Thornton Landscape celebrates 50 years

MAINVILLE, Ohio – This summer marks Thornton Landscape’s 50th year of providing the Greater Cincinnati community with award-winning landscapes and outdoor retreats for residential homeowners and corporate campuses.

“We’re so thankful to those who made celebrating 50 years possible – our customers, the community as a whole and our incredible team members, who are like family,” said Rick Doesburg, CEO of Thornton Landscape. “With their combined support and efforts, our company has been able to contribute to the community and provide beautiful landscape environments for homes, in neighborhoods and for businesses throughout our history. And we’ll do the same for many years to come.”

Founded in 1961 by brothers Gary and Bill Thornton, the firm focused on commercial and residential landscaping. In 1969, fellow Ohio State graduate, Rick Doesburg joined the company. In its early days, the company worked on significant projects in and around the city, including the first revitalization of Fountain Square in 1971 and the installation of the Cincinnati Zoo Outdoor Gorilla Exhibit in 1979, both of which received national awards by The Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA), the national association of landscapers which is now a part of PLANET.

The organization was a stalwart participant in Homearama, partnering with some of the region’s top homebuilders. In 1968, the company was featured in Good Housekeeping magazine, and in 1995 it was hailed by the Wall Street Journal as leading the movement for improved quality and certification among landscape companies.

After the Thornton family retired in 1999, Doesburg, a registered landscape architect and 30-year veteran of the organization, bought the firm. His son, Andy Doesburg, soon joined the company to lead the sales and marketing efforts. Andy now serves as president of the company and Rick as CEO.

Since the Doesburgs took over Thornton Landscape, the firm has continued as an all-inclusive landscape firm offering design through installation services for residential, commercial and maintenance clients. They have earned national and state awards along the way for several of their projects including Yankee Trace, TPC River’s Bend Golf Course, Wetherington, and PRASCO, headquartered in Mason.

Rick Doesburg attributes the company’s success and longevity to its talented and loyal team, many with decades of experience, as well as to retaining devoted clients who share the company with others through referrals and neighborhood word of mouth. Many of the company’s customers started working with Thornton Landscape decades ago and continue to call on them when it’s time to create new outdoor spaces or update their existing landscapes.

“Throughout the years, we have witnessed landscaping trends come and go, but the consensus is clear – homeowners want an outdoor space to retreat to, but can also be easily maintained,” Rick Doesburg said. “To see a space transform before your eyes is still thrilling after all these years. We’ve been very fortunate to work with the same clients year after year who have us help them refresh their outdoor space, so we’ve built many wonderful, lasting relationships with the community as a whole.”

In January of this year, Rick Doesburg received the lifetime achievement award from the Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association (ONLA). Despite the economic climate, the firm continues to maintain its reputation as a leading design and build landscape firm in Greater Cincinnati because their team is made up of certified landscape professionals (CLPs) and technicians (CLTs), as well as registered landscape architects, who are committed to superior customer service and genuinely passionate about the art of landscape design. 

“Our clients appreciate working with a firm that offers experience and knowledge in developing world-class, one-of-a-kind landscapes, as well as the credentials to certify their expertise,” said Andy Doesburg. “We are proud of the tradition we’ve created thus far, and we look forward to continue serving our clients and the community for years to come.”