Integrated Plantscapes plants seeds of change with new name, new "green thumb" career opportunities

Seeds of change are taking root at Integrated Plantscapes in the form of a new name and a plan to add new employees.

For 26 years, Grand Rapids-based Integrated Plantscapes operated as Foliage Design Systems of West Michigan, a company that created and maintained many locally well-known interior landscapes including the Arid Garden, Lena Meijer Conservatory and the Victorian Garden at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, and the green spaces inside the Lemmen-Holton Cancer Pavilion and Bronson Hospital.

The new name is a better reflection of the all-inclusive design, installation and maintenance work that has won the company 13 national awards, including 12 from industry publication Interiorscape Magazine, says Jody DeVecht, who founded the business with husband Scott DeVecht.

"We are probably one of the few companies in Michigan that can take a large indoor [garden] project from design to installation to maintenance in any size or shape they can envision," says Jody DeVecht. "My background is in interior design and my husband's degree is in biology. Those two combined give us the perspective to do this kind of work."

The company recently filled two vacant positions for plant maintenance technicians, and is looking for the right person for a new full-time position -- assistant to the installation manager.

DeVecht says the ideal candidate will have a two-year degree in biology or landscaping, some experience with maintaining water features, and proven customer service skills because much of the work is inside hospitals.

"It takes a certain kind of person to have a heart toward patients [and show them] empathy and kindness," DeVecht says. "It's also a great motivator. I was working at Lemmen-Holton and was amazed at how many people say 'You take care of this? Thank you!' It's great to be able to bless them with a little bit of beauty in a garden when they're in an ugly time in their lives."

Source: Jody DeVecht, Integrated Plantscapes; Tyler Lecceadone, SeyferthPR
Writer: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor