More than 25 volunteers from BrightView, the nation’s leading landscape services company, donated time and resources to renovate a playground for military famliies stationed at Fort Carson, a United States Army installation in El Paso County, Colo.

BrightView’s team was joined by volunteers from Balfour Beatty, service members, and their families on a Saturday morning to install 2,250 square feet of sod, 100 shrubs and perennials, and trees.

“The park was in need of significant repairs and did not provide any shade for visitors,” said Dean Laird, BrightView Account Manager for Fort Carson. “We wanted to make the park more inviting for the families to enjoy.”

The BrightView team coordinated with some of their local vendors to donate supplies needed for the project.

“It was very satisfying to see what started as an idea turn into a vision and come together with generous contributions and help from so many people working together to give back to our military community,” Laird said.

The group of volunteers and community members also applied a bed of mulch to the playground area and painted a new awning.

“We have worked here at Fort Carson for six years and I’ve never seen families use this park,” Laird said. “Our first day out after completing the project, I saw about 15 kids enjoying the playground with a few families having a barbecue under the pavillion. It’s rewarding to see the community members already enjoying their new park.”

It was very satisfying to see what started as an idea turn into a vision and come together with generous contributions and help from so many people working together to give back to our military community.
- Dean Laird, BrightView Account Manager

BrightView’s Chicago team helped to create a new place to call home for U.S. Army veteran Anthony Chobanov as part of “A Soldier’s Journey Home” (ASJH).

Spc. Chobanov volunteered to deploy in 2006 in Operation Enduring Freedom VII and was a Forward Observer while in Afghanistan. His duties consisted of bringing to arms all indirect fire assets – such as naval gunfire, mortars, and artillery – and communicating battlefield intelligence. Chobanov was also deployed from December 2007 to March 2008 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Now at home, Chobanov suffers from Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, causing him to struggle to maintain a job outside of his home, which is when ASJH stepped in to provide the Chobanov family with a house.

Mike Morey, Account Manager at the Chicago Northwest branch, first heard of the project from a friend, a high school teacher a school partnering with ASJH for this project. As someone familiar with our company, he asked Morey if BrightView would be interested in getting involved.

“I had conversations with my boss and our team and they were all in,” Morey said.

ASJH’s mission is to find a worthy recipient who made the choice to serve their country and paid a huge price for their service. Their goal is to pull the community together to build a home for the service member and their family to flourish in.

Chobanov was chosen as the third veteran ASJH built a home for.

“We held conference calls over the winter to discuss what Tony was looking for and learned very quickly that he didn’t want a lot of tall shrubs and evergreens because, with the PTSD, he didn’t want to be scanning for threats when he comes home,” Morey said.

“It was honor to work on the home. What stuck out to me was how hard it is for veterans to acclimate back into a society they fought so hard to protect. They gave their lives, even if they didn’t die, and anything we can do to help stateside to make their lives easier is an honor.
- Mike Morey, Account Manager

Those parameters, Morey knew, would be no problem for the BrightView Design Group. The design was presented to the Chobanov family, who heartily approved, and then Morey reached out to the local nurseries and landscape suppliers to get all the needed material donated.

“Along every step of the way between last fall and now, BrightView has been supportive of taking care of Tony’s new home,” Morey said. “Over two days in May, Account Managers and Production Managers from Branch 322 finally got to execute part of the install prior to the key ceremony at the end of the month.”

BrightView’s enhancement crew wrapped up the project in early June and a service partner with BrightView provided hydro-seeding shortly after.

When things started to become challenging or expensive, Morey heard nothing but positive comments from his BrightView team members, including “It doesn’t matter because we’ll make it happen and we’ll figure it out” and “This is the right thing to do.”

The big thing Morey took away from his fellow team members was the feeling that they all needed to do something like this again with BrightView. Rumor has it that ASJH’s next project will take place in San Antonio.

