‘It’s pretty fabulous’: technology grant to boost Love Every Leaf

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This article was published 09/09/2024 (672 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A grant from an Alberta-based tech company will allow an entrepreneur rooted in Osborne Village to further grow her company.

Kerri Hopkins, owner of Love Every Leaf Landscape Design, is the recipient of US$10,000 from Jobber, a software company for home services businesses. It’s one of 15 awards the company handed out last month as part of its Jobber Grants program.

“It’s pretty fabulous,” Hopkins said. “We’ve been wanting to do a few different things with the business, so this will help move us forward in a lot of different areas.”

The grant will go toward staff skills development and improving the Winnipeg company’s marketing efforts, including creating an online sales strategy and updating the website.

Love Every Leaf got its start in 2011, when Hopkins and friend Lindsey Weller decided to pursue their passion for landscape architecture full-time.

The company offers a number of services, including landscape design, carpentry and hardscape design, and garden maintenance.

Staff members specialize in Manitoba’s native plants and lawn alternatives, and strive to use perennial plants such as wildflowers, groundcovers, grasses and ferns.

The company takes a holistic and sustainable approach to landscape design with the goal of customers conserving water, reducing chemical use and providing a habitat for local wildlife, if they wish.

“I would like to make more beautiful spaces for people to enjoy outside,” Hopkins said. “We don’t do blanket designs. We consult with each client, figure out their specific needs and tailor the design to them.”

Weller left the company in 2015 to pursue other opportunities. Today, Hopkins employs 22 full- and part-time staff.

She has a special interest in employing people from minority communities, as well as those who have faced challenges and are getting back on their feet.

“Landscaping is a male-dominated industry, so I focus on hiring women who are interested in construction and gardening,” Hopkins said. “I want to support them so they have a safe space to explore this industry.”

Jobber, which offers software that allows small home service businesses to automate their day-to-day operations, started its grants program in 2020 to support and encourage entrepreneurs.

Since then, the Edmonton-based firm has received tens of thousands of applications and awarded 100 grants to entrepreneurs across Canada and the United States.

Hopkins’ commitment to her employees caught the attention of Jobber staff members as they were reviewing this year’s applications, according to Moly Milosovic, head of community at the company.

“What stuck out about Kerri is how much she invests in her team,” Milosovic said. “She is really interested in developing their skillsets — learning what they are interested in and finding ways they can expand those skills, whether it’s carpentry or drone operation.”

While investing in her employees is good for business, Hopkins’ desire to help those who work for her stems from her belief in the importance of community.

“You’re only as strong as your community is,” she said. “It’s really important to do as much healing and supporting in the community as possible. That’s how we grow as a society, I think.”

To that end, Hopkins is contributing to Osborne Village by using a portion of the Jobber grant to fund the creation of a mural. Artist Kash Akoza is currently at work on the vibrant piece, which will cover one of the walls of Mitchell Welding at 471 McMillan Ave.

The mural faces the field at Gladstone, an elementary school on Gertrude Avenue. “I’ve already seen people from the community stopping by to look at it,” Hopkins said. “It’s added a ton of colour.”

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca