Widseth’s Landscape Architecture team from the left, Jillian Reiner, Ryan Hermes, and Zoe Hoffman.
April is Landscape Architecture Month, a time to celebrate the creative professionals who shape the environment around us. At Widseth, we’re proud to spotlight our talented team of landscape architects who bring innovative and sustainable design solutions to life. Each of our landscape designers brings their own unique set of skills and experiences—get to know the people shaping these outdoor spaces.
Jillian Reiner – Landscape Architect, VP
What inspired you to pursue a career in landscape architecture?
I loved the idea of working with nature to make our built environment more functional and to create outdoor spaces that positively impact communities. I was positively influenced by the outdoors and want to share that feeling with others.
What do you enjoy most about working with the team here at Widseth?
I appreciate working with people who are dedicated to quality and to improving the communities we work and live in outside of the cities.
Crescent Bar Recreation Area, Quincy, WA – completed project imagery and conceptual renderings.
Jillian completed prior to joining Widseth.
What has been your favorite project?
A project that stands out most in my career was Crescent Bar Recreation Area in Quincy, Washington. Due to its location on the Columbia River, we had a little of everything – environmental regulations, community and stakeholder engagement – and it took years to finalize the site details to balance restoration and recreation.
Favorite plant?
Bur Oak is my favorite tree, and my favorite Minnesota perennial is Delphinium.
Zoe Hoffman – Landscape Designer
Zoe Hoffman – Landscape DesignerWhat inspired you to pursue a career in landscape architecture?
When I first learned about Landscape Architecture, I was inspired by the diversity of the field and its ability to impact everything from a plant or animal community in your backyard to the master planning of an entire city. It’s not just about plants – it’s about how people interact with their environment, both natural and man-made.
What do you enjoy most about working with the team here at Widseth?
I enjoy collaborating with colleagues across different departments and hearing about the projects they’re working on. There’s a real sense of satisfaction in knowing that the work we do is going out into the world and makes a positive impact on individuals in our communities and across the state.
Blandin Foundation, Grand Rapids, MN – completed project imagery and conceptual renderings.
What has been your favorite project?
The Blandin Foundation in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, was the largest site project I’ve had the pleasure of working on so far. It involved exterior improvements to hardscape areas, updates to site furnishings, reworking exterior circulation and access points, and a complete overhaul of the site’s planting design. The site sits on a significant slope overlooking the Mississippi River and is a focal point for travelers heading northbound and southbound, along Great River Road/Pokegama Avenue. We were asked to develop a planting design that supported pollinators and showcased native plant species while providing color and texture throughout the year. The most unique element of the project was detailing a 15-foot turtle petroform, made from local stone, that encircled a medicine garden in the parking lot.
Favorite Plant?
Common Dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum) – It’s SUPER POISONOUS, but it’s also an important host species for pollinators and my favorite flowering plant in the Boundary Waters.
Ryan Hermes – Landscape Designer
Ryan Hermes – Landscape DesignerWhat inspired you to pursue a career in landscape architecture?
My love for plants and appreciation for the outdoors began with my mom, who had an incredible green thumb. She would always take me out gardening with her and gave me my own little garden patch in our backyard to experiment with year after year. That little garden was where I first realized the joy of shaping outdoor spaces.
My other inspiration has been my best friend’s mom, who is a landscape designer. Since kindergarten, I’d sit and watch her reimagine people’s yards and community gardens around town, which fueled my love for designing outdoor spaces. To this day, he is still my best friend, and I still nerd out about landscapes with his mom. I wanted to work with larger communities and park master planning, and that, combined with my joy of gardening with my mom, led me to pursue landscape architecture. I can’t thank these two incredible women and role models—Connie and Bev—enough!
What do you enjoy most about working with the team here at Widseth?
What I enjoy most about working with the team here at Widseth is the variety of projects and the problem-solving challenges that come our way. With so many professionals from different disciplines, it’s amazing that we get to collaborate while focusing on the pedestrian experience and the environmental impacts of each project. Our goal is to create memorable spaces that positively impact the communities we live in and are surrounded by.
Rochester Community and Technical College Rochester, MN – completed project imagery and conceptual renderings.
What has been your favorite project?
It’s hard to pick just one, but my favorite project I’ve worked on has to be the Rochester Community and Technical College (RCTC) Campus Entry Remodel project. RCTC asked us to use our imaginations to improve the entry and overall user experience. The original entrance was a large, plant-less concrete plaza that users had to cross before climbing a set of stairs to enter the building. Those who faced the greatest challenges were individuals with mobility issues, whose only access was an ADA ramp tucked away at the back of the site. Our first goal was to bring the ramp-actually, ramps in this case-to the front, creating a primary entry experience for all users equally, while pushing stairs to the sides.
We were able to accomplish this while tying the site into the existing architecture, making the new entry feel like a cohesive part of the campus, even though the buildings were constructed more than 30 years apart. After construction was complete, a coworker’s wife, who is an RCTC faculty member with partial blindness, shared how much she appreciated the new design. That kind of feedback means everything.
Favorite Plant?
It has always been the purple coneflower, but lately, the Meadow Blazing Star is quickly taking the top spot. Since converting our front yard to a pollinator garden, I haven’t seen so many monarchs and bumbles on one plant at the same time-even with plenty of other varieties to choose from.
As we celebrate Landscape Architecture Month, it’s clear that our talented team brings not only technical expertise and creativity to their work but a passion for shaping outdoor spaces that positively connect people with their environment. Widseth is proud to showcase their contributions this month – and every month – as they continue to design functional and beautiful outdoor spaces.
Are you looking for a talented environmental visionary for your next project? Contact Widseth’s Landscape Architecture team today!
