Eric Robinson - Senior Account Manager
Landscape Industry Since: 1989
Signature Landscape Since: 1989
Eric’s interest in grounds maintenance began while growing up on a horse farm in Hutchinson, Kansas. As the youngest of four boys, it was Eric’s job to perform all the grounds maintenance for the family’s 80-acre farm, in addition to helping his mother in the family’s garden and working part time for a local greenhouse. Eric was also highly involved with the family horse business which included raising, training and selling American Quarter horses and Half-Arabians. He showed competitively for 12 years and had one horse take the Reserve Grand Champion title for dressage two years in a row at the American Royal.
Eric attended Hutchinson Community Junior College and Kansas State University where he majored in business and minored in art history. While in college, Eric met and married his wife and they have one son. After college the family moved to Overland Park where Eric worked for a hotel and restaurant development company and later for PepsiCo. The demands of the job along with the travel took Eric away from his new family too much so he was drawn back to his roots in the green industry. He met Bill Gordon while working together at another company and was invited to join Signature Landscape in the fall of 1989. Eric helped build the company’s landscape and irrigation Construction Department for the first 10 years and later moved into the Maintenance Department where he enjoys working to this day. Eric says, “I go where I’m needed.”
Eric attributes his success to a strong work ethic learned on the farm with a never-give-up attitude. “Fall seven, rise eight,” is an old Japanese saying meaning that when life knocks you down, you get back up. Eric learned it’s not the bad that happens, but what one does afterword that matters. Eric says, “I have a daily discipline of trying to do things better than the day before.”
With over 30 years of industry experience, Eric now enjoys helping others by sharing his experience, knowledge and wisdom. Eric says, “I’ve learned the joy of seeing others succeed is far more rewarding than my individual accomplishments. I love teaching new employees how to perform a job safely, efficiently, and to enjoy it at the same time.”
Eric uses his years spent in the Construction Department to add value to his clients’ properties by renovating and improving the landscape. Eric says, “If I can improve an outdoor environment so it has a positive contribution to the individuals who use that space, then I’ve fulfilled my purpose. The idea of purpose is what we do matters to others, not just to ourselves.”
In his spare time, Eric has a passion for finding and restoring/resurrecting old cars. His past projects range from classic Cadillacs, Porsche, BMW, Ford and Jeep. His current projects are a ’91 Mercedes and a ’71 Corvette Stingray. Eric says, “I’m slowly working my way through a bucket list. I’ve had the Vette the longest and it will probably be a keeper. Once I finish the Mercedes, I’ve got my eye on a Jaguar convertible. After that, who knows, I’ll probably get back into horses!”