“It was honor to work on the home,” Morey said. “I was really struck with how, during the entire process, people from different organizations came in from all over the country to take part in this. What stuck out to me was how hard it is for veterans to acclimate back into a society they fought so hard to protect. They gave their lives, even if they didn’t die, and anything we can do to help stateside to make their lives easier is an honor. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

Earth Day is significant in the landscape industry because it celebrates the beautiful and sustainable environments that our teams work to create every day. This year many of our teams found creative ways to engage with community partners and clients to celebrate and give back.

BrightView teams in Columbus, Ohio, partnered with Columbus State Community College (CSCC) and its Green Infrastructure Program to renovate Sharon Meadows Park. The park sits just north of CSCC’s campus and once was home to the Sharon School building that closed a decade ago. The building compacted the soil and restricted rainwater drainage, leaving behind an ugly wet area that attracted mosquitos.

After receiving complaints from the community, the parks department contacted CSCC, which immediately reached out to BrightView as a partner in the Green Infrastructure Program. The program received grants from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Ohio EPA to fund the project.

“We wanted to make certain areas of the park drier and therefore functional while turning other areas into small ponds,” said Eric Klopfer, Branch Manager at BrightView’s Columbus East branch.

BrightView first drained the area, then installed walkways, and added limestone and sitting areas.

“The students at CSCC and members of the community were very excited to transform the park so our job was to create the plan, supply the materials, and then coach the volunteers,” Klopfer said.

On Earth Day, the team joined 25 students and more than 30 community members to install 20,000 plants and turn what was once standing water into a constructed wetland and sedge meadow.

The college will be using the new space to educate students on green infrastructure and stormwater control and the Columbus public school system will use the park to educate students about plants.

Other great examples of how our teams celebrate Earth Day by sharing our knowledge and investing in our relationships with our clients and communities:

• Our team in Doral, Fla., donated more than 1,300 potted plants and herbs to The Offices at Downtown Doral for their tenants to take home on Earth Day. The herbs included cilantro, parsley, oregano, dill, thyme, mint, lemon balm, colias, pentas, and more. The Doral team also teamed up with Intercontinental at Doral Miami to plant a two-section, 20-foot-by-4-foot garden to grown herbs and vegetables from Peru, Mexico, and other countries for the chefs at Blue Matisse and NAU Lounge.
• Team members in Orange County, Calif., donated 521 plants and joined volunteers from Kiwanis Club of Lake Forest, the Lake Forest Garden Club, and the community to enhance Lake Forest Serrano Creek Park.
• BrightView in Chicago strengthened their partnership with Chicago Gateway Green and planted 70 rose bushes donated by the Chicago Flower and Garden show at the DePorter Gateway.
• In Southern California, our team stopped by Harrah’s SoCal Resort to hand out succulents to the resort’s employees and provided suggestions on how to be more sustainable at home.

At BrightView, Taking Care of our communities is a core component of our brand and something we proudly do every day. This is just a few examples of how we are applying our skills, equipment, resources, and job opportunities toward addressing economic, social, and environmental issues in our communities across the country.

(For the full transcript, see below.)

BrightView teams in Sandestin, Fla., joined the Gary Sinise Foundation and other supporters of their R.I.S.E. program Oct. 18 to dedicate a specially adapted custom smart home for U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Brian Kolfage and his family. BrightView Landscape Development in Tampa teamed up with enhancement teams from our Santa Rosa and Emerald Coast branches to install an irrigation system and beautiful low-maintenance landscape for the Kolfage’s new home.

Sr. Airman Kolfage suffered catastrophic injuries on Sept. 11, 2004, when his airbase fell under rocket and mortar attack.  He lost both legs and his right arm.  He is the most severely wounded U.S. serviceman to survive his injuries. The Gary Sinise Foundation’s R.I.S.E. (Restoring Independence, Supporting Empowerment) program supports heroes like Kolfage by providing specially adapted custom smart homes, mobility devices, home modifications, and vehicles for them and their families.

BrightView announced its support of the Gary Sinise Foundation in September and has committed to providing low-maintenance landscapes for R.I.S.E. homes across the country. The Kolfages’ new home provides a sustainable, safe, and attractive landscape that marks BrightView’s second completed project with the Foundation.  

