Front & Center: Land Expressions

When Dave Nelson graduated from Washington State University three decades ago, the economy was emerging from recession and there weren’t many opportunities for freshly minted landscape architects.

“I sent out 158 résumés,” he recalled.

Eventually a Seattle company called Nelson and asked if he had experience with stream diversion.

“Sure,” he replied, talking through his hat. “I can do that.”

Apparently the other applicants weren’t bold or desperate enough to exaggerate, because Nelson got the job.

After starting his own company, he switched from diverting streams to creating them, along with waterfalls and lakes, for clients such as REI and Microsoft.

Nelson’s Mead-based Land Expressions recently received the National Association of Landscape Professionals’ highest honor in recognition of downtown’s new Huntington Park and Spokane Tribal Gathering Place next to City Hall.

During a recent interview, Nelson talked about growing his business, what made Huntington Park so challenging, and fulfilling one customer’s unusual request.

S-R: Where did you grow up?

Nelson: In Spokane. I was born in the house that now serves as our headquarters, and I attended Mead High School.

S-R: What was your first job?

Nelson: Pulling weeds in my dad’s nursery when I was 9 or 10. Every job I’ve ever had has involved landscaping.

S-R: Did you have a favorite class in high school?

Nelson: Mechanical drawing.

S-R: What career did you envision for yourself?

Nelson: My dad was a landscape contractor, but I was more interested in design. So I majored in landscape architecture at WSU, and each summer I worked somewhere else in the country to gain experience. One summer I worked in Denver, where a 70-year-old gentleman taught me how to set rock. He showed me how rocks roll down a hill and catch an edge, and how, over time, dirt builds up around the edges. That was probably the best education I ever got.

S-R: Tell me about starting your own business.

Nelson: I knew once I quit my Seattle job I wouldn’t have any funding, so I planned for a year and bought a 1-ton truck, a trailer and a tractor. My wife had a good job – she was an assistant buyer for The Bon – so she stayed in Seattle for three months after I moved back here to launch my business.

S-R: Do you remember your first customers?

Nelson: Yes – a family out on the Little Spokane River. It was just a straight landscape job with some rock work. Me and two other guys did it all – I was out there every day, and designed at night. Gradually, through word of mouth, we picked up more work. And the following year we did a Microsoft project. I had a relationship with them from when I worked in Seattle, and they tracked me down because I knew about water. Most contractors stayed away from water features.

S-R: They have a reputation for problems. What’s your secret?

Nelson: You have to respect water. You can’t take shortcuts. We use thick, chemical-resistant PVC liners designed to seal landfills. They’re very hard to seam in the field, but it’s second nature to us.

S-R: Is the liner protected?

Nelson: Yes. After we pressure-test the seams, big water features get a layer of sand, and smaller ones are shot with gunite (concrete). The gunite protects the liner and allows us to set rock much faster, which saves money.

S-R: Have you ever had to repair a water feature that failed?

Nelson: We had to go back to REI’s flagship store because of the (2001 Nisqually) earthquake. Part of our liner was attached to one of the walls, and the wall moved, so we rebuilt the upper part of the waterfall.

S-R: Has your business ever been at risk of failing?

Nelson: No, but I didn’t take money home for the first three years. My wife supported us. And the recent recession was tough. We had to let some people go, including our mechanic. Now, instead of fixing older equipment, we buy new and turn it every five years, so we don’t have down time.

S-R: If someone calls wanting a water feature, how long must they wait?

Nelson: We have a backlog of bigger projects, but we have gaps between them. Designing a smaller project usually takes two or three weeks, and we can begin construction a month after that, once the mechanical systems are custom-built.

S-R: What’s the most complicated project you’ve done?

Nelson: Huntington Park was challenging because of the unknowns. We hit soil contaminated with ash (from the 1889 fire), so instead of putting that material down below, like we’d planned, we had to haul it away and change the design. We also ran into old railroad foundations that we couldn’t break apart. One of the walls we thought was fine was actually starting to fail. And we discovered a parking-lot drain that went right into the river like everything used to, so we had to divert that.

S-R: What’s the best business advice you ever got?

Nelson: Early on, when the accounting stuff scared me to death, my dad told me, “You need to hire a professional for that, and go do what you do best.” He also taught me that my employees are my biggest asset, so treat them like family.

S-R: Is there a busiest time of year?

Nelson: March and April are crazy.

S-R: What’s your typical work day?

Nelson: When my kids were young, I took them to school every day. Now that they’re out of college, I come in around 9, and after everyone else leaves about 5, I work until about 7.

S-R: What do you like most about your job?

Nelson: The creativity part. It’s fun to present clients with a design and see their jaws drop.

S-R: What do you like least?

Nelson: Working with municipalities. They typically start with a lead person, but once you get into a project, that usually changes.

S-R: What projects are you most proud of?

Nelson: The new Veterans Memorial at the Spokane Arena. And the stream at The Colony in Park City, (Utah,) because it had to look completely natural before they built $10 million homes next to it.

S-R: Do clients appreciate how hard it is to create something that looks like it was always there?

Nelson: No. And the sound is as important as the look. Last year we were competing for a job in Seattle, so I walked along the artificial stream next to our headquarters with my iPhone on, and had the client listen to all the different sounds we’d created. We got the job.

S-R: What do you think it was about Huntington Park that won national recognition?

Nelson: I think the judges realized that to design the project and complete construction all in 13 months was incredible. Avista had a great project manager, but I don’t still know how we did it.

S-R: Any favorite customer reactions?

Nelson: We built a pond for a very wealthy client who wanted to ride her horse while it swam. She called me right after she did it the first time, and she couldn’t have been more thrilled.

S-R: What sort of person is best suited for this career?

Nelson: Someone who loves the outdoors, because you have to understand the natural elements you’re dealing with to replicate them. And you have to be patient. I have kids right out of school who want to push me out in a couple of years. And I’m all for it! But they have to gain experience first.

S-R: What about you might surprise people who think they know you?

Nelson: I’ve had five back surgeries, but I still play basketball two or three times a week, and my buddies and I have played in every single Hoopfest. We’ve even won our division a few times.

This interview has been condensed. If you’d like to suggest a business or community leader to profile, contact Michael Guilfoil at mguilfoil@comcast.net.