Derick Kimmell: Air Force Veteran Turned Landscaper Gives Back

Derick Kimmell dedicated six years of his life to the military, serving in the Air Force and stationed at the base in Mountain Home AFB in southwest Idaho. The Ohio native was deployed to Afghanistan for seven months, working as an aircraft fuel systems mechanic to help keep the F-15 fighter fleet up and running.

After his service ended in 2015, he came back to Ohio and launched a full-service landscape operation, Kimmell’s Premier Landscapes, in Wooster, Ohio. The company’s specialty is landscape construction and hardscaping, but it also offers four season maintenance including snow removal.

Kimmel has more than 20 years of experience in the green industry, holding a CLT (Certified Landscape Technician) Certification, ICPI and NCMA Certified Segmented Retaining Wall Installer. He holds a degree in Landscape Horticulture from The Ohio State University.

Finding a way to share the company’s time and talent in a way that helps people in need had been on his mind for some time, and the opportunity presented itself through GreenCare for Troops.

“We were at the snow and ice management meeting hosted by the Ohio Landscaper Association, and one of my foremen came across the Project EverGreen booth,” says Kimmell. “A couple of us had been thinking about ways that we could give back to the community and trying to find ways to do something, and we figured this would be a good place to start to get involved.

Kimmell signed up for the program this past August and is looking forward to getting his first opportunity to help a military family.

“I was deployed, so I understand the peace of mind you get knowing your wife doesn’t have to make sure the lawn is mowed,” says Kimmell. “A lot of times these are younger families with little kids running around and giving them one less task to worry about is a great thing. You go outside and see a mowed lawn or a cleared driveway, and you can focus on all the other things you need to do.”

Why are Green Spaces Important to Military Families?

Parks, lawns, landscapes and maintained green spaces help to mitigate temperature increases in communities and significantly reduce energy use and cooling costs. Project EverGreen’s initiatives – GreenCare for Troops and GreenCare for Communities – have made a significant impact.

Through its nationwide base of professional volunteers, Project EverGreen has connected people, plants and their communities to maximize the health of grass, plants and trees, which in turn sequesters carbon and cleans the air. Both initiatives support healthy green spaces in neighborhoods and cities, enabling maintained green spaces to function as the lungs of the city and offsetting the negative effects of a warming environment.

A single group or individual cannot transform lawns, landscapes and parks but Project EverGreen’s coalition of businesses and individuals helps maintain green spaces so they can thrive.

Become A Volunteer Today

Are you ready to step up for a military family? Register today

The Title Sponsor of the GreenCare for Troops program Title Sponsor is Nufarm. SnowCare for Troops program in BOSS Snowplow. Platinum Partners include Toro and SiteOne Landscape Supply. The Gold Partners are AMGUARD Environmental Sciences and Arborjet/Ecologel.

Affiliate Partners include the Connecticut Grounds Keepers Association and the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association.

GreenCare for Troops is endorsed by the National Association of Landscape Professionals