Beautiful landscapes, healthy plants and innovative designs since 2004.

Chris di Stefano

President

Chris di Stefano was raised in Cabot, Vermont on a large Christmas tree farm and nursery surrounded by streams, forests, meadows, and ledged hillsides that were home to countless wildlife sanctuaries and secret gardens. As a kid, Chris spent hours exploring this place and honing a deep appreciation and understanding of the natural landscape and the elements that make it so inviting. From the time he could walk he helped out at his family’s ornamental tree nursery and landscaping business, planting, watering, digging, and learning even more.

Today, Chris shares the lessons from the wild classrooms and family apprenticeships of his childhood with clients and staff to create and enhance beautiful natural spaces. He continues to build on this ingrained knowledge by keeping abreast of industry trends in design, horticulture, and stone masonry, and works hard to promote professionalism in these trades.

Scott Smythe

Controller

Scott joined the Di Stefano Landscaping team in October 2022. As Di Stefano’s Controller, he leads the Finance and Accounting function and serves as a member of the Company’s senior Leadership Team.

Scott earned his MBA in Accounting and Finance from Rutgers University. Upon graduation he joined the Big Four accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), where he specialized in auditing and consulting for small business clients. After PwC, Scott spent six years as Controller for one of his audit clients, a small hotel management company, then joined Pfizer Inc as an Internal Auditor.

In his 25 year career at Pfizer, Scott worked in a variety of positions in Internal Audit, the Animal Health Division and ultimately in the Global Supply Division. There he managed a $750 million budget covering 2500 colleagues based in 70 countries worldwide. After Pfizer Scott worked briefly as Chief Financial Officer for Haematologic Technologies in Essex Junction, VT before joining Di Stefano Landscaping.

Scott is a Certified Public Accountant. He received his BA in Chemistry from the University of Colorado and his MBA in Accounting from Rutgers University. Scott’s passions include mentoring young professionals and helping small businesses grow and thrive.

Jerry Elliot

Maintenance/Snow Manager

Jerry grew up in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. Since a young child Jerry grew up working outdoors with his father, he taught him a lot of life lessons including having a hard work ethic. Jerry began working at a local golf course mowing grass and performed miscellaneous landscape tasks, that is where his love for the green industry began.

Jerry attended Rutgers University in New Jersey for Professional Turfgrass Management where he learned a lot of industry knowledge from plant and turfgrass science to professionalism and leadership. During a summer internship at Baltusrol Golf Club in New Jersey, he was promoted to Fertilizer and Pesticide Specialist and had a huge role in the preparation for the 2016 PGA Championship. With his experience in the golf course industry, attention to details and love for the outdoors this journey has led him to Vermont and ultimately di Stefano Landscaping.

Hunter Grace

Install Division Manager

Hunter is a seasoned division manager with extensive experience in high-end residential and bid-build construction. With an established background in project management and a keen understanding of complex projects and client needs, he excels at leading teams to transform intricate plan sets into successful, on-budget outcomes. Hunter places a strong emphasis on building and maintaining lasting relationships with clients, colleagues, and partners, ensuring trust and collaboration throughout every project.

A graduate of Vermont Technical College with a degree in Landscape Design and Horticulture, Hunter has developed his technical skills and practical knowledge over many years in the industry. His expertise encompasses navigating the complexities of large-scale projects, from initial bid evaluation through to final execution. Projects under his management are completed efficiently, on time, and to the highest standards.

Hunter guides his teams through challenging projects with confidence. His comprehensive understanding of construction processes, coupled with a strategic approach to project management, enables him to anticipate and effectively overcome obstacles. A skilled problem solver, Hunter is passionate about tackling challenges head-on.

Outside of work, he enjoys staying active through fitness and spending quality time outdoors with his wife and their golden retriever, Weston.

Nathan Waite

Senior Maintenance Account Manager

Nathan was born and raised in Jericho, Vermont where his joy for being outdoors grew with every changing season. He went on to get his associates degree in business management at Champlain College. After graduating, he started with a landscape company where he learned the trade and realized he could have a career and be outside at the same time. Over the course of seven years his knowledge and experience grew tremendously until he was ready to try it on his own.

He started his own Landscape and Mowing company which grew from a single client to more than two hundred clients over the course of thirteen years. He honed his managerial and customer service skills and gained a wealth of knowledge while growing a successful business. He was finally at a point where he wanted to wear less hats and focus more of his attention on customer interactions and beautifying properties. At di Stefano he can now get back to his passion and enhance an already winning team. When he is not working he enjoys skiing and hiking the beautiful mountains of Bolton with his wife and two children.

T.J. Carroll

Maintenance Production Manager

T.J. has been in the landscape industry for the last 13 years. Outside of work he enjoys skiing in the winter and hunting and fishing in the summertime.  He also loves to be on the lake as much as possible in the summer and being outside.  T.J. started his landscaping dreams at his childhood home in Burlington, Connecticut where his parents had extravagant gardens and where he learned to stripe lawns.  He moved to Vermont in 2008 and never wants to leave.

Chad Metivier

Residential Account Manager

Emily McClintock

Landscape Design Sales

Emily hails from the west coast and won’t shut up about how great it is there. She spent her childhood playing in the Sierras where she developed a strong relationship with nature.

Emily brings a diverse background of landscape design, ornamental and edible gardening, permaculture, and environmental restoration to the team. She is passionate about good design and is excited to design outdoor living spaces that bring people closer to their natural environment, support local ecology, and give people a sense of place in their landscape. When not working Emily is typically juggling a variety of creative projects, cooking elaborate meals, swimming in the river, or tending to her houseplants.

She holds an Associates in Landscape Architecture and Bachelors in Environmental Science.

Rob Osborne

Project Manager

Rob is an outgoing people person with a sharp focus on efficiency and attention to detail. He is dedicated and committed to creating successful projects that will leave lasting impacts for our customers.

Outside of work Rob finds inspiration in the great outdoors. Whether he’s hunting or fishing or enjoying sports, he brings the same strategic thinking and problem-solving skills that define his professional life to his leisure activities.

Rob’s commitment to excellence extends to his personal life, where he shares his love for the outdoors with his son, instilling in him the same values of hard work and appreciation for nature.

Brad Libby

Commercial Project Manager

Crystal Tinker

Office/HR Manager

Crystal brings over 26 years of experience in finance, office management, and leadership to her role as Office and Human Resources Manager at di Stefano Landscaping. She attended the Community College of Vermont with a background in accounting; Crystal has built a well-rounded career across multiple areas of business operations.

Her professional journey includes seven years as Director of Accounts Receivable, nine years as an Office Manager, and seven years specializing in payroll. She has also held key roles as both Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable Clerk. For the past four years, Crystal has expanded her impact in the field of Human Resources, where she continues to foster a positive and productive work environment.

Known for her professional yet approachable demeanor, Crystal is passionate about creating organized, efficient systems and supporting team success at every level.

Crystal has always believed in giving back to her community. For nine years, she proudly served as a volunteer football mom, supporting local youth athletics and building strong connections with families in the area. She also dedicated five years to volunteering with her local fire department, contributing her time and care to a cause close to her heart. In her spare time, Crystal enjoys camping, cheering on football games, fishing, and gardening-activities that keep her grounded, active, and connected to the people and places she loves most.

Skye Waters

Yard Manager

Skye moved to Burlington shortly after high school. He grew up in the small town of Wilmington and enjoys snowboarding, riding motorcycles, and playing with cats. Like most little boys, he was always interested in heavy equipment. Now he gets to fulfill his childhood dreams trucking and operating heavy equipment.

Kristen Babel

Accounting Administrator

Kristen Babel was born and raised in Burlington, Vermont and is di Stefano’s only remote worker residing in Bradenton, Florida. With over 26 years of Law Firm Management & Accounting experience, she is a highly skilled professional Accounting Administrator with a proven track record of financial capability and management. As a driven and detail-oriented professional, Kristen is dedicated to ensuring that every project she is involved in achieves the highest level of quality and meets the clients’ needs as well as contributing to di Stefano’s long-term business success.

In addition to her professional work, Kristen is committed to giving back to her community and volunteers regularly both days on the weekends (in Florida) at a Non-Profit Animal Ranch & Rescue where she is on the Board as Treasurer. On her rare days off she enjoys fishing with her son and exploring the many outdoor leisure opportunities in her new home state of Florida.