“Our teams were thrilled to provide a landscape and home environment that the family can enjoy for years to come,” said Todd Chesnut, Vice President and General Manager. “I had the pleasure of meeting the family and was inspired by their love and support for each other and their new home.”

BrightView Landscape Development started the project by installing the irrigation system and was later joined by BrightView Landscape Services teams to install trees, plant material, pine straw, mulch, and lay sod. Our teams worked with local suppliers to have nearly all trees and plant materials for the project donated. 

“The biggest thing for us, in addition to helping such a great cause, is seeing how our three teams pooled our resources and skills to make this happen,” said Charlie Bland, Branch Manager. “We worked together and brought our local vendors into the process to really make this a community of support.”  

BrightView will continue supporting the R.I.S.E. Program and has future projects underway in Maryland, Tennessee and Georgia.

“It was an honor and a privilege to be a part of this project,” said Michael Dozier, Southeast Region Senior Vice President. “Our teams embraced this opportunity to give back to a hero and we look forward to seeing our future projects.”

Our teams were thrilled to provide a landscape and home environment that the family can enjoy for years to come. I had the pleasure of meeting the family and was inspired by their love and support for each other and their new home.
- Todd Chesnut, BrightView Vice President and General Manager

BrightView team members in South Carolina recently held a Community Day in which volunteers helped create a new landscape for the Julie Valentine Center in Greenville, S.C.

The nonprofit center provides free confidential services to sexual assault and child abuse survivors and their families.  The center’s mission is to “stop sexual violence and child abuse and the impact of these crimes through prevention, investigation, collaboration, treatment, and advocacy.”

Scott Smith, Branch Manager at BrightView’s Greenville branch, is credited with getting the partnership with the center moving a few years ago.

The center is supported entirely by volunteers. The center honored BrightView as its Partner of the Year in 2015 and Smith wanted the branch to do something special in return.

“Scott said this year, ‘let’s pull out the stops and do something really nice for them,’” said Jeff Molizon, Account Manager for the branch. “We had one of our team members design a portion of the side of the building and once he designed it, we collaborated with (the center).”

The Julie Valentine Center approved the designs and BrightView provided team members and supplies to bring the design to life.

“The branch Account Managers and Production Managers went out there and we spent the full day ripping everything out and installing all new plant material,” Molizon said. “It was a fun project. We’ve done things out there before, but not to this scale.”

The new landscape features mostly perennial flowers and shrubs, but also includes trees, a bench, and pathway for the center’s volunteers and their clients to use.

Not only was the landscape completely rehabbed, but the Greenville team also built a custom fence for the center.

The branch Account Managers and Production Managers went out there and we spent the full day ripping everything out and installing all new plant material. It was a fun project. We’ve done things out there before, but not to this scale.

- Jeff Molizon, Account Manager

“We had guys that built that fence piece-by-piece – it was not prefabbed or anything,” Molizon said. “They designed it and put it all together.”

The center has already received positive feedback from their clients about the new landscape.  It has become an area of healing and comfort for people who may need it during the difficult times in their lives.

“It always feels good to support those in need” Molizon said. “I believe our branch is full of people who don’t  want to take all the time – we’d rather being giving back to the community and Scott is the spearhead of that. His heart is making sure we are giving back.”

Students at the Luis Munoz Marin School in Bridgeport, Conn., returned to class for the new school year with a brighter, friendlier playscape, thanks to a combined effort from BrightView, UnitedHealthcare and Groundwork Bridgeport, a nonprofit which brings about the sustained regeneration of the environment.

The school’s playground area had become dull and lackluster over the years, including an overgrown, worn-out garden space.

All that changed Aug. 30 when 30 volunteers from BrightView’s Bridgeport Team joined with dozens of volunteers from UnitedHealthcare and Groundwork to make a difference for these lucky schoolchildren.

“Painting the playground showed a real transition and dramatically changed its appearance,” said Justin Wolf, Branch Manager at BrightView. “The garden went from an unused space to a place that can bring tangible learning opportunities to students.”

