In a way, the green industry has always been apart of Jonathan's life. He grew up on a family farm working there through high school, and infrequently even today. He attended Rock Valley College for two years to attain an Associate in Science. During that time, Jonathan worked summers with the Winnebago County Forest Preserve at the Klehm Arboretum. He completed his Bachelor of Science at the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point with an emphasis in Urban Forestry, Parks and Recreation and Conservation Biology. During these years, he spent two summers with the U.S. Forest Service in the Shoshone National Forest. Since college he spent a brief time in California with a small tree care operation followed by several years with a large Chicagoland  company. Looking to transition from field work to consulting/sales, he made the change to Creekside in November 2004. Excluding the family farm, he has been working in the green industry for ten years.