Two years ago he completed the restoration and landscaping of a 300-acre farm on U.S. 7, which is now the Charlotte Park and Wildlife Refuge. The installation of miles of road and bridges adds a new element to the job, according to Brownell. It requires an engineering mind. You need to know what a boulder will do if you put it on such and such kind of soil. Because of the larger scope of such projects, there can also be surprises.
Designs are apt to change on the spot with the discovery of a rare woodland plant or an osprey nest.
It's this kind of work that integrates all of Brownell's skills and knowledge, and sets Landmark apart from other landscaping firms. There are not many companies that can do that kind of work. Creating that niche does not seem to have been difficult for Brownell. What was difficult, he says, was learning to run a business. For him the time came five years ago.