Saratoga Today – Let’s Meet Redbud Development!
Five years ago, Geff and Karen Redick decided that the time was finally right to realize the dream. A graduate from Cornell University in 1993 with a degree in Landscape Architecture, Redick has over 15 years of experience in the landscape design field, having worked for several award-winning landscaping firms in Long Island and Glens Falls. Along the way Redick attained his certification as a New York State Registered Landscape Architect, and his longtime involvement in the industry gave him the confidence to take the next step in his career. In 2004 with the help of his wife, Karen, who has an MBA in Finance, as well as a degree in International Business and Foreign Language, the pair decided to start a landscape design and construction firm of their very own. They called it Redbud Development Inc.
In the five years since its formation, Redbud Development has taken on a wide array of projects and clients, helping residents in the Albany, Saratoga and Lake George Regions to reinvent their properties in ways they hardly imagined.
“Having my own company enables me to create and follow through with the construction of unique and interesting projects,” Redick said, adding that seeing such creative projects through to completion is his favorite part of the job.
Redbud Development takes on mostly residential landscaping and design jobs, although the breadth and scope of these projects varies drastically from client to client. “We can design and build virtually anything,” Redick said. “Projects can be as simple as an entrance walk, to elaborate full scale project management on the construction of driveways, garages, outdoor kitchens, stone retaining walls and much more; encompassing a full landscape package.”
Among some of the projects and designs that Redbud Development can help clients bring to fruition include the construction of patios, decks, custom fencing and perennial gardens. Redick’s firm has also helped customers realize larger projects, including (but not limited to) the installation of drainage systems, pool cabanas, audio and lighting systems, backyard playgrounds, tennis courts and even manmade ponds or water features. But above all, Redick said that his top priority is working closely with his client to ensure that they get exactly what they desire.
“All of our designs derive from the client,” Redick said. “Our first priority is to understand the client, who they are and what their needs are. Everybody has different desires and requirements. Some clients are all about safety for the children, some are more concerned about having adequate entertaining areas, while others want simply to enjoy nature in their yard and explore the possibilities of sustainable products.” One of the tools Redick uses to get a better idea of who his clients are and what they need can be found on his website at redbuddevelopment.com in the form of a landscaping questionnaire, which Redick says he encourages his clients to consider.
“Really the goal behind the questionnaire is to start stimulating thought and dialogue from the client’s perspective. Typically most clients already have a sense of what they think they need. It will normally stem from something that’s problematic.
Their existing pool may be unsightly and they want to replace it or remove it completely. But they may not necessarily be thinking about what their options are, what different possibilities may be available to them,” Redick explained. “My hope is that a client may say to me that they want to replace the pool, but further discussion reveals that one of the things that they would really enjoy is the sound of water falling or the more natural look of a pond and with that a place to sit, relax, and hang out for a few minutes. If they start thinking about the space and thinking about what drives them personally, we can incorporate those simple little elements that make the project extraordinary”.
Redick said that his company likes to look at the bigger picture when it comes to the designs he provides to his customers, always making sure to keep his clients abreast of the various design ideas, concepts and corresponding costs before moving forward.
“As we go through the design process, we are bringing [the client] ideas and sketches of how we want to implement the design so that they can start seeing and get an appreciation for what the look of the project is going to be,” Redick said.
But the flexibility of customer relations doesn’t end there with Redbud Development. If customers have a larger project in mind, one that they hope to complete over several years time, Redick will work with them to design the project in phases, and plan the construction elements and out so that it takes a logical progression, is more affordable and convenient for the client.
“We try to take a very rational approach in our designing, so that customers can have their desires fulfilled over an extended period of time, but without costing them additional funds,” Redick said. Redbud Development Inc. is located at 2 Commerce Park Drive, in Wilton. For more information on Redbud Development, or to contact them for their services, parties are encouraged to visit them on the web at redbuddevelopment.com, or to contact them by phone at (518) 691-0428.
