found their office flooded and worked out of their trucks to clean-up debris and respond to client sites. Other team members left their homes and conducted a rescue mission in flooded neighborhoods. The company’s Florida teams were out assessing the damage while Hurricane Irma was still active in the state. BrightView also matched employee donations from across the country to the American Red Cross for hurricane relief in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico.

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Team members from BrightView’s Landscape Development, Landscape Services, and Tree Company service lines teamed up to build a child safe recreational area at Ruby’s Place, a nonprofit organization in the Northern California city of Hayward that provides shelter and support services for families and individuals directly affected by domestic violence and human trafficking.

Ruby’s Place’s Children’s Program provides therapeutic services for children by assisting them in their development and relationships by engaging in play therapy in a positive environment.

Despite their importance, the shelter’s three children’s playgrounds were neglected and unsafe areas and went completely unused. This area is the only space available within the protected facility for more than a dozen children to play in.

BrightView teams removed the existing structures from the three playground areas and transformed the space by supplying and installing new underground drainage, concrete walkways, security fencing and gates, wood planter boxes, a synthetic turf kick-about soccer field, an outdoor area for families with an overhead shade trellis along with a low-water usage irrigation system and drought tolerant trees, shrubs, and groundcovers.

“It has been so rewarding to see all of our BrightView team members from different service lines come together to give back to our community for such a worthwhile cause,” said Skip Stevens, Vice President and General Manager at BrightView Landscape Development. “It’s very rewarding to be able to provide a play space that is safe, fun, and a positive environment for the children and families at Ruby’s Place.”

BrightView team members worked with Ruby’s Place and HomeAid in Northern California and partnered with contractors, vendors, suppliers, and donors to make this community outreach event a success for all involved.

Later this spring, BrightView team members, HomeAid, contractors, and donation partners will return to the family shelter and join the Ruby’s Place staff and families for an “all hands in” volunteer event to fix-up other areas of the shelter by painting buildings, cleaning windows, and more.

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Companies in the News: BrightView rebuilds recreational area for nonprofit; Brandt completes construction of new lab; Lawn Doctor of Grand Rapids under new management, Landscape Management

Forest Lake Estates in Zephyrhills, Fla., a 55-and-over community, now has a memorial park dedicated to military veterans and first responders. The park features a flag representing each branch of the military, a veterans memorial wall, a commemorative plaque, a first responders fire pit, paver walks, and new landscaping. The memorial park was officially opened during a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony over Veteran's Day weekend, which saw more than 600 community members, including 75 veterans and first responders, in attendance.

(For the full transcript, see below.)

Team members from BrightView and Forest Lake Estates were joined by more than 600 Forest Lake community members, including 75 veterans and first responders, to dedicate a new memorial park. The project was recently completed after months of planning and construction.

Management at Forest Lake Estates in Zephyrhills, Fla., reserved a scenic lakeside location for the park. BrightView donated the design, irrigation, hardscape installation, and landscape installation in the heart of the age-qualified housing community and coordinated efforts with our local and national vendors to receive all materials at no cost.

“This all began when we were asked to relocate some flag poles and it has snowballed into an amazing project,” said Keith Wilson, Vice President and Regional Sales Leader at BrightView. “There are a lot of service members and first responders in Forest Lake Estates and the Zephyrhills area and our team is proud to give back to those who served.”    

The park features a flag representing each branch of the military, paver walks, a memorial wall, a commemorative plaque, new landscaping, and a first responders’ fire pit area.

Witnessing how our team, the Forest Lake team, and other partners all rallied to bring this vision to life was really something special.
- Keith Wilson, BrightView Vice President and Regional Sales Leader

The memorial was officially opened during a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony on Veteran’s Day weekend. Guests included Zephyrhills Mayor Gene Whitfield, retired U.S. Air Force Gen. David Scott, Deputy Fire Chief Andrew Fossa, Pasco County Sheriff Tait Sanborn, and leaders from both BrightView and Forest Lake Estates.

“We have a lot of veteran residents who live at Forest Lake Estates and we were looking for a way to honor not only them but the veterans and first responders in the Zephyrhills community,” said Steven Bagiardi, General Manager of Forest Lake Estates.

