The Edge June/July/August 2026

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT Faces of the Industry: David Erdman

By Jill Odom

IF DAVID ERDMAN HAD TO GIVE ADVICE TO HIS YOUNGER SELF, HE SAYS he wouldn’t have spent two years as an engineering major at Michigan State University. Instead, he wishes he’d dived straight into landscaping from the start.

current position of project manager. In his role, he formulates game plans for their crews on a daily basis and helps onsite whenever it is needed. Erdman says he also keeps materials flowing to their jobsites so they can run as efficient ly as possible. “My favorite part about this company is the great team I work with,” Erdman says. “We are all good friends for the most part, and it is really cool to work with people you truly enjoy.” Erdman says he had assumed he’d eventually own his own company after learning from others. “As I worked for Old Mission Associates and started a family I realized I did not want to assume the stress that comes with business ownership as long as my needs were met for my family,” Erdman says. “The company I work for is great.” In the next five years, he says he sees himself continuing to do the same thing with the company. “I really enjoy transforming properties and seeing what our company is capable of doing,” Erdman says. Meanwhile, Erdman says the hardest aspect of the business has been dealing with homeowners who have trouble visualizing the transformation of their property and finding good, credible employees as the company grows. He notes that NCLC is one good way companies can bring young people into this industry. “I wish more people would target this industry as their number one option and not be afraid to get out there, get dirty, and create some awesome outdoor spaces,” he says. TE

industry at a professional level,” Erdman says. Erdman says he also learned from MSU professors Marcus Duck and Bob Schutzki. “One main thing I learned from those two men was twofold: practicality and passion for your career,” Erdman says. “Through hard work, relationships, and caring about your industry, there is a lot of opportunity in landscaping, and these two helped spell that out for me while I was in school and after.” Upon graduating, Erdman was hired by Old Mission Associates in Traverse City, Michigan, when the company only had seven to eight employees. Over the past 13 years, the company has quadrupled in size, allowing Erdman to advance into his

Like many others in the industry, Erdman originally started mowing lawns and doing landscape maintenance when he was a teenager, but he was hesitant to make it his true career at first. However, as the years have gone by, he says he’s very happy with his choice. After changing his major to horticul ture with a concentration in landscape design, construction and management, Erdman participated in the National Col legiate Landscape Competition in 2012 and 2013. During NCLC, he competed in the backhoe operation, irrigation instal lation, and hardscape installation events. “It definitely helped me realize what skills I needed to get better at to function in the

“I really enjoy transforming properties and seeing what our company is capable of doing.”

10 The Edge // June/July/August 2026