About Avid Landscape
Avid Landscape, locally owned by Robert Boyker and Will Bailey, is a professional, high-quality, and friendly Landscape Design, Construction, and Maintenance Company with a staff of credentialed and experienced people dedicated to their work in the industry.
At Avid, we are a “Teamwork” Company where everyone is involved in the process of creating and maintaining the perfect landscape to suit individual wants and needs. Our owners Rob and Will are involved with every project. They take great personal care – as do all of our staff – in making sure that your Landscape is precisely what you envisioned, or even better!
Meet the Team
Ken Bacon
Construction Manager
ken@avidlandscape.com
Our Landscape Construction Manager, Ken Bacon, has over 25 years of Landscape Construction and Landscape Irrigation experience. Ken is involved in each phase of our installation projects, coordinating and synchronizing everyone along the way. Ken works closely with our Designers to ensure that concepts can be properly executed in the field. He works side by side with the foremen and installation crews to make certain that proper techniques are employed to guarantee their work meets the Avid Landscape standard. Ken also communicates with our clients on a daily basis to keep them well-informed of their projects.
Ken is passionate about everything he does, in both work and play. When Ken is not busy ensuring that your project is a success, he is off single track dirt-biking in the most remote locations he can find around the Pacific Northwest. Ken’s other hobbies include building 3D printers and writing STL files (Stereolithography) to print parts for his racing drones.
Sam Millar
Designer and Project Manager
sam@avidlandscape.com
Sam Millar is our Lead Landscape Designer and Project Manager. As a PNW native, he has been designing and building landscapes in the greater Seattle area for over 15 years. Sam takes great pride in his work and has a strong passion for creating unique and practical designs. With an artistic eye and background in landscape construction, Sam is not afraid to get dirty and embraces the process from start to finish. From sketching out designs, planning/sequencing, to actual implementation, and every little detail in between, each project is well executed and specially crafted to meet clients’ needs. He is always up for a site challenge and finding creative solutions for problematic areas.
Sam earned his bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture from Washington State University (Go Cougs!). From small spaces to high-profile projects, Sam has earned numerous Grand Awards and Awards of Distinction from the Washington Association of Landscape Professionals. He participated in the Northwest Flower & Garden show in 2017 and went on to become the lead “garden creator” in the 2018 display garden.
Matthew Zubek
Account Manager
matthew@avidlandscape.com
Matt oversees the southern operations of our Sustainable Maintenance and Enhancement Departments. He is committed to educating our clients, encouraging the use of ecologically friendly practices in our maintenance routines, and working hands on with crews for training opportunities in the field. Matt’s professional background in horticulture and lawn care provide him with an edge in choosing the right approach to properly care for all aspects of our client’s landscapes.
Matt moved from the Chicagoland area to the Pacific Northwest in 2019 and joined Avid’s team in early 2020. Already holding a degree in Landscape Design from Joliet Junior College, Matt has obtained an ISA Arborist Certification, an EcoPro Certification, and a Landscape Industry Professional Technician Certification during his time at Avid. Matt’s ambition continues to drive him towards pursuing educational opportunities and additional professional certifications in our industry.
In his free time Matt can be found outside fishing, golfing, hiking, mountaineering, and volunteering with wilderness Search crews. During his time in the Northwest Matt has climbed 4 of the 5 Washington Volcanos in addition to Mount Hood, with sights on a Rainier summit to complete his goal!
Grayson Snyder
Account Manager
grayson@avidlandscape.com
Grayson Snyder oversees the northern operations of our Sustainable Maintenance Department. Grayson’s background in environmental health helps steer his decisions when consulting clients on best practices for their landscape. His passion lies in “doing the work”, so you may often see him working alongside our crews. When it’s all said and done, he finds the satisfaction of our clients to be the most rewarding.
Grayson joined us from Iowa where he received his Masters degree in Occupational & Environmental Health. While in school he spent some time collaborating with the National IPM Steering & Advisory Committee to help reduce the impact of pesticides in public schools through the use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Although being a relatively new arrival, Grayson has several years of landscape experience and is eager to tackle the list of professional certifications our industry has to offer.
Outside of work, you can usually find Grayson skateboarding on trails or working out at the gym. After moving to Washington, he is excited to take advantage of all that the Pacific Northwest has to offer. In his down time, he likes to cook and play fetch with his cat, Smush.