The park will serve as a place of remembrance to honor the many veterans and first responders who reside in the Forest Lake Estates community and beyond. Residents of the community will be able to purchase and dedicate bricks on the walkway and memorial wall with proceeds going toward maintaining the park.

“We worked to create a beautiful park and memorial that will only become better with time,” Wilson said. “Witnessing how our team, the Forest Lake team, and other partners all rallied to bring this vision to life was really something special.” 

The memorial park at Forest Lake Estates is one of several projects BrightView teams across the country have completed to give back to our nation’s heroes. See some of the other projects BrightView has completed this year or view more photos from this project. 

About Forest Lake Estates:
Forest Lake Estates is an age qualified community that offers residents resort-style amenities, beautiful landscaping, and a convenient location. The 894-site community is positioned in the suburban city of Zephyrhills in Pasco County, known statewide for its natural springs, major shopping centers, medical facilities, and famous Gulf Beaches just 45 minutes away. Community activities are plentiful at Forest Lake Estates, with shuffleboard, billiards, tennis, pool volleyball, putt-putt golf leagues, and a fully stocked fishing lake. For more information, visit www.myMHcommunity.com.

BrightView teams up with community to build memorial, Landscape Management
BrightView creates memorial park for Florida community to honor veterans, first responders, Total Landscape Care
BrightView dedicates memorial park in Florida, Lawn & Landscape
Forest Lake Estates Dedicates Veterans, First Responders Park, Zephyrhills Free Press

A project that has taken months of planning and preparation by BrightView Landscapes was completed with the help of more than 200 volunteers from the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) Orange County’s Helping Hands Committee. The group partnered with Boy Scouts of America (BSA) and had committed to enhancing facilities in Mission Viejo, Calif.

Oso Lake in Mission Viejo has a campground that is used for various activities by more than 40,000 children each year, including the BSA and other organizations. The committee had a vision of turning an open space into an outdoor classroom and native garden where children could earn sustainability badges. With the help of BrightView’s Design, Development, Tree Care, and Maintenance teams, the garden became a reality.

BrightView designed a 22,000-square-foot garden with trails that includes several different ecosystems blending together as they would naturally in California. The garden features plant communities, including Coastal Sage Scrub, Chaparral, Riparian, Oak Woodland, and a Meadow area.

“People often have a misconception that California native plants are all succulents and dry landscapes, but there is so much more,” said Humberto Delgadillo, Designer at BrightView responsible for designing the garden. “This garden will introduce visitors to California’s native plant communities and motivate them to get involved in conservation and environmental stewardship.”

In addition to the design, BrightView teams provided grading, equipment, and labor while sourcing the donation and installation of a fully solar-powered irrigation system. Lines were set up to bring a water source to the new garden. BrightView’s Tree Care, Design Group, and Development teams donated $4,000 to purchase all plant materials needed for the project at a discount.

On Oct. 7, BrightView team members led a group of 200 volunteers from IREM to install the garden.

The Boy Scouts plan to use the space as a tool to teach members about careers in landscaping and horticulture and to educate them on various native ecosystems. BrightView plans to regularly send team members from various areas of the industry to speak to groups at the garden about their profession.

“We were beyond excited to partner with IREM Helping Hands and the Boy Scouts of America on their Oso Lake project,” said Autumn Rau, Vice President and General Manager at BrightView. “This garden was designed and installed with the intent to have a hugely positive impact on many children for years to come.”

The Boy Scouts of America have decided to name the garden after BrightView because of the effort put forth BrightView teams to make it happen.

This garden will introduce visitors to California’s native plant communities and motivate them to get involved in conservation and environmental stewardship.
- Humberto Delgadillo, Designer at BrightView

BrightView creates interactive learning garden for Boy Scouts of America, Total Landscape Care

BrightView is committed to the safety of its team members, and with thousands of them coming to work each day across the United States daily, the company has defined and developed a “Daily Safety Game Plan.”

The plan begins the moment team members arrive in the morning and lasts until everyone steps foot into their homes at night.

To ensure safety, the “Daily Safety Game Plan” focuses on preparation for work, safe driving, individual work at each job site, and post-production.