Now, with the cleaner, crisper space, teachers will have the opportunity to take learning outdoors and give their students a different perspective outside of the classroom.

Along with the work to the playscape structure and the rehab of the vegetable garden, the BrightView Team also built and painted 11 benches, all made out of recycled wood, and planted perennials around the school’s entrance.

“We are committed to helping build stronger communities and helping people live healthier lives, particularly with the kids in our community by encouraging them to be active, as well as to eat healthy,” said Teresa DeNicholas, of UnitedHealthcare. “Our joint efforts will help that happen for students at the school.”

Even though UnitedHealthcare is no longer BrightView’s client locally (since moving out of its Connecticut office), that doesn’t stop partnership opportunities BrightView has teamed up with the organization several times in Bridgeport.

“We want to extend a very special thanks to Justin Wolf and his team for collaborating with us and bringing their expertise to literally transform the children’s playspace,” DeNicholas said. “We appreciate all their hard work, efforts and commitment to giving back to our local communities.”

The Marin School, which teaches pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, is the fourth school in the area that BrightView and UnitedHealthcare have volunteered at together.

“The team from (Bridgeport) stepped up once again,” Wolf said. “I couldn’t be happier to be their leader. Special thanks go out to the enhancement crew and managers for spending time to give back. It’s always great to give back to the community and be part of something bigger than any one individual can create. Having a great team makes this possible.”

Painting the playground showed a real transition and dramatically changed its appearance. The garden went from an unused space to a place that can bring tangible learning opportunities to students.
- Justin Wolf, Branch Manager at BrightView

It started off as just a regular day for BrightView’s Antonio Lopes, who was on his way to work Sep. 7, when smoke wafting from an apartment building caught his attention.

Lopes was at the Hillside Garden apartment complex in the El Cerrito section of San Diego at 7:20 a.m. when he saw the flames.

He was on the phone calling 9-1-1 when he heard yelling coming from the building and immediately jumped out of his BrightView truck and ran into the burning building.

I was banging on the doors of the apartment complex and telling them to get out,” Lopes said. “The older lady was still in (the apartment) where the fire was coming from, so I kicked the door down and went inside.”

The thick smoke obscured Lopes’ vision, but he followed the screams from the woman and was able to carry her out of the apartment while his fellow BrightView teammate Gabriel Robeles attempted to put out the fire with an extinguisher.

Lopes then ran to the upstairs apartments to get other people safely out of the burning building.

“It was a pretty crazy experience,” he said.

Fire crews arrived a few minutes later and were able to extinguish the fire within 20 minutes, according to NBC San Diego. 

Daria Martin, the resident saved from the building, told Lopes he was her savior.

Others, including Lopes’ own family and friends and even people he has never met on social media, have hailed him as a hero.

"I keep thinking about it every day,” Lopes said. “I was at the right place at the right time. It was like God calling me to help these people. I shouldn’t be considered a hero. I just did something hopefully somebody would do for my family.”

Seven people were displaced by the fire, which started in the downstairs apartment and caused smoke damage in the two upper apartments.

According to NBC, the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

I was at the right place at the right time. It was like God calling me to help these people. I shouldn’t be considered a hero. I just did something hopefully somebody would do for my family.
- Antonio Lopes, BrightView

Haitian citizens will little forget the devastating, magnitude-7.0 earthquake that struck the island Jan. 12, 2010, killing more than 300,000 people, injuring another 300,000 and displacing 1.3 million, including children in an orphanage that was destroyed in Port-au-Prince.

Shortly after the disaster, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) assembled a design team and conceptualized a new orphanage in the capital city, which will also be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certified.

The entire plan, called Project Haiti, is being led by the USGBC, which is how BrightView got involved.

BrightView’s Enterprise Sales Team was in talks with Transwestern to potentially become a provider for maintenance, as well as future design and build projects, which led to a phone call between Allan Skodowski, Managing Senior Vice President and Director of LEED and Sustainability Services at Transwestern, and Kurt Buxton, Vice President of BrightView Design Group.

