History of New Vistas Landscaping

New Vistas Landscaping began as a custom design business with its first client in 1980. The owner, Judy De Pue often refers to the business as her third child. Her two daughters were born in 1976 and 1978, and the business soon after.

By 1982, several of the clients were requesting assistance with finding the planting material for developing the designs. Thus, the application to become a retail merchant took place. Judy's first tree delivery proved rather taxing on the front axle of her station wagon. So the next plant order was picked up in the client's pick-up truck while Judy rode along to pick out the plants.

In the fall of 1983, New Vistas was asked to design its first larger commercial plan and then asked to estimate and complete the installation. Without a crew, Judy approached another business in Goshen who did landscaping treatments on lawns and some installation work. The next spring, Judy began to design for both her business and the "partner" business who did the installing work.

By the fall of 1984, it became apparent that New Vistas needed its own delivery vehicle and Judy purchased the first full size van with a pick-up truck bed liner in the back to hold plants, dirt, etc. The design office moved out of Judy's home into a string of offices on US33 on the northwest side of Goshen.

With more commercial and residential work coming along, Judy's family convinced her to begin hiring her own crew. That way she did not have to wait in line with her other contractor's own clients and she would have better control on the quality of the installation and the responsiveness of the installers to her directions. New Vistas' first installation employee worked afternoons after his factory job.

In the spring of 1985, the first full time crew began work under New Vistas Landscaping. They would meet each morning at Judy's home and drive their own vehicles to the job. There was a large pick-up type locking tool box that rode around in the van and was left on site at the job each evening.

1986 was the year things really started to grow. A full time year' round installation foreman was hired. The installation side of the business moved out of Judy's garage into a storage building near Goshen High School. By fall the first trailer was custom made to pull behind the van.

Spring of 1987 brought a new opportunity when New Vistas was asked to sell shrubs and trees on consignment at a local fruit market. By June when the market wanted to mark down all the plants and get rid of them, Judy knew she needed to find her own property in earnest as it made more sense to her to keep the plants and continue to let them grow in size and value. A neighbor and fellow businessman purchased the property on Wilden Avenue with New Vistas in mind. He took the blue building up front and remodeled the cold storage building in back to look like the red cottage that Judy designed. It remains today as New Vistas Design office.

Now for the first time, the Design office, the plant sales yard and the installation crew storage were all in the same place. Next came the addition of equipment, a dump truck, and a flat bed truck purchased from a retiring landscaper were added along with a used skid loader and a special built trailer to haul it around. The late 80's were good years to grow a business and New Vistas' reputation for unique, creative designs and careful installations grew as well.

By 1990, the original purchaser of the property on Wilden decided to sell and Judy purchased the land and buildings and began to set up example fences and paths to help clients see choices first hand. In the fall of 1991, New Vistas exhibited their first Remodelers Showcase project after extensive landscaping at Judy's home including decks, gazebo, paver patio, and water run with pond, fully planted with landscape lighting.

Over the years, the vehicles and equipment have changed, employees have come and gone. Current employees on the New Vistas staff have been with the company for an extended period of time (mostly six to ten years). See their info under "staff".

New Vistas Landscaping continues to participate in the Association of Professional Landscape Designers, the Indiana Nursery and Landscape Association, the Builder's Association of Elkhart County, and the Goshen Chamber of Commerce.

The number of projects in Elkhart County as well as surrounding counties has grown and grown. New Vista's ownership and staff have tried to maintain the creativity and quality of work and yet change the approach as needed for changing times. Landscape services for "do-it-yourselfer" clients as well as full installation customers continue as well as our unique set up for what New Vistas calls share-install. We do the work you would rather not tackle, and you do the part you like.

Our mission, "Bringing New Life to Your World", and our motto, "Small Enough to Get to Know You, but Big Enough to Serve Your Needs", still persist.