Community Highlights: Meet April & Evan Hoard & Marrero of VisionScapes llc

Today we’d like to introduce you to April & Evan Hoard & Marrero

April & Evan, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
April got a B.S. of Horticulture with a minor in Landscape Design in 2007 and served in the military ( including a combat deployment in 2011) from 2008-2015. She spent time in various areas of the green industry working as a nursery production assistant manager, greenhouse manager, farm stand manager (organic vegetable farm), and landscape maintenance crew leader. In 2021, Evan and April experienced a still birth at 20 weeks. Evan was working as a Forman of a landscape business in Florida at that time. His boss during this time was not supportive of him taking time off for this tragic event. Tension escalated and it was clear to Evan, it was no longer a safe or supportive place for him to put his energy. This was very hurtful for Evan as he had been committed to growing this company for 5 years. But in the end it was a blessing in disguise. It was exactly the push he needed to branch out on his own.
April and Evan moved back to Aprils home (East Lansing) in 2021 and started VisionScapes the following spring in 2022. We seldom tell the whole story of what pushed us to start our own business as it is heavy and personal. But I feel it’s worth noting how even the most painful experiences can birth extraordinary transformations in our lives and set us in a new direction we did not perceive previous to that event. We are grateful for what we have learned and how we have grown from this experience.
Evan has been working in the industry for over 13 years. He started in landscape maintenance and eventually worked his way up to a landscape Forman position with his last company before starting his own.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There are always new challenges!
Getting started with very little capital meant our first year Evan and I were doing all the work by hand with little advanced equipment, tools, or personal. This was tough work building momentum. I always joke with our crew, “you should have saw us in year one doing this all by hand, XL pavers and all.”
I have a lot of management experience but no education or experience in owning a business. So it’s been a continual learning process as I step into this new role. We are experts in the work we provide but new to business ownership!

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are a landscape business that specializes in custom hardscape installation and sustainable landscape installations (plantings.) Our hardscapes have a very distinct and unique style that is unlike any other company in Michigan. We bring in landscape block all the way from Florida because of the limitations in color available here in Michigan. This really excites our clients. To know they have a custom unique product unlike anyone else in their neighborhood. We focus on curvilinear designs. There are a lot of local companies that will build you a quality square or rectangle patio and/wall. And you might even pay less for these designs because there is less cutting involved in more simplistic patterns. Our clients want a unique look and are willing to pay for the extra time involved in intricate and precision cuts. We consider ourselves artists. It takes years to master this style of hardscape installation.
As a lover of plants and earth, I promote the use of natives plants in as many landscapes as I can. We use systems and tools that are more environmentally friendly. As an example, the industry standard to create a new planting bed in a lawn area is to spray it with roundup. Alternatively, we hand dig (or use our sod cutter machine) and remove sod to create a planting bed. Again, this is not the cheapest option as there is more labor hours involved and a dump fee. But we are confident this is far more sustainable for the earth and ourselves. Our clients are willing to pay for this guarantee of safety in their environment. I am inspired to be a leader in the industry with sustainable practices and promoting natives plants.
Lastly we are truly passionate about transforming space and creating positive connections with clients and employees. It will never be far from our hearts how it felt for us an employees to feel unsupported during our tragedy in 2021. I am passionate about creating a work environment that helps our employees feel valued and support their growth as a person both professionally and personally. We love connecting with our clients. We believe well thought out Landscapes can inspire and connect us more deeply to nature, our community/family, and our true selves. We know that time in nature can drastically reduce levels of anxiety. We want to break the barrier btw us and the natural world. Create spaces that invite people into nature.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
When I lived outside of Michigan, I missed the camaraderie and diversity I experience here. People in Michigan value nature immensely and a great number of people in our area are invested in environmental sustainability. We have exceptional farmers markets in our area. We have exceptional conditions for growing home gardens!

Id like to see more incentives for sustainable practices in my area.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mivisionscapes.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mi_visionscapes/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/visionscapeslandscapingmichigan/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@visionscapes6835
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/visionscapes-no-title-3