Our Team

Meet Our Team

Andrew Blanchford

Andrew Blanchford

President

Andy grew up in southeast Pennsylvania.  He holds a Bachelors of Science Degree from Pennsylvania State University in Landscape Contracting.  He is a Certified Plant Professional and is the only Certified Landscape Industry Manager in Montana. When not at work he has fun with his family. He also enjoys travel, trail running, skiing, and the great Montana outdoors.

Abby Dobson

Abby Dobson

General Manager

Abby grew up in Nome, AK. She attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins where she received her BA in Communication Studies. Abby began her career in administration and accounting in Denver before moving to Bozeman in early 2016.  She enjoys cooking, gardening, and getting out in the great Montana outdoors with her husband and their two dogs.

Åsa Pape

Åsa Pape

Operations Manager - Garden Services

Åsa is a native of Sweden and the Operations Manager for our Garden Services team. She has a B.S. in Education from Uppsala University and taught in the public schools in Sweden. She also guided outdoor adventures for many years before moving to Bozeman in 2007. Here she found a passion for gardening and a great workplace at Blanchford Landscape Group in 2016. The mix of your gardens and our people is what she loves the most. When not at work, Åsa enjoys the great outdoors and time in the pottery studio.

Travis Boyer

Travis Boyer

Build Production Manager

Travis moved to Bozeman with his partner and daughter in 2016 and simply put, he loves being outside!  From backpacking, being out on some water, working in his vegetable garden or constructing amazing outdoor spaces, Travis find great satisfaction in experiencing what nature has to offer and how we (humans) can better integrate with the ecosystems we call home. Travis enjoys the opportunity he has here to spend most of his time outside creating outdoor spaces so that other people can appreciate this amazing Earth that we all share. Also, the machines are pretty fun too! Let’s go plant some trees! 
Mason Shaffer

Mason Shaffer

Senior Garden Designer

Mason has a degree (B.S) in Ornamental Horticulture and a graduate degree (M.S.) in Landscape Architecture. He offers this marketplace a unique set of talents with proficiencies in all things plants, garden design, landscape and natural systems within the context of Montana. He has a diverse portfolio of projects from mountain to urban settings, from small courtyards to large estates. Mason is the Founding Director of a grassroots non-profit organization that is determined to create Montana’s first world-class botanical garden. He enjoys spending time with his wife and four little girls camping, golfing, fishing, or gardening.

Carrie Rule

Carrie Rule

Garden Services & Holiday Decor Sales & Account Manager

Carrie realized shortly after receiving a BA in Speech Communication from Montana State University that the confines of an office job were too restricting. After four years in the corporate world,  she returned to her Montana roots to pursue her passion for working outdoors where she landed employment with the USFS collecting plant data and fighting forest fires. Her love of plants and digging in the dirt ultimately led her to Blanchford Landscape in 2017. Her diverse experience includes native plant ID and mapping, floral design, interior plantscaping, garden center management, garden maintenance, and project management. She is an avid gardener and her flower garden was a featured property on the Bozeman Emerson Garden Tour.  In the off-season, she can be found seeking out powder stashes at Bridger Bowl and beyond and mountain biking in the desert Southwest.
Barclay Hook 2

Barclay Hook

Garden Services & Holiday Decor Sales & Account Manager

Barclay is a Garden Services Account Manager and has been with Blanchford Landscape since 2017. She has a BS degree in Horticulture with a Landscape Design Concentration from Colorado State University and has been working in the landscape and nursery industry for over two decades. Some of her many industry roles include retail nursery sales, designer, estimator, landscape installer, plant grower, maintenance crew, project manager, and salesperson. She's the progeny of a long line of gardeners, so learned to appreciate the landscape at a very young age. In her free time, she enjoys playing outdoors in her own garden and in the mountains with her family and dogs.
 
