News Career Spotlight: Residential Landscape Account Manager December 17, 2019 Our 25,000-square-foot headquarters and 5+ acres of land are home to our open-plan office, a full-service kitchen, an outdoor work garden and a whole lot more that makes Southern Botanical a unique place to work. But what really makes us The Green Standard is our team! We’re excited to introduce a new monthly series here on our blog, The Benchmark, that will spotlight one of our team members to learn more about their career journey in the green industry as well as the day-to-day details of their role on our team. Did you know that we’re hiring? Visit our Careers page to learn more about and apply for our current open positions! Name: Mackenzie Chris Role: Account Manager – Residential Services (Click here to apply for our Residential Account Manager opening!) Mackenzie, where did you go to college and what did you study? Texas A&M University- Horticulture Landscape Design and Management (the best university around) How did you become interested in the green industry and how long have you been working in the industry? Seeing how passionate those who were already in the green industry were made me want to have that same passion. So here I am going on five years! What’s a typical day like in your role? It starts with meeting my crew out in the field getting them set for the day of work ahead. Then I typically go and check in on the gardens that the crew will service that day to make sure there are no surprises for the crew once they get there. The afternoons are typically spent in the office working on any projects or proposals that I have ongoing with my clients. Some days are filled with more field time than others but over the week it is about a 50/50 split of office time and field time. What are your main responsibilities in your role? My main responsibility is making sure that every client is serviced to the Southern Botanical standards. This is achieved through garden walks with both the client and the crew. The day to day of scheduling, training, and meetings allows for this to be achieved. It creates great relationships not only with the clients but also with co-workers. What do you think it takes to be successful in this role and in this industry? To be successful you have to be open and ready to learn on a daily basis. There is always more out there. Why did you choose to work at Southern Botanical? I wanted to work for a company that would challenge me on a daily basis to become better than the day before and I found that here. Great culture to be around as well as a wealth of knowledge to learn from.