“Our commitment to safety is reinforced through daily morning huddles and weekly tailgate meetings, new-hire orientations, and a buddy system for new team members,” said Jeff Herold, BrightView President, Landscape Maintenance.

To read the full article, visit Landscape Management.

More than 22,000 men and women work at BrightView, and the daily goal of the company is to make sure “No one gets hurt.”

There can be no compromise on safety and it’s a passion and a big part of the company. It has led BrightView to launch OpX, an initiative and a center of operational excellence. The goal of OpX is to develop and implement BrightView standards across its landscape maintenance division.

“Our intent was to establish a field-focused work group that allowed the maintenance organization to develop national standards and share best practices, tools, and training to accelerate our performance in the same way we have driven our safety program,” said Jeff Herold, BrightView President, Landscape Maintenance. “OpX begins and ends with safety. We will never stop striving for a zero-injury workplace.”

To read the full article, visit Landscape Management.

Over a span of three days, more than 25 BrightView volunteers worked to design and install a sensory and healing garden for the Denver Children’s Home (DCH), an organization that restores hope and health to traumatized children and families through a comprehensive array of therapeutic, educational, and community-based services.

The garden was previously an empty piece of land across the street from a school, but now features outdoor seating, touch-friendly plants, and designated spaces for artwork that children and staff can enjoy. DCH was looking to transform a vacant space into a relaxing and interactive environment next to an outdoor classroom. The rest, including the design and direction, was completely up to BrightView’s team.

“I have always had an interest in sensory gardens, so being able to design one and now see the resulting impact it has on these children is very rewarding,” said Leigh DuFresne, Landscape Designer at BrightView. 

DuFresne focused on including different textures and colors in the design to bring the area to life and create a unique, touchable garden.

BrightView teams from across Denver worked together to get all materials donated and split the project into three phases with each branch responsible for different steps in the process. BrightView's Denver South team did the demolition and installed boulders, Denver West installed flagstone and pathways, Denver East installed the plants and mulch, and Denver North helped with all three phases.

In total, the teams installed 10 tons of Crusher Fines Breeze, flagstone, mulch, 230 perennials, 10 trees, and 13 shrubs. The Denver East team also has added the garden to its weekly maintenance schedule.

BrightView and DCH took part in a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony on Oct. 12 and will work together to make sure the new garden continues to thrive and help DCH better serve children in need of assistance programs. 

“Everybody involved has been very excited to lend our expertise and to make an impact for these kids and families,” DuFresne said.

BrightView creates healing, sensory garden for Denver Children's Home, Total Landscape Care

With floodwaters rising throughout Houston from Hurricane Harvey, BrightView’s John Shollar and Juan Garcia took it upon themselves to help their community anyway they could.

Donning their BrightView safety vests, the two – joined by a few friends – went out into the flooded streets with a large, inflatable raft to help any person they came across who was trapped by the water.

“My family brought me up to help everyone,” Shollar said. “Juan is one of my crew leads and he told me he wanted to go out and volunteer the next day, so I told him I would go with him.”

Where Shollar lives had only a couple of inches of rain on the ground, so he and Garcia met at a location closer to the BrightView Katy branch, where the two work.

As the small group ventured through the neighborhoods, the water continued to rise on them. At one point, it had reached a depth to where Garcia, who nearly six feet tall, could no longer walk.

Once that happened, they two decided it was time to head back to higher ground.

It felt good to go out there. People needed help – they lost their homes, their clothes. I wasn’t affected by it like that. Every little bit helps for those in need.
- John Shollar, BrightView Production Manager

“While we were out there, we did worry about getting a cut while wading through the water because there was sewage flowing in it,” Shollar said. “When we finished, we all washed off extremely well and made sure we didn’t have any scrapes.”

All-in-all, the Shollar and Garcia rescued a family of four, a couple, and a woman with her two cats and brought them safely to dry land.

“It felt good to go out there,” Shollar said. “People needed help – they lost their homes, their clothes. I wasn’t affected by it like that. Every little bit helps for those in need.”

 BrightView team members set out with an inflatable raft to join rescue efforts and help their community anyway they could. They rescued a family of four, a couple, and a woman with her two cats.

(For the full transcript, see below.)