Our Company
Our Background
Earth Wizards is a full service design-build firm. We specialize in minimizing the impact of development on our lakes and streams. Think of us as green building experts who specialize in strategies that fall outside the building envelope. We can green your property, parking surfaces, walkways and even your roof.
As a design-build firm we have designers on staff, equipment and installation crews all in one place. This makes our design process more efficient, more relevant to on-site conditions, more in tune with installation, budget, methods, and materials. Our project managers are usually the designers, and they manage the project from start to finish. This eliminates miscommunication arising from when the designer’s work is left to be translated by someone else.
Being ‘green’ means we see sustainability as a balance of needs. We balance the environmental impact of your project with other factors, including your budget and ongoing maintenance requirements. With every project we look for opportunities to reuse and recycle materials. We use native vegetation wherever practical, and we consider the stormwater impacts of our work. We value our team, and we like to have fun while we work. We strive to maintain a positive work environment and respect our employees by paying living wages and providing time off, health insurance and retirement packages. We conduct our business in the most efficient manner from the equipment that we use, the safe environment for our crews to operate and to educate our clients on the physical, biological, cultural, aesthetic and economic benefits of our work.
Our Certifications and Memberships
- MnDOT Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan Certifcation (SWPPP)
- Minnesota Erosion Control Association (MECA)
- Internation Erosion Control Associaton (IECA)
- Native Plant Society
- Better Business Bureau (BBB)
- Angie’s List Member – 2005 and 2007 Super Service Award
- TGB Certification (pending)
Our Team
Stacy grew up working in the family-owned construction business. She went off to Coe College in Iowa, and came home with a Bachelors degree and a head full of Chemistry and Economics. In 2000 she started her own construction company, called it Earth Wizards, and decided to build a company where dump trucks and skidloaders make the environment better instead of worse.
Stacy’s favorite quote:“You have to love what you do in life: then it’s not working, it’s living.”
Andy grew up in a small Minnesota farming town and his big smile gives away how much fun he’s having on the job site. Andy is due to finish his Master’s Degree in Landscape Architecture in 2008. With a concentration in stormwater management, and an undergraduate degree in Geology, Andy is our science guy.
Andy’s favorite breakfast:chocolate chip cookies
Corrie is the newest member of the Earth Wizards team, and comes to us after six years of directing an urban green space program at The Green Institute. Corrie also founded the Minnesota Green Roofs Council.
Corrie’s astrological signs:Sagitarius (Aquarius rising). On the Chinese zodiac, Corrie is the Rooster. This explains a lot.
With nearly 50 years of site work in construction, paving, drainage, soils, Gary is very interested in assuring that our projects are built with the big picture in mind as well as the details. Gary has been in charge of thousands of projects, and still climbs onto the grader and paver when the job needs to be done right. Customers appreciate (and comment on) his easygoing demeanor and the fact that he knows almost everything.
Gary’s favorite equipment:1978 Basic 601A Grader
Kerry is an ecologist with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology and an emphasis on Botany. At The University of Cambridge, England, she earned her Masters Degree in Plant Sciences. Kerry likes to work outside, and her fieldwork includes two National Parks and plenty of research projects.Getting covered with more dirt than anyone else on the work site
Kerry’s mysterious talent:Getting covered with more dirt than anyone else on the work site
After several years on the manufacturing end of the sealcoat industry, Randy came to Earth Wizards to lead the pavement maintenance operation, where he adeptly manages the crew. Whether he is working with the paving or the ecological crews, he provides a wealth of skill, entertainment and humor.
Randy’s Favorite Meal:kielbasa with garlic and onion cooked on the screed of the asphalt paver while the rest of the crew salivates.
Shelly joined Earth Wizards in 2004 and handles most of our pavement consulting. She knows a whole lot about soils and grades, and is known for her attention to detail. Customers like that she is thorough, smart, and nice to be around.
Shelly’s best features:her big laugh and big brown eyes