Today we’d like to introduce you to Greg Grigsby.
Greg, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
As a child I loved the outdoors. As such, I made sure I was enjoying every waking minute outside. Part of that enjoyment was creating forts, or in this case outdoor rooms in the woods around our home in the Hudson Valley of New York. One such fort, Fort Every (because I thought it had everything you could need in it), was, unbeknownst to me at the time, actually my first foray into land planning.
The entry to the fort was framed by a couple of old apple trees that lead to a crushed stone path through the woods. My younger brother (a willing laborer) and I swept the loose stone that got kicked to the side of the town road, and brought it into the woods, one wheel barrow at a time. I had manipulated the seasonal runoff from the neighbor’s property, as it moved through the fort, piping it under the ‘dining room’, and to a large hole my brother and I hand dug. I know these structures today as a detention basin.
The main path of the garden was lined with cedar trees we hand dug from elsewhere on the property, and we had a surprisingly good success rate. As time went by, the focus moved away from creating spaces, but rather enhancing them and maintaining them. Looking back, it was a wonderful time of life, and one that codified the direction I would head in as I got older.
When my family moved from NY to NH, I took a summer job working at Longacres Garden Center, in Lebanon, NH. There I was able to be outside, learn plants, hardscape materials, as well as the appropriate means and methods for the industry. Three brothers owned the business, and to this day, they, and their families are truly family to me. I was honored to emcee their retirement party over the winter… truly hardworking special people.
I returned to NY for college, SUNY Cobleskill for an Associate’s Degree in Landscape Development, and 3 years at SUNY ESF at Syracuse for a Bachelor Degree in Landscape Architecture. Very shortly after graduation, I took a position at Pellettieri Associates in Warner, NH, and have been working there ever since… almost 25 years now!
While we occasionally have clients call us to their Boston area residences, we specialize in waterfront and estate type properties for them in NH, ME and VT. Oftentimes we find ourselves collaborating with truly talented and well known architects from the Boston area, further strengthening our connection to the Boston area.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The professional road has been fairly smooth, however, the Great Recession was certainly a challenge. Work slowed, and additional jobs were needed to make ends meet. That said, because of a few recession resistant clients, the dire times only lasted about a year or so.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Pellettieri Associates, Inc. was founded by George Pellettieri in 1983. As a firm with in-house construction capabilities, we also have the ability to selectively install the designs we create, or those of others. Our firm specializes in the planning, design and permitting of complex waterfront, and estate-type properties. We’ve been especially proud of our reputation in the state as one of the leading Landscape Architecture firms. This reputation provides architects and other out-of-state professionals a sense of comfort when dealing with projects in NH.
Our firm has always worked to stay on the forefront of technology as it relates to the design office, as well as exploring cutting edge ideas in the field. Whether it is a unique planting situation using helicopters, or buying suction equipment to make the installation of hardscape easier, we pride ourselves on being a leader. Complacency isn’t a word familiar to Pellettieri Associates.
What were you like growing up?
Always wanted to be outdoors! Loved working with nature to analyze the impacts humans have on the environment, even at the tiniest level.
Contact Info:
- Address: 169 Kearsarge Mtn. Road
Warner, NH 03278 - Website: pellettieriassoc.com
- Phone: 1-603-456-3678
- Email: ggrigsby@pellettieriassoc.com
Image Credit:
John Hession
Jeff Sinon
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