Team

Shelly Landscaping

Owner

Steve began in Orange County, CA in the fine arts as a photographer, artist and designer. This passion soon led to bringing this love for color, composition, scale and texture into the landscape medium. After taking care of landscapes in Anaheim Hills, California for a couple of years, Steve moved to Albuquerque in 1980 to take graduate classes in Art History and Photography. He soon continued in landscape design and maintenance to take care of his family and “Art Habit”.

Over the past 38 years, these two passions have dove tailed into a very enjoyable and successful creative process. Click here to visit his Fine Art website.

The most enjoyable part of this job is meeting and listening to the ideas and goals of new and existing clients and developing a plan for bringing about their dreams and vision.

We are blessed with committed, skilled staff who have worked together for many years to serve our clients needs. Most of our team has been at Steve Shelly Landscapes for over 12 years, some up to 20 years. This longevity brings about a smooth working environment and a group who knows the goals and intricacies of this company.

Office Manager

John has been with us over 20 years. His commitment to this company and ability to make people feel welcome is an amazing asset to this company. His careful approach to bookkeeping and finance have helped Steve Shelly Landscapes develop an excellent reputation for paying bills on time and meeting the needs of our clients in an efficient and friendly manner.

Office Manager

Alexcia Griego

Sean Whalen

Weekly Maintenance Truck Lead

Sean Whalen is the weekly maintenance truck lead at Steve Shelly Landscapes, bringing an impressive 45 years of landscaping experience and 3 months with the company. His current strengths include native plant care, safety protocols, fertilizer application, and tree/shrub pruning. He’s certified in herbicide application and is interested in developing his irrigation skills. Sean enjoys mountaineering and camping in his free time and finds satisfaction in revitalizing neglected properties. He appreciates the plant diversity he encounters, the opportunity to maintain high standards, and the camaraderie of his coworkers. “Customer focus” is the value that resonates with him most, as he takes pride in delivering beautifully maintained landscapes. His work motto is “Get it done,” and he emphasizes a strong personal dislike for invasive weeds—proof of his commitment to quality and excellence in every job.

George Owen

Landscaper

George Owen is a landscaper with 8 years of experience, including 6 at Steve Shelly Landscapes. He specializes in irrigation, native plant care, xeriscaping, hardscaping, equipment operation, and lighting and water feature maintenance. George is passionate about all aspects of landscaping and enjoys skateboarding and building with stone in his free time. His favorite landscaping element is rock walls. He loves working outdoors and values "respect" as a core company value, believing that without it, everything suffers. His approach is to do quality work that lasts: “Do it right the first time.” He believes in doing a professional job with honor.

Nicholas Griffin

Construction Crew Leader

Nicholas Griffin is a construction crew leader with 21 years of experience—all spent at Steve Shelly Landscapes. His expertise spans irrigation, native plants, equipment operation, crew training, and lighting/water feature maintenance. He's looking to improve his skills in technology, especially with wi-fi irrigation timers and lighting systems. A gamer outside of work, Nicholas enjoys working with irrigation and water features. He finds satisfaction in seeing completed projects and takes pride in client satisfaction. He values professionalism, as it builds client confidence. His guiding principle is that clients hire the team to make their yards more enjoyable, and their job is to make that happen. His ultimate goal is to provide a satisfying experience for every client.

Earlman Gandonegro

Construction Crew Lead

Earlman Gandonegro is a construction crew lead with 19 years of experience, all with Steve Shelly Landscapes. His skills include irrigation installation, hardscaping, equipment operation, training, safety, and lighting/water feature installation. Earlman is passionate about building waterfalls and wooden planters and is currently pursuing MS06 certification. He enjoys fishing and hunting outside of work and loves working with desert willows and setting boulders. Earlman enjoys teaching new workers and values "team support," believing collaboration is essential in a small-crew environment. His motto is to stay calm and find solutions with patience and creativity. He wants customers to know their vision drives his work, and believes that the proof is in the details.

Donovan Gordo

Maintenance Division Lead

Donovan Gordo is the maintenance division lead with 15 years in landscaping and 8 years at Steve Shelly Landscapes. His expertise includes irrigation maintenance, native plant care, hardscaping, equipment use, training, safety, fertilizer application, and lighting and water feature maintenance. Donovan is interested in deepening his plant knowledge, specifically scientific nomenclature. He’s certified in OSHA, Forklift Operation, and MS06, and enjoys fishing. He particularly enjoys installing flagstone. He values the joy of seeing happy clients and enjoys working with good people. “Team support” resonates with him most, as he prioritizes helping others grow. His motto, from Joe Dirt, is “Life’s a garden, dig it,” and he’s always focused on improving and satisfying the customer.

