About

Barry considers himself lucky because he truly loves what he does for a living.

When he started the business, he would work alongside the crews all day. Nights were spent designing and selling projects. It was very rewarding for Barry to transform his client’s landscapes and outdoor spaces.

Fast forward almost 30 years, and although he is no longer intricately involved with every aspect of the projects Burkholder builds, he is still passionate about landscape design and the spaces created.

Over the years, as Burkholder Landscaping has evolved, so has Barry. He has gained a love for business and the green industry as a whole. Barry is consistently working to improve his business and management skills. As a leader, it is very rewarding for Barry to have built a team that is dedicated to exceeding client’s expectations. He finds it personally satisfying when a team member achieves his or her goals, both at work and on an individual level.

Outside of work, whether on a boat or on two wheels, Barry’s life is usually on the go.

He enjoys the outdoors, staying fit, traveling, and spending time with my family and friends.

In all his endeavors Barry usually discovers something that will improve himself or influence some aspect of what Burkholder Landscape offers. From a simple conversation with a friend to a unique plant combination or paving pattern on a roadway, it does not take much to inspire his creativity.

Kevin is in his 5th year with Burkholder. Before coming to Burkholder, he worked somewhere else. “I Like being out on sites, listening to and working with our crews, to build a more effective process and use of resources, ultimately builds a better customer relationship.”

Kevin appreciates the atmosphere at Burkholder. He says, “We are a good solid team. We have fun, and everyone looks out for one another.

What Kevin likes most about working with Burkholder is that, “No matter what the issue is, there is someone in house that can and will help you out.”

Kevin’s personal philosophy on customer service is “Do right by the customer to do right by the business”

Outside of work, Kevin likes fishing and spending time with his wife and 2 kids. He loves when they let him go fishing. “I’m cultured in that I like imported beers.”

Brent has been spending his summers working at Burkholder since he was 14 years old. Currently, he is a junior at Penn State University studying Landscape Contracting.

Deciding to study Landscape Contracting was a no-brainer for Brent. He feels as if he would not fit in with a formal office job. Additionally, working summers at Burkholder has developed a passion to the Landscaping Industry for Brent.

Being a project manager, Brent enjoys working with clients to complete their projects, as well as working hand-on with his team to ensure proper installation.

One of Brent’s favorite things about working at Burkholder is the family-like environment amongst all workers at Burkholder.

Outside of work, Brent likes to fish, hunt, and ride dirt bikes with his friends and family.

Tim has been with Burkholder for 11 years and brings over 20 years of experience in the landscape/hardscape industry. The love of working with his hands along with the enjoyment of the outdoors drew him to pursue this career. Tim is ICPI certified and NCMA certified. The passion for quality landscape construction and design allows Tim to turn a customer’s dream into reality. He gets great satisfaction from seeing the completed projects of happy customers. Tim’s philosophy is “I take great pride in attention to detail of every project and treat it as if it were my own.”

Scheduling projects, ordering materials, managing crews, and customer relations are some of Tim’s daily responsibilities. He appreciates what Burkholder stands for and believes in their core values of quality, teamwork, leadership, and respect. Tim says “Our team brings many years of knowledge and experience along with a wide variety of skillsets that allows us to learn from each other. At Burkholder, we are not only a team but a family. Barry and Mark want us to succeed in our career and in our personal life as well.”

When not at work, Tim enjoys spending time with his three kids. He can be found watching his two daughters dance or his son play basketball. He enjoys living life in the fast lane…motorcycles, ATVs, boating. He unwinds while fishing with his kids or going to the gym.

Bryan has been with Burkholder since March of 2013. Prior to managing the fleet and maintenance shop, Bryan held several other operations-based roles within the company. Bryan is tasked with overseeing the daily operational readiness of vehicles and equipment for the Burkholder fleet.
Bryan enjoys the unique challenges that the role provides. “Other than the routine maintenance that the fleet requires, the unscheduled day-to-day break-downs keep things interesting.”

Bryan’s favorite aspect of being part of the Burkholder team is the relationships he has forged with his co-workers. “There are so many moving parts in the Burkholder machine, so communication and a good understanding of the different processes allow us to work together well.”

“My department must be able to move on the fly and switch our plans at a moment’s notice. It helps that we have a solid team of people that help each other out.”

Bryan was born and raised in the Chester County area and now resides in the Mt. Airy section of Philadelphia, just outside of Chestnut Hill. In his free time, he enjoys walking his dogs in the city. He also enjoys hiking and camping. On weekends in the summer, he loves to take his kayaks on the Brandywine.

