B. H. Graning Landscapes, Inc.
Roger Murajda, General Manager
Roger Murajda grew up in Western North Carolina and began learning about lawn maintenance the same way many people do, by mowing his grandmother’s lawn and for others that he went to church with. He quickly saw that working outside in the landscape was a true passion of his and was also a good way to earn some spending money. Landscaping and lawn maintenance were the only jobs he ever had as he grew older, and they continued to support him as he went through college at Haywood Community College where he earned an associate degree in horticulture. Before he realized it, landscaping and lawn maintenance turned into a small business that he continued to run for 12 years. During that time the passion to learn and gain more knowledge about the green industry only deepened and it continues to grow for him to this day. In 2013 Roger joined B. H. Graning Landscapes as the operations manager of the maintenance division. The maintenance division operated with 3 crew leaders at that time, and we have seen it grow to 9 crew leaders and over 35 full time maintenance employees during the last few years. Being dependable, professional and performing high-quality work remains the top priorities for Roger as does equipping the employees with as much horticulture knowledge as we can. The beauty and diversity that we get to enjoy and call home in WNC is truly a blessing that excites him every morning as we are greeted with new changes from day to day. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Amanda and his two daughters, Aleah and Hannah. They enjoy camping, spending time on the lake, taking small hikes and all things that we can enjoy in the outdoors of WNC.
Office Administrator
Heather Kindy has always called the mountains of Western North Carolina home. Growing up in Sylva, she knew that she and her family would always have a place in this community. Heather’s first passion is art and creativity. Most of her work has been in customer service. When seeking a change from graphic design and photography, she landed a job as a receptionist and assistant at B. H. Graning Landscapes in the maintenance department. Starting this job to supplement income along with her own business, it did not take long to see that Heather had bigger plans for her skills of organization and hunger to grow. With the guidance of great managers and mentors within the company she quickly learned many aspects of the business.
In 2018, Heather was promoted to office manager. It is in this position that she has found her place in the company. Family and community rank top on Heather’s list. When you can give back to your community, you can see it thrive. B. H. Graning Landscapes provides the opportunity to do that with year-round employment and opportunity to grow within the business.
During times with family, in between work, Heather enjoys all that Western North Carolina has to offer in its abundance of outdoor activities. She stays active and is surrounded by wild, active, growing boys with adventurous spirits.
Lon Livesey, Commercial Construction DM
Joe Oviedo, Residential Commercial Construction DM
Joe Oviedo started as an entry level employee at B. H. Graning Landscapes back in 2007 and has slowly worked his way through the ranks to Vice President of Construction/Project Manager. Through hard work and dedication (and the help of his coworkers), Joe has taken on the role of managing all the landscape construction aspects of the company. With over a decade of experience in irrigation and water feature installation, he is focused on customer satisfaction and attention to detail. His humble demeanor allows him to connect with customers while delivering a professional product with every project. Raised in south Texas he fell in love with the mountain landscapes while visiting family in the area and never turned back. Joe and his wife have put down roots in Sylva where they are raising their family of two (with a third on the way) along with a pack of five dogs. An amateur woodworker and grilling aficionado he claims to make better BBQ than the local smokehouse.
Tyler Applegate, Fleet Management & Snow DM
Tyler Applegate was born and raised in Charleston, Illinois where he started his first real job in the construction business at the age of 15. After graduating high school, he spent the next four years working for a commercial and residential painting business. After obtaining an associate degree in management, he transitioned to southern Illinois University, Carbondale. He started in Landscape design and after some experience and getting a foothold he went on to graduate with a Bachelor’s in Plant and Soil Science.
Upon leaving the university, he took an internship in the golf industry and settled down to work for the Tournament Players Club network that owned 23 golf courses throughout the nation. With that came much diverse experience in different regions and climates. After working in the states of Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey and Arizona it was time to get off the road and settle somewhere to further deepen his roots in the green industry.
Tyler took a job with Avant Gardening and Landscaping in Madison, WI in the year 2002. During his tenure with Avant he worked in every department, including their retail outlet and within their nursery. He developed Avant’s turf care program, directed the snow removal department and cinched up the business in the toughest of economic times by becoming the general manager. From there, Tyler worked for 5 years in Birmingham, AL at a 1920’s Donald Ross designed golf club.
One of the most important times of his life was in 2009 while his wife was pregnant. During that time, they visited and explored beautiful Western North Carolina. It was after that trip that included touring the Biltmore gardens and the Botanical gardens they knew they would end up living here to raise their child.
The Applegate family arrived in WNC in 2016. After meeting the core of B. H. Graning Landscapes, the rest is as they say…history.