Nick Buckpitt

Project Superintendent

Nick grew up in central New York where at the age of 13 his family started a landscaping company. It began as a small mowing business and eventually grew to a bigger company that allowed for him to have the opportunity and passion into the hardscape industry . Nick is ICPI NCMA certified, and has been in the landscape industry now for over 25 years. He has worked at multiple Landscape companies in Vermont and has been part of many different projects throughout New England.

Matt Brien

Field Supervisor

I was born and raised in the town of Colchester, Vermont. My hobbies are snowboarding, traveling, playing soccer, Flyboarding, camping and hanging out with friends. I graduated from Colchester High School and then attended Vermont Technical College where I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Entrepreneurship/Small Business Management. After graduating college in 2018 I started my own small business Vermont Water Sports and worked construction. My construction job is how I found di Stefano Landscaping. I started at di Stefano on the construction crew, then quickly found my place on the maintenance team.

Parker Day

Construction Foreman

I grew up in a small town in southern Vermont. I began work at a young age and shortly thereafter grew an appreciation for hard work and the value it has. I’ve always been a very detailed individual and fascinated in how a natural space or landscape could have order. The separation or lack thereof that hard and soft edges have within a landscape are most fascinating and satisfying to create.

I went to Vermont Technical College for an associates degree in Landscape Design and Sustainable Horticulture. I held an internship during and after college in southern New Hampshire and worked on Lake Sunapee and Winnipesaukee.

During my free time I enjoy woodworking, traveling, and kayaking.

Andrew Wolf

Construction Foreman

Andrew Wolf is a lifelong gardener who has studied plants for many years. He enjoys creative projects, problem solving and designing with plants, soil and stone. He has nine years of experience in the landscape industry.

Jeremiah Shook

Construction Foreman

I have been working in the green industry for over 10 years and really enjoy my “office” being the outdoors. As a head stone mason on one of our construction crews, I like being able to be creative every day and lead a team of others to create a work of art for our clients.

When I’m not working I like to hike and spend time with my family and animals on my farm in Huntington, Vermont.

Gabe Paradiso

Construction Foreman

I grew up outside of Baltimore MD and moved to Vermont in 2012. I worked for a few different places in Vermont before I found di Stefano and right away I realized they had a solid group of good people. Once I started, I enjoyed being outside everyday and I’ve always preferred physical labor over office work. I’ve been with them for over 6 years now and have done both maintenance and construction. I started with maintenance but seeked more of a challenge and wanted to learn something new, so i switched to the construction side. Outside of work I still enjoy being outside whether its shooting hoops, going to Leddy to play hockey, or skiing in the winter. I also like to cook, especially getting the grill going or doing an all day smoke on the smoker.

Geoff Swanson

Construction Foreman

I grew up in a small town in New Hampshire. My love and interest of art and the natural world has been present since I was a kid. I studied art and education at Johnson State College and have been in northern Vermont ever since. During college and the years following, I worked on an organic vegetable farm in Cambridge. My passion for the green industry grew immensely.

Stone masonry had always been something I wanted to learn but never had the chance until I was given the opportunity at di Stefano Landscaping, where I spent many years learning the trade. In addition to the stonework, I became inundated with information about ornamental plants. Combining my previous experience with what I have gained over the last 7 years, I help to create beautiful landscapes. My current role at the company is Landscape Construction Foreman.

Some other interests of mine besides plants and rocks include playing guitar and piano, painting, ceramics, woodworking, traveling, hiking, and playing Scrabble.

Erik Deslauriers

Construction Foreman

I am an ICPI certified​ ​stone mason and a construction foreman at di Stefano.​ ​My work ethic was instilled early in life by both of my parents when I learned construction skills helping my father do home renovations as a child. I never stop learning and particularly enjoy mastering new styles and techniques. One of my favorite aspects of my job is seeing our clients’ reactions to the finished project when it all comes together. I take extreme pride in everything I do at di Stefano.

In my free time, I work on my house in Saint Albans and love to take care of the plants acquired from many di​ ​Stefano landscape deconstructions. I also enjoy spending as much time as possible with my lovely wife Heather and beautiful, intelligent, and athletic daughter Ava. My favorite plant is a Ninebark!

Sam Paradiso

Lead Hand

Nephel Howard

Plant Care Specialist