Mitch got a degree in Turf Grass Science from Penn State and then worked as assistant superintendent of country clubs for about 4 years before joining Burkholder’s team.

Starting out at Burkholder, Mitch received a lot of hands-on training in fertilization and other processes, and over the past 9 years, has moved up to lawn care, and is now managing a department.

In Pennsylvania, specialists have to pass tests to be certified pesticide applicators. Mitch has passed those tests and undergoes continuing education each year through the Pennsylvania Turfgrass Council. With this training, Mitch handles those accounts where pesticide is used, and helps train the crews for safe application. Safety of people and the environment is important to Burkholder.

Mitch is responsible for working in conjunction with other managers when fertilizer and spray are involved. However, he also works in sales and customer service.

Mitch’s customer service philosophy is “Work with people to make sure they are educated about the issues happening and satisfied with what is being done. Create a relationship with the customer so they can trust that you are doing what needs to be done.” Sometimes landscape management is a process with no overnight fix, and the customer will be able to trust the process if he trusts his account manager.”

Part of the reason Mitch was drawn to landscaping and outdoor work, is that he spent a lot of time growing up working on his uncle’s dairy farm in the summer and on weekends. Today, when away from work, Mitch likes to spend time with his wife and dog, gardening, hiking, or watching sports.

One of the things that Mitch likes about being one of the Burkholder account managers, is that he is given responsibility within the company, and also given a good amount of freedom to make decisions about customer care. He notes, “At Burkholder, we maintain landscapes. We try to work from the soil up to establish a good base, and we always try to do a thorough, detailed job.

Ryan McKnight has been working as a Landscape Designer for Burkholder since 2017. He graduated from The Pennsylvania State University in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Contracting.

Ryan enjoys tying all of the outdoor elements together to create one complete landscape that suits each client’s style. Ryan is an avid Philadelphia sports fan and enjoys both golfing and spending time down the shore with friends and family during the summer months.

Marissa Miles is one of our Landscape Designers. She graduated from Penn State in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Contracting and from Pennsylvania College of Technology in 2002 in Landscape Nursery Technology. Marissa is a certified Arborist and Pennsylvania Certified Horticulturist.

Marissa has a passion for plants and nature. She loves to create inviting outdoor spaces that draw you in and make you want to stay and relax.

Outside of work, Marissa enjoys spending time with her family, dogs and in her garden.

Starker was named after A. Starker Leopold, a forester and conservationist in the mid-20th century, establishing the inevitable course of his career. Starker graduated from the University of Massachusetts in 2001 with a degree in Agroecology, while serving for 8 years as the field coordinator of the University of Massachusetts Tree Fruit Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program. From 2001-2013, Starker worked for the Insect Behavior and Ecology Program at the Appalachian Fruit Research Station with USDA-Agricultural Research Service in Kearneysville, West Virginia, developing and testing biologically based management techniques for key native and invasive pests of tree fruit. As a field scientist, he has authored and co-authored over 80 research and extension publications, focusing on integration of biological, cultural, and chemical management of tree health. From 2018-2021, Starker worked with Bartlett Tree Experts in Dublin, Pennsylvania, beginning as a Plant Health Care Specialist and progressing to Arborist Representative and Local Office Manager. He also served as a Military Intelligence Officer for the US Army and Army National Guard from 1991-2004. Starker has worked in plant health care and pest management for more than 25 years, and his customer service philosophy is “Exceed the standard. Every customer deserves your best.” Starker is an avid outdoorsman and lives in Bucks County, PA with his two daughters.

Craig worked at a country club in Haverford in the grounds department in his teenage years learning the industry and developing a love for the outdoors. After working at several landscape companies learning the trade and industry, Craig landed at Burkholder Brothers.

Starting out at Burkholder, Craig was a construction foreman, and then moved up to managing project crews. Soon after moved to the maintenance department to balance out work/home needs but then ultimately landed in Sales and Estimating and has been in that role for the past 5 years.

Craig’s customer service philosophy is to deliver outstanding landscapes with honesty, transparency and commitment. Customer referrals are 90% of our business so I strive to make sure every customer is happy with the process of our services and the crews that work on their properties.

Craig enjoys working at Burkholder because of “the people, the atmosphere and the flexibility of being able to do my job to the fullest extent while juggling the chaos of 2 kids at home and school/activities.”

Craig likes fishing, target shooting, spending time with family/friends and long walks on the beach.