About Us
Avant Gardens Landscaping is a construction company that was founded over a decade ago by Albert Walker. Our company is the best solution to your outdoor living needs. It is built on integrity and good virtues where we always put our customers' needs first. We have been serving people in the metro east and have exclusively from day one. We give each of our clients' undivided attention to make sure that every project is done to perfection. We have very efficient customer care personnel who are always ready to answer your queries on any of our services that we offer.
We offer a variety of landscaping services to suit the individual needs of our clients. We can work on outdoor kitchens, patios, retaining walls, and pergolas. We can also work on all types landscaping and drainage issues. We even specialize in outdoor lighting and build decks to suit your homes needs. We work on the details to make them so attractive that everyone will be in awe when they look at it. We have a good team of designers and installers who come up with creative designs for your home.
We make sure we offer high quality services and that is why we come highly recommended from all the clients we have worked for. We have all the necessary certifications so you can be sure we are carrying out the most up to date specifications, details, and codes. We are dedicated to deadlines where we you can be assured that we complete our work within the required time frames. Sometimes we will even deliver the work before the deadline reaches.
About Albert Walker
Albert has a diverse and interesting background of education and experiences that meld together in a unique manner that allows him to bring the art and science of landscaping together like no other.
He received academic and career training at Golconda Job Corps Center in 1987. He studied brick and stone masonry, a trade that runs 3 generations deep in his family. This trade is sponsored by the International Masonry Institute. Here he received training in estimating, blue print reading, ordering, laying of block, brick and stone, and other clay products in residential and commercial projects, as well as learning safety rules and the use/care of tools. He, as well as 2 other students, were selected to lay all the brick on the new administration building being erected at the time.
In 1991, he worked with a company in Raleigh, NC that allowed him to work closely with Interior Tropical Plants. The following year, he started his own business, Earthly Interiors. It was over the next 5 years he developed a strong appreciation for plants, how they affect your environment, and the benefits of bringing nature indoors. He expanded his knowledge of plants needs, benefits, and uses by visiting growers in Homestead, FL, and attendances to the industries top conventions. The knowledge he gained at the TPIE, Tropical Plant Industry Exhibition, has never left him.
In 1995, after attending Wake Tech and North Carolina State University for a few classes, Albert decided to return to his native Illinois to continue his education. He took general studies, as well as biology, chemistry, and physical geology. He received his Associates of Arts degree, served on the Board of Directors as the Student Trustee, and was inducted into Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society at Southwestern Illinois College. Upon graduation, and unclear about what to do next, took two additional classes. He studied Physics and Photography. This final semester turned him towards Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, for the next phase of his education.
Upon arrival at SIUC, to pursue a Bachelors Degree in Commercial & Fine Art Photography, he could not stop thinking about plants and stone, and the human interaction with these elements. He also took additional course work in geography, graphic design, and landscape design. It was during this time that Avant-Gardens was starting to germinate. For two years, Albert attended classes in Carbondale Monday-Thursdays. On the weekends, he would return to Glen Carbon to design and install landscaping. He even managed 3 internships, with The Madison County Journal, Brian Kuhlmann Photography, and Bruton Stroube Photography. Upon graduation, h decided his love for the outdoors would dictate the expansion and incorporation of Avant-Gardens Landscaping, Inc.
Additional Courses, Training, and Certifications
Albert Walker is committed to continually educating himself on new technologies and acquiring more skills so he can provide you with the latest design insights and technical developments in the St. Louis metro area. H participates at industry conferences and conventions to keep up-to-date with the latest industry standards and innovations. He is certified by the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute as a Concrete Paver Installer and Technician. He is also certified by the National Concrete and Masonry Association, in Segmental Retaining Wall Installation.
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2000 Landscape Design, Karen Midden, Professor SIU-C
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2004 National Concrete Masonry Association Level I SRW Installer Certification
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2009 ICPI Level I Concrete Paver Installer Course and Certification
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2010 ICPI Level II Commercial Paver Technician Certificate Course, 14 CEU credit
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2010 Vista Professional Outdoor Lighting Certificate
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2011 Elite Crete Systems Training & Certification
2008 Certified Hardscape classes
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"Growing and Developing Supervisors", Monroe Porter, PROOF Management 1.5 CEU credit
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"Sell More than Low Price", George Hedley, HARDHAT Presentations 1.5 CEU credit
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"Training Techniques for Field Leaders", Bob Dusin, Gangbox, Inc. 1.5 CEU credit
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"Raised Patio", Pat McCrindle, McCrindle Paver Systems by Elite
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"Low Voltage Lighting", Ross Yantzi, Ross Yantzi's Pavestone Plus, Ltd.
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"Paver Installation", Pat McCrindle, McCrindle Paver Systems by Elite
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"Outdoor Kitchen Construction", Pat McCrindle, McCrindle Paver Systems by Elite
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"Step Construction" Pat McCrindle, McCrindle Paver Systems by Elite
