Emily Keown’s journey to finding her place in the industry
Emily Keown’s journey proves the path to success is often a winding one, demanding both the flexibility to embrace radical change and the wisdom to return to
your roots. As a persistent champion of community and collaboration, Keown is transforming both clients’ properties and the face of leadership in the landscape
trades.
Growing up, Keown watched her mother run the successful Lake of Bays Garden Centre in Dwight, Ont. Instead of expecting her daughter to follow in her footsteps, her mother encouraged her to seek out a passion and professional path that was her own.
“My mom wanted us to learn how to work for other employers, since it’s a different experience from working for your family,” Keown explained.
This encouragement led Keown to explore various fields. As a child, she would talk about becoming a hairdresser and moving to a big city. During high school, she worked as a waitress, but often found herself between shifts offering to join the mulching crew or cut grass. On weekends, she would also help out at the garden centre.
Keown continued to explore her options throughout her twenties. She attended Georgian College to pursue a career as a law clerk, a path she quickly realized was not for her, as she found the work repetitive and stressful.
After finishing this degree, she worked in banking, which also failed to spark the passion her mother had hoped she would find.
Throughout these years, each time Keown was unsure of what to do or where to go next, she was drawn back to the family business. She eventually quit her job at the bank to work there full-time.
“I started to realize, maybe this is what I want to do,” she said.
Keown recognized that with bills to pay and a future to prepare for, she would need to go all in. She went back to school in 2016 to earn her diploma in Floral Design and started the floral department at Lake of Bays. After a couple of years, another opportunity came up for her to manage the maintenance team. Then, in 2019, roles shifted once more when her brother opened Fivepoint Landscaping and took over the centre’s maintenance section, having Keown to work alongside him. In 2021, Keown bought into Fivepoint Landscaping, officially becoming a co-owner.
Fivepoint Landscaping offers help to clients at any stage of a project. From site clearing and basement digging, to landscape design and construction, planting and/or ongoing maintenance.
With over 20 years of experience, Keown highlights how they are most proud of their ability to coordinate every part of the project, making it more efficient and stress free for clients. “What I enjoy most is being able to see a project go from a field of trees to a new home. It’s amazing to see the transformation.”
Keown is firm in keeping work separate from her personal life; a dynamic she believes has helped her family in working together for so many years. “Business is
business and personal is personal and we are very careful in preserving this,” Keown said.
However, she also recognizes how working with family and knowing so much about them is a primary building block to their success, since she is able to support
her team members when they need it most. “Since we are so close knit, I already know when they may need extra time off to deal with a difficult situation.”
That said, safety and professionalism always come first at Fivepoint. Keown keeps their work culture open and honest to ensure that personal challenges don’t follow their employees into the job site. “Building a culture where people feel supported but still understand the responsibility of the work we do has been a big part of Fivepoint’s success. Like any business, it’s something we continue to learn and improve as we grow,” Keown said.
An opportunity for change
After years in the industry, Keown decided it was time to deepen her engagement with the landscape community, and joined Landscape Ontario (LO).
The first meeting she attended was in Huntsville, at the Georgian Lakelands Chapter’s annual Ministry of Transportation (MTO) meeting in 2022. There, she
watched an excellent presentation that had hardly any attendance. This experience was an eye-opener, and Emily quickly recognized an opportunity for change.
“The Muskoka area is filled with landscaping companies, but I realized that people didn’t see the point in joining Landscape Ontario when meetings were so scattered across the northern area of Ontario. Only one meeting a year would be in Huntsville, and all the others would be in the south,” she said.
This observation sparked the idea; establishing a new, locally focused chapter in the Muskoka region.
However, creating a new chapter is no simple task. Emily and a group of members from the Muskokas met for over a year discussing this idea. They began by developing a strategic plan to outline the need for a new chapter, the events they would host and the proposed geographical borders.
The team pointed out barriers like how Georgian Lakelands Chapter territory covered vast border lines, making events inaccessible for many. The need for region-specific plant training was also highlighted, as the diverse planting zones across Ontario mean that training focused on Toronto would not be relevant to areas like Muskoka.
After successfully creating a petition of support from companies across the Muskoka region, Keown presented the formal request to create a new chapter at an
LO Provincial Board meeting. “I came to the board meeting with all the material possible and a prepared PowerPoint. I wanted to make sure there was no question that this was needed,” Keown said. From there, the Muskoka North Chapter was born.
Once the Chapter was established in 2023, Keown was elected president and momentum accelerated. From hosting job fairs to network luncheons, the chapter
continued to grow and thrive, eventually adding on more integrated events as seen in other chapters, like an annual golf tournament and Christmas party.
The chapter’s primary long-term goal is to promote youth involvement in landscaping, noting that guidance counselors often steer students toward college or university, overlooking landscaping as a viable career path. To address this, the chapter started two bursary projects this year, one offering $5,000 to students pursuing landscaping related studies, and the other supporting community projects, especially those involving youth.
Inspiring women
in the industry Keown stepped back from the president’s role this year to make time for other commitments. However, she remains actively involved in the board. Having already made a lasting impact on the greater LO community, Keown continues to be a role model for women entering or working in the industry.
The most important advice Keown offers to women in landscaping is the need for persistence and confidence in their own capabilities. “There have been so many
meetings where project managers have looked past me and thought I knew nothing,” she explained. “But by the end of the project they were shaking my hand and saying how they look forward to working with me in the future. You just have to keep going.”
This persistence was recognized when Keown and fellow Muskoka North chapter member Jennifer Davies, owner of Pratt’s Lawn Care, were both named recipients of the Women of Influence award. The award celebrates the remarkable achievements of women who are shaping the future of Ontario’s landscape and horticulture industry. Keown was completely surprised when she won at the Awards of Excellence at Congress 2026. “I just remember sitting there thinking, I hope I’m not winning an award, it would be nerve-wracking to get up there in front of so many people. But when I won, I was so shocked and grateful for the recognition,” she said.
Life outside
the world of landscaping Keown notes the importance of not letting work stress follow you home. To decompress after a hard day at work, or just any day in general, Keown heads to the stables to be with her horses. “I think it’s really important to have a passion that acts as an escape from the natural stress of life. Horses are my passion and that chance to escape.”
This passion has also led Keown to compete in shows as far as Texas. She is the horse show director at the Armour, Ryerson and Burk’s Falls Agricultural Society and assists with local and international horse shows, including the World Championship for Extreme Cowboy Racing Association in Glen Rose, Texas. She also enjoys leatherworking and staying active. Anything, she said, to be outdoors.
Looking ahead, Keown has always been motivated to keep Fivepoint at the top of their craft with continual education. She is currently working toward her Certified
Landscape Designer designation. “My focus has always been on doing the best work we can, building a strong team, and continually improving our craft through
our techniques and embracing new technologies.” Keown said.
