Executive Management
Craig Ruppert, CEO
As the company's founder and chief executive, Craig has been instrumental in developing the company's mission, culture and values. His experience and involvement with outside board memberships in other industries has allowed him to bring innovative ideas and management approaches to Ruppert Landscape. Craig's current responsibilities include strategic planning, financial management and personnel development. He has been with Ruppert since its inception in 1976.
Chris Davitt, President
Chris' primary focus is to make sure that the company's visions and values are integrated into its daily operation. He does this by working closely with the management team on its planning, personnel development and systems control processes. Chris has been working for the Ruppert organization for over 28 years and is a certified professional horticulturist.
Bob Jones, Vice President & Director of Landscape Construction Division
Bob oversees the landscape construction division of the company. His responsibilities include planning and budgeting, new branch development, personnel development, quality control and customer relations. He has been with Ruppert for 13 years, has over 21 years of industry experience and is a certified professional horticulturist.
Phil Key, Vice President & Director of Landscape Management Division
Phil oversees the landscape management division of the company. His responsibilities include planning and budgeting, new branch development, personnel development, quality control and customer relations. He has been with Ruppert for 12 years and has over 21 years of industry experience.
Ken Hochkeppel, Chief Financial Officer
As CFO, Ken is involved in all strategic financial matters of the company and oversees many of the financial functions such as cash flow management, banking and insurance relations. Additionally, he has a management role with the Information Systems for the company and works closely with the divisions in developing systems that assist in more efficient management. Ken has been in the landscape industry for over 30 years and with the Ruppert organization for 15 years, and he holds a bachelors of science degree in landscape architecture from Rutgers University and an MBA from George Mason University.
Corporate Management
Reid Altavilla, Fleet Manager
As fleet manager, Reid is accountable for the security, maintenance and purchasing of all vehicles and equipment as well as the technical support for their operation. Reid has been with the Ruppert organization for over 13 years and has over 24 years of experience in fleet management, safety implementation and shop management.
Doug Halsey, Region Manager / Landscape Management Division
Doug is responsible for managing three landscape management branches located in Prince Georges County, Frederick and Laytonsville, Maryland and is helping to maximize the division’s capabilities in people development, customer service and profitability. He has been with Ruppert for 14 years and has over has over 16 years of industry experience. Doug holds a degree in plant science from the State University of New York at Cobleskill and is a certified professional horticulturist and pesticide applicator.
Patrick Hill, Information Technology Manager
Patrick is responsible for all internal computer operations. He is currently participating on the oversight of our enterprise software implementation project . He has been with Ruppert for three years and in the information technology field for 12 years. He holds a bachelors of arts degree in English from Radford University, and is technology certified in MCSE (Microsoft), CCNA (Cisco), CCA (Citrix), and A+ (Hardware).
Jay Long, Director of Organizational and People Development
As director of organizational and people development, Jay works closely with managers to provide them with the tools and assistance they need to train and develop their employees and to coordinate their recruiting efforts. Jay has been in the contracting industry for over 21 years and he brings with him a bachelors of science degree in chemistry from The George Washington University and an MBA from the University of Maryland. He has been with the Ruppert organization for eight years.
Dave Sanders, Safety and Loss Prevention Manager
As safety and loss prevention manager, Dave’s primary responsibility is promoting and communicating a culture of safety that is the foundation of the Ruppert organization. He leads the company’s safety and risk management program working hand-in-hand with safety committee members in every branch, insuring a focus on safety in all areas of the company. Dave has over 36 years in the green industry in both safety and operations management.
Amy Snyder, Director of Public Relations
Amy's expertise is in public relations, employee relations and special events. She undertakes specific marketing projects for the company as they arise. Amy has a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s degree in professional writing from Towson University. She has been with the Ruppert organization for over seven years.
Chuck Whealton, Director of Business Development /
Landscape Management Division
Chuck is responsible for cultivating business opportunities on a variety of fronts that fuel the company’s growth. In that role, he mentors a team of business developers located in markets from Philadelphia to Atlanta, develops long-term strategic partnerships and identifies and evaluates acquisition opportunities. He has been with Ruppert for eight years and has over 30 years of industry experience. Chuck is a certified pesticide applicator for ornamentals and turf in Maryland, a certified professional horticulturalist and a certified landscape technician.