Ramon Manriquez

Construction Member

With over 10 years of industry experience, Ramon is a highly skilled and versatile powerhouse on our construction team. Joining us in January 2026, he brings a deep expertise in hardscaping, irrigation systems, and drought-tolerant xeriscaping, alongside a bilingual certification (Spanish) that strengthens team and client communication.

Casey Gierke

Owner, CEO, CFO, Designer

With 11 years of experience in landscaping, Casey specializes in native plant care, xeriscaping and drought-tolerant design, hardscaping, project planning, customer consultation, crew training, safety protocols, tree and shrub pruning, and water feature maintenance. With a strong understanding of plant water needs, soil types, and water movement, Casey brings thoughtful design and practical expertise to every project.

Passionate about fruit trees, vines, and creative landscape layouts, Casey enjoys designing paths and envisioning ways to enhance the natural beauty of each space. Outside of work, Casey enjoys rafting, snowboarding, camping, traveling, dancing, spending time outdoors, and continuing to learn new skills.

Frank Dimas

Construction Crew Lead

With expertise in xeriscaping and drought-tolerant design, hardscaping, equipment operation, project planning, customer consultation, crew training, safety protocols, tree and shrub pruning, lighting, and water feature maintenance, Frank brings a well-rounded skill set to every landscaping project. With specialized training and a passion for continuing to learn, Frank is particularly interested in expanding their knowledge of plants.

They especially enjoy working with flagstone and creating natural, functional outdoor spaces. Outside of work, Frank enjoys hiking and going to the gym.

Tyler Mcgrath

Maintenance

With 15 years of landscaping experience, Tyler has extensive expertise in irrigation installation, repair and maintenance, native plant care, xeriscaping, hardscaping, equipment operation, customer consultation, safety protocols, fertilizer application, tree and shrub pruning, lighting, and water feature maintenance. Tyler is also interested in further developing project planning skills.

With a particular passion for water features, Tyler enjoys creating and maintaining unique outdoor spaces. Outside of work, Tyler enjoys fishing.

Ethan Hansen

Service and Repair Tech

With extensive experience in landscaping, Ethan specializes in irrigation installation and maintenance, native plant care, xeriscaping, equipment operation, customer consultation, crew training, fertilizer application, tree and shrub pruning, lighting, and water feature maintenance. Certified to apply herbicides and insecticides for lawns and plants, Ethan brings a strong focus on creating healthy, functional, and visually appealing landscapes.

Passionate about native plants and trees, Ethan enjoys creating natural and unique outdoor spaces and is interested in expanding their skills in masonry, rock work, and landscape design. Outside of work, Ethan enjoys making music and spending time outdoors.

Jarrett Garcia

Landscape Designer

With over 15 years of landscape design experience and a degree in landscape architecture, Jarrett specializes in xeriscaping and drought-tolerant design, hardscaping, customer consultation, project planning, and project management. They have a passion for incorporating native plant species and sustainable xeriscaping principles into thoughtful, functional, and visually appealing landscapes.

Committed to continued professional growth, Jarrett is interested in developing expertise in irrigation system design and fiscal management. Outside of work, they enjoy spending time with their dogs and cats, watching movies and streaming shows, creating arts and crafts, and taking on DIY home improvement projects.

Anneliese Esch

Landscape Designer

With a passion for creating beautiful, functional outdoor spaces, Anneliese specializes in native plant care, xeriscaping, hardscaping, customer consultation, project planning, crew mentoring, fertilizer application, and tree and shrub pruning. With hands-on experience in the field, Anneliese brings creativity, attention to detail, and a strong understanding of plants to every project.

A true plant enthusiast, Anneliese enjoys discovering new plants, determining which varieties thrive in specific conditions, and incorporating artistic elements into landscape designs. They are also interested in refining their hardscaping techniques, expanding their knowledge of tree identification, learning irrigation basics, and improving their ability to diagnose plant problems. Outside of work, Anneliese enjoys art, arts and crafts, nature hikes, animals, thrifting, cooking, and true crime.