“(Skodowski) had this pet project in Haiti that he was working on,” Buxton said. “By chatting with him, he said he had a favor to ask and that they needed a landscape architect for the job. I said we were interested and would love to help them out.”

The planned 6,000-square-foot building in the Delmas District will feature landscape architecture designs from BrightView and is anticipated to feature papaya trees, roughly 600 square feet of vertical wetlands, a bamboo grove, rooftop garden, raised vegetable garden and a unique tile-mosaic play structure modeled after the Rhinoceros Iguana, a species native to the island.

It’s sustainable for three days independently in terms of water and sewer. When there’s a storm, the storm pipes in the street fill up and knock the manhole covers off. If we connected to that, it would actually fill the site up with water. We have to retain the water onsite and infiltrate it into the ground.
- Kurt Buxton, Vice President of BrightView Design Group

Since the building is being designed and built to LEED standards, it  will be resource efficient, creating a healthier place with “reduced stress” on the environment, according to LEED.

The building itself is planned to have training and office space and will also have a safe space to protect children from hurricanes.  It also will feature a ground-level safe zone for any future earthquakes.

“It’s a place of refuge, so it goes beyond just an orphanage,” Buxton said. “It’s sustainable for three days independently in terms of water and sewer. You can’t tie in traditionally to the sewer and flush a toilet, so we’re treating it on site. When there’s a storm, the storm pipes in the street fill up and knock the manhole covers off. If we connected to that, it would actually fill the site up with water. We have to retain the water onsite and infiltrate it into the ground.”

With these unique needs for the site, the design team did run into a few challenges along the way.

“The biggest challenge was trying to figure out what to do with the stormwater because it’s below the street as well as below the properties around it, so the site doesn’t drain,” Buxton said. “We had to get creative with how to drain it. We also had to learn what was feasible in Haiti because we’re trying to limit bringing stuff from out of the country. We actually flew over with the USGBC and met with local suppliers to try and make sure the design was something that could be implemented as much as possible (with) local resources.”

Working on Project Haiti has given BrightView’s Design Group the chance to go global, thanks in part to the USGBC, and to allow the company to thoughtfully contribute to a country still in need of assistance from the devastation six years ago.

The new orphanage will be named The William Jefferson Clinton Children’s Center in honor of the William J. Clinton Foundation for its assistance immediately following the earthquake and will be run by the Foundation Enfant Jesus, which ran the original orphanage.

The center’s mission is not only to provide health and emotional needs and a pathway to adoption for orphaned children, but also to create programs to consolidate communities, uses education to give families more support and provides the community skills training and job assistance.

“Being BrightView has given us the opportunity to do this,” Buxton said. “If we were a smaller design firm, it economically wouldn’t be feasible for us. Having the opportunity to travel to somewhere I’ve never been and really see firsthand what’s going on was really interesting and intriguing and gets you excited about doing these things. It’s a good opportunity for our team to take care of a community far away.”

Project Haiti is currently under construction.

BrightView in Chicago is teaming up with the Chicago Bears, PNC Bank, and Gateway Green to enhance a park and construct a garden for El Valor, a nonprofit that supports and challenges urban families to achieve excellence and participate in community life in Chicago’s South Side. El Valor is the second largest provider of early child education in the city, yet the park at their Ray Gonzales Facility is outdated and surrounded by caution tape.

BrightView recently completed the design for a new park and community garden at the facility and is scheduled to begin construction this month. 

BrightView’s collaboration with high-profile partners in Chicago goes well beyond funding. Their plan is to work together – literally. BrightView teams have worked alongside more than 100 volunteers from PNC Bank and the Chicago Bears to remove dangerous playground equipment and conduct demolition to prepare for the new park. During the project’s construction phase, PNC and the Bears will be sending groups of five to 10 volunteers to work with our team on a daily basis.

“The collaborative approach of this area is focused on environmental stewardship, educational achievement and physical activity,” said Rey Gonzalez, CEO of El Valor. “These three elements ensure future generations can grow, learn, and find success.”

The new park and community garden will support education for children, increase family engagement in children’s early education and increase awareness of natural environments, urban conservation, and healthy food choices in the community.