Meet Our Team
Jesse Brough – Owner
Over 30 years ago, Jesse Brough started working for his neighbors by traveling around on his bicycle with his tools in the back of his home-made trailer. By the time he graduated from college, landscaping had become a passion of his. After years of working in the field doing landscape maintenance, he transitioned into landscape construction and design. As the company grew, he became a full-time design and sales person until he transitioned into his current full-time position of “working on the business rather than in the business”. He is passionate about building an organization where its employees believe they are working at the best landscape company in the Portland area.
Jesse is married and has four children. When he is not catching up with his college-aged daughters or spending quality time with his younger boys, he enjoys spending time with his wife, surfing, and most of all – drawing nearer to Jesus.
Emily Dillon - General Manager
Emily was born and raised in Oregon. While she did not know a career in landscaping was in her future, she has always been passionate about the outdoors.
In 2014, she joined the Blessing Team as an Office Assistant and quickly transitioned into the Office Manager position. As the company continued to grow, so did her role, where she now serves as General Manager. In this role, Emily wears many hats during the day such as job schedule management, financial reporting, human resource management, and others. But, assisting clients in navigating the steps of their projects from start to finish and into the landscape of their dreams is where she finds the most enjoyment.
When not at work, Emily enjoys camping, playing games with her friends, and working in her yard.
Rebecca Smith – Senior Design & Sales
There is no where Rebecca Smith would rather be than in a garden, and there is nothing she would rather be doing than weeding, pruning, designing and in general contemplating gardening. She has a passion for gardening and all that it entails and loves helping clients discover the possibilities with their own gardens. To her its an interesting puzzle to solve between what can and will grow, what the client likes and wants, how the space will be used and what the budget allows.
In 2012 she received her AAS in Landscape Design at Portland Community College and has been in the landscape industry ever since. From working in a plant nursery to maintenance, design and construction she has a wealth of knowledge and a key eye for design. Working at Blessing Landscapes has been a perfect fit. She has the honor of helping clients create beautiful, functional spaces that reflect their needs and desires.
Sarah Lowles – Senior Design & Sales
A life-long love of art and the outdoors has culminated into Sarah’s dream job of landscape design and sales. A native Oregonian, Sarah comes from a family of farmers and grew up roaming filbert orchards and her parents’ Christmas tree farm.
With a goal of encouraging people to spend more time enjoying our beautiful outdoors, Sarah focuses on no-fuss yards that meet people’s active lifestyles and offer peaceful retreat. Sarah’s background in public relations helps provide excellent client relations, while her landscape design degree and numerous art classes influence her creative solutions in developing plans for clients’ dream outdoor spaces.
When she doesn’t have her hands drafting a design or digging in the dirt, Sarah enjoys being active with her husband and two children. Skiing, hiking, biking, camping, and enjoying Portland’s great culinary scene keep Sarah and family busy throughout the year.
Roger Anderson – Senior Design & Sales
After years spent working as a web developer, Roger made a complete career change to landscape design. He quickly discovered this new direction perfectly matched the passion he’s always had for nature and the outdoors. Roger enjoys the challenge of finding a creative, but practical, design solution that will complement and enhance the client’s lifestyle. His goal is to inspire the client by revealing the unseen potential of their own property. In addition to a degree in Landscape Design, Roger is also certified in Permaculture Design. Whenever possible, he seeks ways to encourage sustainability, resilience, and habitat in our landscapes.
At home, Roger is busy creating rain gardens, experimenting with new plants, and incorporating new design ideas into his own back yard. His other interests range from hiking, wine making, listening to obscure ‘80s music, and fostering kittens with his wife, Jen.
Jessica Lanoue – Design & Sales
A love of the outdoors and a desire to solve real-world design challenges led Jessica to her career in landscape design and sales at Blessing Landscapes. After purchasing her first home, she enrolled in landscape design classes at Portland Community College and quickly discovered a passion for the industry, inspiring a purposeful career change into landscaping.
Jessica is driven by helping homeowners find beautiful, practical solutions to tricky landscape problems. She believes outdoor spaces should be both functional and inspiring. She especially enjoys designing with native Pacific Northwest plants and creating rain gardens and other thoughtful systems that help retain and filter water onsite. By blending sustainability with strong design principles, she helps clients maximize their landscape’s potential while supporting the local environment. Her approach combines creativity with clear communication, ensuring homeowners feel confident and excited throughout the entire process.