Will Bailey
Owner & Maintenance Manager
will@avidlandscape.com
Will Bailey joined Avid in June of 2020 to focus on developing and managing high-quality, sustainable landscapes through engaged, local relationships with clients and employees. Having grown up in the landscape industry working for his father’s company in the Bellevue area during the 90’s, he has since helped build one of the Seattle region’s largest commercial landscape management companies. While that experience was valuable, Will is excited to be working with Rob to grow and develop Avid with a local feel and customers who share our belief that landscapes are an essential part of their goals.
Will earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Urban Forestry from the University of Washington in 1997 and returned in 2014 to complete the Executive Development Program at UW’s Foster School of Business. Will is an ISA Certified Arborist, ecoPRO Certified Sustainable Landscape Professional, and Landscape Industry Certified Manager and Technician.
Like Larry and Rob, Will is a longtime member and active volunteer with the Washington Association of Landscape Professionals (WALP), promoting professionalism in the local landscape industry, including serving in various Chapter roles as well as the Association’s President in 2013 and again in 2022.
Will lives in Seattle with his wife, an accomplished boutique and day spa owner. Together they enjoy time with their 4 children, friends, and strong engagement with the Magnolia and Queen Anne communities through their work with the Chambers of Commerce.
Robert Boyker
Owner & Installation Manager
rob@avidlandscape.com
Rob Boyker established Avid Landscape Management LLC in 2005 with a lawnmower he purchased on Craigslist for $75. A Seattle native with a passion for re-defining outdoor spaces, Rob earned his Bachelor’s Degrees in Botany and Environmental Science from the University of Washington. Between college and forming Avid Landscape, Rob lived in West Africa, working in Agriculture and Forestry, including two different volunteer assignments with the Peace Corps (The Gambia 1995-1997 and Senegal 1998-2001). After his second round of service in the Peace Corps, Rob continued to live in The Gambia, working for The Gambia Department of Forestry as the Public Relations Coordinator for a new initiative, the Joint Forestry Project. A few years later, Rob returned to the U.S. and began working in the local landscape industry. Shortly thereafter he formed Avid Landscape Management LLC.
Rob is a longtime member and active volunteer with the Washington Association of Landscape Professionals (WALP), promoting professionalism in the local landscape industry, including serving as the Association’s President in 2018.
Rob’s industry credentials include ecoPRO Certification (a WA State Department of Ecology Certification) and the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) Landscape Industry Certification.
Rob’s designs and installations have been featured in national publications and filled our office with awards. His volunteer work, in our local landscape industry and beyond, is also widely recognized.
When Rob is not working, he will be found with his family, hopefully enjoying a day at T-Mobile Park or Husky Stadium.
Larry Zimmer
Financial & Administration
larry@avidlandscape.com
Larry’s landscape industry experience began in Colorado in the early 1980’s and has continued here in the Pacific Northwest for the past 30 years. Larry was among the first Certified Landscape Technicians (CLT) in Colorado, receiving certifications in 1990 and 1991. He has earned the installation, maintenance, and irrigation CLT certifications. He has been an active participant in the landscape associations of Colorado and Washington, serving on committees in both associations, and on the Board of Directors for the Washington Association of Landscape Professionals (WALP). He has held Board positions for WALP including 2017 State President, 2016 State Vice-President, 2014 and 2015 State Treasurer, and two years as President of the King County Chapter.
Larry has more than four decades of experience as a business owner and in senior management positions with small to mid-sized landscape contractors. He has an Associate of Science Accounting degree and extensive experience in both financial management and production operations for landscape contractor businesses. Larry has also been a presenter of financial seminars to industry professionals for bidding and estimating, and budgeting.
Larry worked with Avid Landscape Management, LLC as a consultant from 2018-2019 and accepted a full-time position with the company in 2020. His responsibilities include financial management, human resources, and regulatory oversight. He provides the financial expertise to guide the company’s budgeting, bidding, and job costing, and is also responsible for all daily accounting functions.
In his free time, Larry enjoys mountaineering, hiking, backpacking, skiing, and travelling. On most summer weekends he can be found somewhere in the Cascades on a hiking trail with his wife Linda. In 2010 he made a lifetime dream trip trekking in Nepal to the Mt. Everest Base Camp reaching a high elevation of 18,500 feet. In 2017 he climbed Mount Rainier and has also reached the summits of Washington’s four other volcanoes and Oregon’s Mount Hood and South Sister in addition to many other alpine peaks. His remaining bucket list of trips seems to always expand, and currently includes trekking in the Alps, Patagonia, Machu Picchu in Peru and a return to Nepal trek to the Annapurna Sanctuary. We will see if the legs hold out!