Our Staff

Shannon McGregor - Operations Manager
Shannon oversees Villa’s operations with a broad perspective of the landscaping business that comes from a decade of running Patio Town’s retail sales stores and contractor sales yards in various capacities. His expertise ensures that every job lives up to Villa’s peerless standards. A former teacher, Shannon has a Business Administration degree from Southwestern State University in Marshall, MN.

Tom Zakoski – Landscape Designer
Tom Zakoski took to landscaping at an early age. 

“As a kid, I was always into yard work,” he recalls. “I couldn’t wait to mow the lawn.”

Tom pursued his ambition to the University of Minnesota and graduated with a degree in horticulture and landscape design in 1991. He owned his own landscape business for six years, where he developed both design and installation skills. Tom has been a certified Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association nursery professional since 1999 and is equally comfortable working with hardscapes, softscapes and water features.

“I’m a naturalistic designer,” Tom explains. “I like working with the contours of the land by using curves and free-flowing designs rather than straight lines where possible. And low maintenance is also a big consideration for clients.”

Tom is seeing more demand for hardscapes in landscape designs and an increasing awareness of water management solutions such as rain gardens and permeable pavers.

“It’s a challenge to balance the various design elements to achieve the needs of the land and homeowner,” Tom concludes.

Andy Lofboom - Landscape Designer
Andy started landscaping at age 15, specializing in paver and retaining wall installation. Coming from a family of landscapers, Andy went on to get a degree in environmental design from the University of Minnesota. With more than a decade of hands-on experience under his belt, he brings an impressive array of design and installation talents to the Villa team.

Andy’s portfolio includes stunning hardscape designs, outdoor kitchens, spas and other outdoor living areas. He has an eye for integrating various landscape elements—paver patios, retaining walls, freestanding columns, stairs, walkways, gardens, pergolas and water features—into a single cohesive landscape design. Andy has won landscape awards from the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute and the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association. He’s certified by the National Concrete Masonry Association and the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute.

Aaron Westfield—Landscape Architect
With 28 years experience as a landscape architect/designer in Minnesota and Wisconsin, Aaron has faced just about every challenge possible in northern climate landscapes. Aaron graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in landscape architecture in 1985 and has been a Certified Nursery and Landscape Professional with the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association since 1989. He also is certified as a Segmental Retaining Wall Installation Instructor by the National Concrete Masonry Association.

No matter what size the job—small residential landscaping designs to large commercial landscape projects--Aaron always keeps the customer involved during the design process to create an outdoor environment that meets their wants and needs. His landscape design skills cover the gamut from pergolas to pools and retaining walls to rain gardens.

Andrew Higgins — Landscape Designer
Andrew has come a long way from his humble beginning in landscaping planting flowers at a local golf course in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Following three years of landscape installation and a design/build internship in Chicago, Andrew graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in environmental design.

His wide-ranging professional landscape experience has taken him from the Chicago Botanic Garden, where he was a designer on a Japanese garden, to private residences on the shores of Lake Michigan and in the Twin Cities. His work has given him a solid background in hardscape design and installation. In addition to traditional hand-drawn landscape design, Andrew is skilled in computer-aided design and drafting (CADD), as well as 3D modeling to assist clients in visualizing how their project will look when completed.

As a Villa designer and project manager, Andrew strives to make each project unique to the homeowner. Whether it’s a simple paver patio, a complete front-entry makeover or an outdoor kitchen, Andrew brings to each Villa project a passion for design and detail.

Kelly O’Donahue - Landscape Designer
From full yard designs to specialty gardens, patios, retaining walls, fire pits and water features, Kelly can bring your vision to life with a landscape suitable for our northern climate. In addition to her landscape design skills, Kelly brings a green thumb to Villa. She has a degree in Landscape Design and Construction with an emphasis in horticulture from Hennepin Technical College. Kelly also is a Certified Professional with the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association and a University of Minnesota Extension Service Master Gardner in Ramsey County.

Kelly puts her horticultural skills to work as a U of M Tree Care Advisor and a member of the advisory council for the Muriel Sahlin Arboretum in Roseville. She’s the go-to person at Villa when someone has a question about plantings, trees or shrubs.

Josh Peterson - Landscape Superintendent
After four years as a supervisor at Patio Town, Josh brings extensive management, training and quality-control experience to Villa. His attention to detail, hands-on experience and practical landscaping knowledge helps guide our crews to complete your project efficiently and beautifully.

Kim St. Martin - Office Manager
Kim’s business skills and attention to detail keep the Villa front office running smoothly and projects on track. A native of suburban Chicago and graduate of Northwestern College, Kim has been recognized for excellence in customer service in a variety of businesses, including a stint with Disney. She brings a keen eye for design to Villa as well.