When she’s not meeting with clients or refining designs, Jessica can be found skiing, biking, or climbing – while trying to keep up with her husband and young son. These activities continually deepen her appreciation for the outdoors and the landscapes she helps create.
Richell Chiu-Yap – Design & Social Media
Richell joins the Blessing Land team with much to offer as a landscape artist – an Associate’s Degree in Landscape Design and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Interior Design-Summa cum Laude. Her previous experience working at architecture and interior design firms in Singapore helps her create holistic outdoor spaces that complement the interior and house architecture. Originally from Cebu, Philippines, she moved to Portland, expanding her artistic endeavors into landscaping. Her overseas life experiences have brought modern sensibilities to her aesthetics which she combines with local styles to create functional and unique outdoor spaces. She feels that the essential aspect of the design process is listening to the client’s requirements and finding creative solutions that reflect the client’s lifestyle.
Richell enjoys exploring new places and hiking with her husband and twin daughters in her free time. The beauty of the Pacific Northwest has inspired her landscape design work. Her other creative pursuits include portraits, botanical & landscape photography, fine art illustration, ceramics, and peg doll art.
David Dillon – Construction Manager
David Dillon, born and raised locally in Portland, started landscaping at an early age mowing lawns for his family and neighbors. He did not know that it would become a career until he met Blessing Landscapes owner Jesse Brough, and was encouraged to continue his education and experience so he could take his journey in the landscaping world to the next level.
He joined the team in 2012 as a Landscape Maintenance Technician. He quickly moved up to Landscape Maintenance Foreman. After a few years in that position, he decided to give landscape construction a try. It was during this time that he discovered a passion for the challenges that construction can bring and the satisfaction of seeing a yard transformation into a beautiful, finished landscape.
Currently, Dave is overseeing installation teams as Project Manager. Additionally, he is a Landscape Industry Certified Technician, as well as a certified Oregon Backflow Assembly Tester. During a recent awards ceremony, the company recognized him with the “Project Manager of the Year 2019” award.
When he is not busy coordinating and managing the many projects that Blessing Landscapes is installing, in his downtime, Dave enjoys playing Disc Golf and camping.
German Salazar – Maintenance Manager
Born and raised in the vibrant Portland area, German is a proud graduate of Reynolds High School’s class of 2013. With six years of expertise in the maintenance industry, he has developed a solid foundation in his field.
Outside of the professional realm, German finds joy in spending cherished moments with his family and canine companion. A guitar enthusiast, he enjoys strumming melodies in his free time. German is also an avid camper, relishing the serenity of the outdoors, and occasionally indulges in video games.
As a valued member of the Blessing family, German takes immense pride in contributing to a team that values excellence in their work and collectively strives to make a positive impact.
Ricardo Breton – Maintenance Field Manager
In his free time, Ricardo is a big Baseball enthusiast, a Family man & dog lover. He also enjoys Hiking and adventures.
Ricardo likes to stay busy, idleness isn’t his style! Recently, he’s committed to giving back through community volunteering.
Ricardo Robles - Irrigation Specialist
Ricardo Robles’s favorite part of being a Project Manager is seeing customers fall head-over-heels with their outdoor spaces all over again. Yards that have been transformed from wearied to wonderful are what he looks forward to with each new project he oversees.
Marc Guzower - Office Manager
Marc grew up in San Diego California and moved to Portland 3 years ago after visiting the area every year over the last 20. Previous to working with Blessing Landscapes, he had 7 years of Office Management experience with a small restaurant group, a very similar position, in a different field. Marc also has an extensive background in studio arts and graphic design. He is coming up to speed quickly with his landscaping knowledge after being hired by Blessing in January 2024. If you call us, he’s who’ll likely answer.
While on the clock he handles Bookkeeping, AP/AR, HR, Payroll, Scheduling Appointments for both maintenance and design/build, Graphic Design and everything in-between!
In his free time, Marc is a former musician, avid mushroom forager, enjoys growing his own vegetables and has too many hobbies to count!