Jamie Speeding, an ACS alumni, speaks on studying at ACS, his industry knowledge and experience which lead him to success.
 After being employed in various local horticultural businesses and becoming frustrated at the lack of quality and knowledge displayed by many landscape orientated businesses in the area, Jamie decided to go it alone and formed Greenhort Design which is now entering its fifth year of existence.
During the early years of Greenhort, Jamie was busily gaining further knowledge by achieving formal qualifications at Australian Correspondence Schools. He was encouraged to join key industry organisations as a part of his studies.
A year later, Jamie became a member of The Australian Institute Of Horticulture (AIH) and was elected inaugural Chair of the Gold Coast branch, a position he held for three consecutive terms. Jamie's dedication to the industry saw him appointed on various industry advisory committees, form strong ties between the local nursery industry and help initiate the move to establish a botanic garden on the Gold Coast.
Jamie has also spent time lecturing at TAFE, a local vocational college, and spent several years hosting a radio show on the local ABC. Jamie has written garden features for a local internet magazine and The Gold Coast Bulletin daily newspaper as their garden columnist. He served as the Gold Coast selector for the Australian Open Garden Scheme for 5 years, and retains a keen involvement in local horticultural projects.
These days, however, Jamie has turned his full attention to commercial design. "For the past 18 months I have been mainly designing/drafting ACAD residential development landscape plans and childcare centers nationwide for Council submission. I now employ several full-time drafters and designers as the demand for our services has increased ten-fold."
These days Jamie is still a member of the AIH as well as the Australian Institute of Landscape Designers and Managers (AILDM), the Horticultural Media Association of Queensland (HMAQ), and recently has joined the Nursery and Garden Industry of Queensland (NGIQ).
Jamie believes that a lot of his success in the horticulture industry can be attributed to ACS Principal John Mason and past tutor Paul Plant who both encouraged and supported his directions. |