Even if you make the greatest outdoor living products on the planet, they can’t shine without a skilled craftsman with a vision to turn those raw materials into an outdoor oasis. That’s why we developed the HARDSCAPE HERO program ten years ago, to show our amazing contractors how much we appreciate their hard work and ingenuity. Offering prizes, promotional materials and prestige, HARDSCAPE HERO has been highlighting exceptional projects from cutting-edge and creative hardscapers for a decade now.
The HARDSCAPE HERO program began in 2014 to celebrate projects that show off the beauty and diversity of Belgard products. The first season took place from May to September of that year, followed by the first full year of HARDSCAPE HERO from October 2014 to September 2015. The program was still just budding at that point, but everyone could tell that this was something special.
The 2016 season marked the inaugural HARDSCAPE HERO of the Year Celebration. This was a way to bring all the monthly winners together and make them feel like the stars they are. On top of a beautiful dinner at The Boathouse in Richmond, Virginia, the Mid-Atlantic team crowned the very first annual winner as a way to take the whole program to the next level. Donald Sherbeyn of Sherbeyn’s Landscape became the first-ever HARDSCAPE HERO of the Year, and would go on to win a total of seven monthly wins and one other yearly award.
Sherbeyn remembered the celebration fondly saying “I thought it was first class. The dinner was relaxed enough to be fun, but nice enough that we all felt special. I was very happy to have won. It’s good to have people recognize your hard work. They saw that we all pour our blood, sweat and tears into this job.”
The yearly dinner’s success was just the beginning, and from there, the program began blossoming far beyond anyone’s initial expectations. The 2017 celebration saw the first Clay Classic day event. The monthly winners gathered at Old Forge Sporting Clays for a bit of friendly competition where they bonded over lunch before shooting clay pigeons into the afternoon. That night the contractors returned to The Boathouse where Jeff Gray of Outdoor Visions by Jeff Gray became the second HARDSCAPE HERO of the Year. “I was surprised by the dinner and the ceremony,” recalled Gray, “the contest ramps up everyone’s creativity. It’s awesome to be able to see what people are doing and to think about what we can do to push ourselves.” That friendly competition Gray spoke of proved itself as the years rolled on and the projects became increasingly extravagant.
As the bar continued to rise for HARDSCAPE HERO projects, the yearly celebration needed a makeover. In 2018 the annual dinner moved from The Boathouse to the historic Carpenter Theater in downtown Richmond, Virginia. That year Wayne Long of Albemarle Walls & Pavers took to the stage to accept his award. “Winning this award meant the world to me. I’ve been doing this a long time and it was nice to be recognized. I feel like I have something I can show to people now, and say ‘this is what I do,’” Long said gushing about the dinner, “I honestly can’t explain what it feels like to win both awards. It was amazing and overwhelming. I came to this event not expecting to win anything, so when they called my name, not once, but twice, it was a welcome surprise. I feel truly honored.”
At this point, the HARDSCAPE HERO of the Year Awards began hitting their stride. Eric Ellington of Glen Allen Grounds Management won 2019, and it felt like nothing could stop the program’s success. Unfortunately, in 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic shut the world down, including the 2020 HARDSCAPE HERO of the Year celebration. That being said, the great thing about patios and outdoor living in general, is that it was one of the safest ways to spend time with loved ones during those difficult times. People were able to create breathtaking outdoor spaces where they could safely socialize, which was so important during an incredibly isolating period. And so, through all the hardship, HARDSCAPE HERO persisted, and in October 2021 two years of winners gathered again to celebrate.
The joint 2020 and 2021 annual dinner felt like a magnificent return as Joel Cross of JC Design Construction & Landscape won 2020, and Donald Sherbeyn of Sherbeyn’s Landscape took home his second yearly HARDSCAPE HERO award with the 2021 win.
Now that things were back on track, the program continued to flourish as the winners returned to the Carpenter Theater in 2022 with Josh Bell of New Leaf Landscaping taking the win, and in 2023 Jeff Crandell of Scapes, Inc. was crowned as the year’s winner.
The HARDSCAPE HERO of the Year Celebration in the program’s tenth year is slated to be an event like none before it. Looking at the 2024 winning projects, it’s amazing to see how far things have come since that first dinner at The Boathouse, and those elaborate jobs deserve an equally sophisticated celebration to highlight the hard work, dedication and loyalty of Belgard’s unmatched contractors. So here’s to another decade of HARDSCAPE HEROES and continuing to elevate outdoor spaces even more in the future.
Want to be a Belgard Hardscape Hero? Submit your project here or talk to your sales rep. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see more beautiful photos from Hardscape Hero winners.