Landscape firm designs first impressions

Bobby Marchetti relies on Higgins & Gerstenmaier to come up with unique landscaping ideas for the shopping centers his Marchetti Properties is developing.

"When you drive into the project, the first thing you see is the landscaping," Marchetti said. "Higgins & Gerstenmaier provide a great presentation. They are probably the most talented guys in Richmond."

Ralph Higgins and Dave Gerstenmaier merged their two landscape-architecture and land-planning firms in March 2000 to form Higgins & Gerstenmaier.

Higgins owned Higgins Associates Inc., a company founded by his father, Ken, in 1952. Gerstenmaier created Gerstenmaier Design Studio in 1991.

Before opening his firm, Gerstenmaier worked for Doug Woolfolk at Woolfolk Properties, which was developing the Bellgrade residential and commercial project off Huguenot Road in Chesterfield County.

"He was my mentor," Gerstenmaier said. "He emphasized quality of design and workmanship at the start of my career."

Gerstenmaier said he built his business by word of mouth. "I got some residential jobs and it snowballed from there."

His projects ranged from a Ford dealership in Kuwait to the courtyard at The Jefferson Hotel in downtown Richmond. He also worked on several upscale residential projects that included swimming pools and tennis courts.

Higgins Associates had worked with a variety of clients, including Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, George Mason University and the University of Mary Washington. The company also handled the master planning for residential developments such as Wellesley and Wyndham in western Henrico County.

The two firms decided to merge when Higgins suggested buying out Gerstenmaier's company.

"I suggested we do a 50-50 merger," Gerstenmaier said. "Ralph wanted a long-term succession plan to ensure the company's longevity. I was full of energy. I took on his employees and grew the company."

Since Higgins & Gerstenmaier was formed, its revenue has grown on average about 8 percent each year.

Even though it remains busy, the firm has had to take some cost-cutting measures to cope with the current economic downturn.

"We had to cut our staff, and that was heart-wrenching," Gerstenmaier said. "Everyone was willing to take a pay cut. Some employees now share a job. It's not one individual that makes this company a success; it's the contribution each one makes to the team. We're making it slowly but surely."

Higgins & Gerstenmaier works on a variety of projects that include residential, hospitals, churches and universities. While most of the firm's projects are in the Richmond area, it has worked elsewhere in Virginia and on projects in California, Ohio and Florida.

"We've had a wide range of jobs around the country. We are often part of a team with an architect," Gerstenmaier said.

Some projects have fun elements, including the elephant and giraffe statues in a courtyard at Memorial Regional Medical Center in Hanover County or the outdoor spaces created for Capital One Financial Corp.'s complex in the West Creek office park in Goochland County.

"Capital One wanted fun outdoor spaces for their employees," Gerstenmaier said. "They wanted things like adult-size swings and playhouses."

Higgins & Gerstenmaier is Bon Secours Virginia's landscape architect of record for its seven hospitals in Richmond and Hampton Roads as well as its ambulatory-care centers throughout the state.

"They adapted to our needs very quickly," said Richard Banta, Bon Secours Virginia's vice president of construction.

Higgins & Gerstenmaier pay attention to projects even after they are completed, he said. For example, Banta recently received a call from the firm telling him that the fountain at a Bon Secours center on Patterson Avenue wasn't working correctly.

"They said they were going to come by to regulate it," Banta said. "You don't see many people doing that. To me that is impressive. To have a vendor like Higgins & Gerstenmaier provide that type of customer service means a lot to us."