Founder of large landscaping company retires after 47 years

Updated Nov 26, 2015

Chapel Valley Landscape Co., which has operations in Maryland, Virginia and Georgia, announced that its founder, J. Landon Reeve IV, is retiring from the company he started in 1968. He will continue to serve as chairman of the board.

Based in Woodbine, Maryland, Chapel Valley has Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regional offices in Dulles, Virginia, and Canton, Georgia, respectively, in addition to several branch offices in both regions.

Chapel Valley Landscape founder J. Landon Reeve IV poses with his son, James, who has served as president of the company since 2003.Chapel Valley Landscape founder J. Landon Reeve IV poses with his son, James, who has served as president of the company since 2003.

In an interview in 2002, Reeve said, “One of my primary goals in life is to develop a company with a good reputation that could continue beyond myself.” His son, James Reeve, helped his father reach that goal when he joined the company. James Reeve has served as president and CEO of Chapel Valley since 2003.

A news release on the elder Reeve’s retirement notes that Chapel Valley Landscape achieved a record performance in 2015 “in all key measurements.”

“Landon’s greatest achievement for our company was to instill the service values we have today that remain the foundation of our decision making and success,” said James Reeve.

The founder’s career in landscaping started in high school with a part-time summer job at Bluemont Nursery, a perennial wholesale nursery in Monkton, Maryland. His interest in plants continued as he pursued a B.S. in Ornamental Horticulture from the University of Maryland. After graduation, Mr. Reeve and a partner founded a small garden center and landscaping business. Four years later, in 1968, Reeve established his own business, Chapel Valley Landscape Co.

When Chapel Valley opened, Reeve was its sole employee. The company now employs more than 400 people in seven locations.

In retirement, Reeve plans to continue serving on the board of the National Horticulture Society and Friends of the National Arboretum.

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