Keith Frederick
President & CEO
ELA Outdoor Living

House & Home spoke with Keith Frederick, President and CEO of ELA Outdoor Living, about the company's 35th Anniversary.

This year you celebrate your 35th anniversary. What thoughts and emotions come to mind when you think about that?
When I think about 35 years as a local business, I'm grateful to the local community for recognizing us as a company they can trust to create a beautiful outdoor living space for them. I'm also grateful that they continually come back to us for landscape maintenance and new projects.

What made you start ELA Outdoor Living?
I started doing landscape work when I was still in college for horticulture and landscape design. I couldn't wait to get out in the field and had so much passion for the industry. My father always took time to teach me all he knew about horticulture and building when I was a child and that's where my passion began.

What were your visions in 1989 and how have you met them or even surpassed those visions?
Back in 1989 when I started, I never envisioned ELA would become the design-build company that is today. I only thought about doing a great job on every project I took on and in the early years I did a lot of the field work myself. Over time the forward thinking in the industry and keeping up on the new trends led me to become stronger in the build side of the industry – hardscape, masonry and carpentry construction. In 2000 we built our first outdoor kitchen, fireplace and multi-level deck project. We used that project as a flagship marketing piece and attracted a videographer from HGTV. This is what inspired me to start shooting videos of my bigger projects – people buy what they see, which led us into the resort style outdoor living. This in turn led us into the swimming pool industry because most clients were looking for that element in their backyard retreat.

In what different ways have you grown ELA over the past 35 years in business?
Understanding what the client needs and designing to meet those needs is at the center of everything we do. The biggest growth in ELA over the 35 years has been understanding that you do not need to hold all the knowledge yourself, but you do need experts in every division on your team who are loyal and just as passionate as you are.

What do you see as the biggest accomplishment since your start?
Maintaining a motivated and loyal team is a huge accomplishment for any business owner. Some of my team members have been with me for as long as 20 years.

What products/services do you currently offer that you think a homeowner values the most?
As a full service outdoor design-build company, we offer the combination of architecture and horticulture, professional design and common sense skills in the construction trades. This allows the customer to benefit holistically from one point of contact.

What is your favorite part of the job and what excites you the most?
Every day is different and I while I enjoy meeting new clients and designing, I also thrive on the challenges each day brings and the logistics involved in synchronizing all the elements to ensure a successful project, regardless of the size.

Where do you expect to go in the next 15 years? In what ways do you expect to continue to grow?
Future growth depends on many things, but being on trend with new styles and products while fully understanding their functionality and durability for the client is key. Our 35 years of experience while also continuing to learn and grow, enables us to design and deliver boutique, one-of-a-kind projects which both ELA and our clients can be proud of.

ELA Outdoor Living
Doylestown, Pa.
(215) 794-2400
ELAOutdoorLiving.com

Published (and copyrighted) in House & Home, Volume 24, Issue 7 (June 2024)
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