MaKaela Franzen

MaKaela Franzen

Garden Designer & Nursery Manager

MaKaela studied horticulture and landscape design at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. Excited for the opportunity to explore a new place, she moved to Montana to start her professional career.
Her professional passion is creating functional spaces and experiences that encourage human interaction with nature.
Growing up on a farm in Nebraska MaKaela has always had an appreciation for the outdoors. She enjoys spending time outside with friends, family, and her dog, Scout. If not outside you can find her in a local coffee shop or baking a new recipe in her kitchen. 
Cameron Block

Cameron Block

Irrigation Manager

Originally from Colorado Springs, Cameron moved to Bozeman to join the Blanchford team in 2020. He studied Microbiology at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs before joining the landscape industry in 2015. In his free time, he enjoys running, golfing, snowboarding, and spending time with friends.
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Chris Spalding

Interior Plantscape Manager

Chris grew up in Wyoming and graduated from the University of Wyoming with a degree in horticulture. He moved to Bozeman in 2005 and has been in the landscape industry for over twenty years. He joined the Blanchford team in 2019 and has been instrumental in developing our new Interior Plantscape Department. When he's not working he enjoys working on his bonsai, hiking, and hanging out with his animals. 

Maddie Britt

Maddie Britt

Garden Manager

Maddie was born in Iowa but grew up in Bozeman. She graduated from Bozeman High School in 2012 and chose the work and travel path through the years and landed at Blanchford in 2016. Starting with little to no experience but a drive to learn she has built her way up to project management. She loves being able to have a career that's untraditional and allows her to travel and play in the dirt. When Maddie isn't busting her butt at work you can find her in the mountains, dancing at a local show, or drinking coffee downtown.
David Todd-1

David Todd

Fleet & Facilities Manager

David has been in the Bozeman area for over 13 years, attending MSU and receiving a BA in Environmental Studies. He has been in the Landscape business for 10 years brings experience from all different aspects. David has been passionate about automotive power sports his entire life racing snowmobiles, motorcycles, dirt bikes, ATV’s and hot rods. He also enjoys the peace and quiet found in a boat floating a remote river or following trails leading deep into the Forest on his horses.

Ross Downer-1

Ross Downer

Field Project Manager

Ross graduated from Old Dominion University in 2007 and immediately headed West. He then headed North, then West again, and after a few more stops finally arrived in Southwest Montana in 2012. Five years after "just a winter" of skiing, he found Blanchford Landscape Group. As someone who believes in the physical and mental health benefits of being in nature, Ross was a natural fit  as Project Manager creating outdoor living spaces with BLG where he is able to use his passion to create while enjoying the beauty, weather and scenery that Montana has to offer.

Tanner-1

Tanner Gnauck

Crew Leader

Tanner grew up in Bozeman, graduating from Bridger Alternative High School. Hungry for
botanical knowledge, he found his way to Blanchford. A fifth generation Montana native, Tanner is an avid Rockhound, Snowshoer and general outdoor enthusiast. He enjoys spending time at home with his partner, Tyler, pets and indoor plant collection.
Tyler Baustadt-1

Tyler Baustadt

Crew Leader

Originally from Anaconda Tyler moved to Bozeman in 2015. After trying different jobs she decided to take her love of flowers to a new level and found herself at Blanchford in 2022. When not digging around in the dirt you can find Tyler somewhere on a mountain trail, at home with her pets or out looking at neat rocks. 
 
Meghan Fitzgerald

Meghan Fitzgerald

Crew Leader

 Meghan grew up in Michigan, where she found a love for gardening. She’s worked throughout the United States in several different national parks and settled in Bozeman in 2018, starting with Blanchford this year! Outside of work, you can find her exploring with her dog, or working on stained glass projects. 
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Jake Kren

Crew Leader

 
 
Christian

Christian Alley

Crew Leader

 
 
Emily

Emily McIlrath

Garden Manager

 
 
Caleb Schmidt

Caleb Schmidt

Crew Leader

Schmidty went to college and realized halfway through that being cooped up inside for the span of a career wasn’t going to work. So he looked to his hobby of building and shaping outdoor spaces and made it his professional passion ever since. When not working he enjoys diving into various mediums of art, motor sports, and collecting vinyl records. His true love however will always be fixed upon snow capped mountains and powder fields. Ski fast and take chances!
 
Stacy Kersens

Stacy Kersens

Stacy is actively engaged in the continuous journey of gardening while exploring her artistic inclinations though a focus on perennial and container plantings.  Stacy is a Certified Plant Professional and is currently one of MNLA’s Integrated Pest Management Practitioners.  If Stacy is not tending or harvesting, she can be found in awe along the waterways and trails of this stunning region.

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