Landscape Construction Division
Patrick Luzier, Branch Manager
Patrick oversees all landscape construction operations at our Atlanta, Georgia branch. His responsibilities include planning, budgeting and personnel development within his branch as well as ensuring customer satisfaction. He has been with the Ruppert organization for nine years and has over 16 years of industry experience.
Rich Schubach, Branch Manager
Rich oversees all landscape construction operations at our Laytonsville, Maryland branch. His responsibilities include planning, budgeting and personnel development within his region as well as ensuring customer satisfaction. Rich has been with the Ruppert organization for over 22 years, has over two decades of industry experience and is a certified professional horticulturist.
Ken Thompson, Branch Manager
Ken oversees all landscape installation operations at our Gainesville, Virginia branch. His responsibilities include planning, budgeting and personnel development within his branch as well as ensuring customer satisfaction. He has over 26 years of experience (23 with the Ruppert organization) in landscape construction and landscape management and is a certified professional horticulturist.
Landscape Management Division
Steve Faber, Branch Manager
Steve oversees all landscape management operations at our Atlanta, Georgia branch. His responsibilities include planning, budgeting and personnel development within his region as well as ensuring customer satisfaction. Steve has been with Ruppert for seven years, has nearly two decades of industry experience and has a bachelor of science degree from the University of Georgia.
John Harich, Branch Manager
John oversees all landscape management operations at our branch in Baltimore, Maryland. His responsibilities include planning, budgeting and personnel development within his region as well as ensuring customer satisfaction. John has been with Ruppert for over six years, has 10 years of industry experience.
Jason Kilmore, Branch Manager
Jason oversees all landscape management operations at our branch in Frederick, Maryland. His responsibilities include planning, budgeting and personnel development within his region as well as ensuring customer satisfaction. Kilmore has been with Ruppert for six years, is a certified landscape technician (CLT) and holds a degree in Landscape Contracting Management from Penn State.
Jack Jones, Branch Manager
Jack oversees all landscape management operations at our branch in Prince Georges County, Maryland. His responsibilities include planning, budgeting and personnel development within his region as well as ensuring customer satisfaction. Jack has been with Ruppert for four years, has over nine years of industry experience and nine years of Marine Corps experience and has served as a senior drill instructor in Parris Island. During that time he also was an honor graduate of both the Marine Corps Sergeant’s Leadership Course and the Staff Sergeant’s Career Course.
Fred Key, Branch Manager
Fred oversees all landscape management operations at our Gainesville, Virginia branch. His responsibilities include planning, budgeting and personnel development within his region as well as ensuring customer satisfaction. Fred has been with Ruppert for over eight years, has over 15 years of industry experience and brings a bachelor of science degree from Salisbury State University.
Mike Monde, Branch Manager
Mike oversees all landscape management operations at our Philadelphia, Pennsylvania branch. His responsibilities include planning, budgeting and personnel development within his region as well as ensuring customer satisfaction. Mike has been with Ruppert for over nine years, has over two decades of industry experience and holds a degree in business administration from Delaware Valley College.
Ed O’Brien, Branch Manager
Ed oversees all landscape management operations at our Laytonsville, Maryland branch. His responsibilities include planning, budgeting and personnel development within his region as well as ensuring customer satisfaction. Ed has been with Ruppert for four years, has 11 years of industry experience, has as associate’s degree in landscape design / horticulture from Columbus State Community College and a bachelors of science in business management from University of Phoenix. Ed is also a certified landscape technician and has his pesticide applicators license for the state of Maryland.
Blake Singleton, Branch Manager
Blake oversees all the landscape management operations in our Charlotte, North Carolina branch. His responsibilities include planning, budgeting and personnel development within his branch as well as ensuring customer satisfaction. He has worked in the industry for over eight years. Blake has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from USC Spartanburg.