Peer to Peer Spring Summit 2026

Greg Wildeboer | Whispering Pines Landscaping

Greg Wildeboer is the owner of Whispering Pines Landscaping, a full-service landscape company he has led for more than 30 years. Under his leadership, the company has grown significantly while maintaining a strong focus on culture, operational excellence, and financial discipline. The company has received multiple awards from the Chamber of Commerce and Landscape Ontario for business excellence and industry leadership.

Family is central to Greg’s life and leadership. Married to Sheri, and a proud father of four and grandfather of three, he is intentionally building a company designed for long term impact and a second-generation ownership transition.

Greg teaches Landscape Ontario courses on culture, leadership, and company efficiency and enjoys mentoring other business owners as they scale their organizations with clarity and confidence.

Brad Rose | Rockscape

Brad Rose is a second-generation “son of a landscaper” based in Muskoka, Ontario. He is one of the owners of Rockscape, a family-founded landscape design, build, and maintenance company established in 1990.

Brad worked outside of the family business from 2015–2021. Upon returning, he accidentally fell in love with landscape lighting. He is the General Manager and Lead Lighting Designer at Elevate, a specialty lighting and outdoor living company. He also serves as Director of Strategic Development for Rockscape, where he oversees new internal initiatives and helps develop the family’s real estate portfolio.

Brad has a natural talent for leading and developing teams and is grateful for the opportunity to continue learning the trade from his father, Craig, founder of Rockscape, who has more than 50 years of experience in the landscaping industry.

Walter Kehm OALA, FCSLA, FASLA

Walter started his journey into landscape design and construction at the age of 12. With a little red wagon he pulled a hand powered rotary blade lawn mower, hedge clippers, spade, trowel, rake and a hand pump watering can. The neighbours enjoyed his service and readily paid him $.50 per visit. On a good Saturday he would bring home $3.00 and give it to his mother for food. After the war, dollars were very scarce and everybody had to chip in. He went on to study forestry and developed a solid background in science. Studies were continued by receiving Bachelor and Master’s degrees in landscape architecture followed by postgraduate study in Italy

Walter has been a senior operating officer with two companies before taking the position as the Head of the Landscape Architecture School at the University of Guelph. When left the University in 2000 he began his consulting practice with a new business model. Previous businesses were typically vertically structured and hierarchical. Top down decision making. He saw that relationships with landscape contractors also required improvement. He noticed that staff with many years of experience did not have an opportunity to be involved in the design/construction process. A new people engagement and communication process was necessary.

Walter believes in collaboration whereby the landscape contractors staff and the landscape architect work as a team. Concept drawings are produced for joint discussions. This process develops a feeling of mutual respect and full engagement with all staff as witnessed by many successful construction projects. This team involvement has a significant benefit as it develops a sense of belonging and loyalty within the firms. He continues to practice following this principle and has worked with firms for over 25 years.

Mark Hutten | Hutten Land and Shore

Mark Hutten is the co-owner and CEO of Hutten Land and Shore, a design-build landscape and maintenance company based in Owen Sound, Ontario. For more than 20 years, the Hutten team has helped homeowners along Georgian Bay and across Grey and Bruce Counties transform their properties into natural retreats through thoughtfully designed outdoor living spaces.

Mark is passionate about growing strong teams and advancing the landscape industry through leadership development, craftsmanship, and innovative business practices. Through their client-focused process known as The Hutten Way, the company promises an experience beyond expectations.

Mark lives in Owen Sound with his wife and their four daughters, where family life, faith, and time outdoors continue to shape his work and leadership.

Sam Bauman | Earthscape

A lifelong landscaper, Sam co-founded Earthscape in 2005 at age 19. Over the past two decades, he helped scale the business from a solo operation into an eight-figure, multi-location design-build-maintenance firm. A champion of the “team-as-owners” mindset, Sam transitioned the company to an ESOP in 2020, ensuring that Earthscape’s growth remains a shared journey for every employee.