November 11, 2024
(L-R): Pam McCormick, Aaron McCormick, Chris Lamer, Lisa Smith, Dan Clost.
Upper Canada Chapter awards 2024 Dan Clost Scholarship
By Lisa Smith
Upper Canada Chapter past president
We would like to congratulate Aaron McCormick on being awarded the 2024 Dan Clost Scholarship. This award is given to a person in the horticultural field within the Upper Canada Chapter boundaries, with an award value of $1,000.
Aaron’s essay told us a story of how his goal in landscaping is to continue within the family business. After completing his bachelor’s degree in criminology, Aaron discovered that he truly wanted to be in the field that he had been learning and mastering since he was a teenager. “I developed an interest in landscaping at an early age, as my grandmother would often take me to job sites as a child," he said.
Aaron is now taking the Landscape Design and Horticulture programs online through the University of Guelph to gain knowledge of every aspect of the trade. In his words, “I think that it is very important for a designer to have extensive knowledge of job sites on top of their design knowledge in order to understand what is practical on the job site, what may take more time, and what may need to have extra thought given to it before placing it in a design. I have a great deal of experience in the field at this time, but learning more than I have or can in the field is important to me.”
Aaron’s grandmother, Pam McCormick, has operated Simply Landscaping in Odessa, Ont., for the past 30 years and is a proud member of Landscape Ontario. She is excited to have her grandson working with her, while learning the business.
As his local chapter, we are very excited to see Aaron’s passion for horticulture and landscaping and we look forward to watching him grow.
Upper Canada Chapter past president
We would like to congratulate Aaron McCormick on being awarded the 2024 Dan Clost Scholarship. This award is given to a person in the horticultural field within the Upper Canada Chapter boundaries, with an award value of $1,000.
Aaron’s essay told us a story of how his goal in landscaping is to continue within the family business. After completing his bachelor’s degree in criminology, Aaron discovered that he truly wanted to be in the field that he had been learning and mastering since he was a teenager. “I developed an interest in landscaping at an early age, as my grandmother would often take me to job sites as a child," he said.
Aaron is now taking the Landscape Design and Horticulture programs online through the University of Guelph to gain knowledge of every aspect of the trade. In his words, “I think that it is very important for a designer to have extensive knowledge of job sites on top of their design knowledge in order to understand what is practical on the job site, what may take more time, and what may need to have extra thought given to it before placing it in a design. I have a great deal of experience in the field at this time, but learning more than I have or can in the field is important to me.”
Aaron’s grandmother, Pam McCormick, has operated Simply Landscaping in Odessa, Ont., for the past 30 years and is a proud member of Landscape Ontario. She is excited to have her grandson working with her, while learning the business.
As his local chapter, we are very excited to see Aaron’s passion for horticulture and landscaping and we look forward to watching him grow.