An outdoor living space built by McCarrell Landscape Construction, LLC, complete with a pergola.

Brad McCarrell, founder and owner of McCarrell Landscape Construction, started the company nine years ago.

McCarrell Landscape Construction, LLC happened by accident. Founder and owner 
Brad McCarrell has been in the landscape industry since he was a teenager. In high school, he worked part time for a nursery wholesale retailer and grower, a job that blossomed into doing installations for customers in the evenings.

After completing his service in the U.S. Army, Brad returned to landscaping, building and growing a 19-year career as he worked his way up to crew leader and, eventually, operations manager for the same company. In 2009, however, Brad knew it was time to move on to bigger and better things, so he left his position.

That’s when McCarrell Landscape Construction was founded, as Brad says, by accident.

After leaving his position, he began receiving calls from 
previous customers asking where he had gone. They wanted installations done, and they wanted him to handle them.

Always one to put the customer first, Brad began working weekends to keep up with their requests. Soon, with a steady stream of work, he was performing installations on his own—full time. Three years ago he decided to make it official and formed McCarrell Landscape Construction as an LLC.

Based in Clinton, Pennsylvania, just outside of the Pittsburgh International Airport, McCarrell Landscape Construction—a full-service landscape construction contractor—serves the entire tri-state area, including West Virginia and Ohio.

What began as mostly landscaping installation work has expanded to include excavation, outdoor kitchens and living spaces, retaining walls, paver and concrete patios, new home landscapes, irrigation systems, ornamental ponds and waterfalls, and drainage solutions—just to name a few.

A bulk of McCarrell’s work also consists of commercial winter maintenance, including snow and ice management for businesses, and commercial plant and lawn maintenance.

For a small, privately owned family business, McCarrell has large capabilities with an expansive scope of work. While McCarrell doesn’t typically do individual planting, such as trees or gardens, the company does handle end-to-end design and full landscape installations for new construction. In some cases, McCarrell will work with home builders to do the excavation work for the foundation of a new home and then return to do a complete landscape package, including the entire lawn, irrigation system and plants for the resident.

Doing the Job Right

Today, Brad’s wife, Suzette, is on board, helping run the operations side of the business. Like her husband, Suzette has extensive experience in the industry, having worked for both engineering and commercial construction firms.

And like Brad, she has a heart for McCarrell’s customers.

“I enjoy making someone’s yard their own personal resort that the family can enjoy every day for years to come, and all they have to do is walk out their door,” Suzette says. “In situations where hardscape and excavation are necessary, I’m happy that we can make someone’s life a little less stressful in his or her time of need.”

In addition to Brad and Suzette, the McCarrell Landscape Construction team has grown to three full-time employees, including one 18-year industry veteran and another with six years’ experience in industrial process applications. Additionally, there are two or three seasonal employees, depending on the need.

It’s a team dedicated to doing the job right. Brad prides himself on his high level of professionalism, and it’s a quality he instills in his employees.

“We’re not always the cheapest, but we take the extra time to do the job right,” Brad explains. “We add extra materials, if needed. We don’t cut corners. We take that extra step.”

Brad is also working to challenge industry stereotypes and raise industry standards. He admits that he almost didn’t want the term “landscape” associated with the business because of the negative connotations. “It makes you think of the kid next door or a guy with a couple of shovels,” he says. “We do high-end jobs, and we do them professionally.”

Brad acknowledges that callbacks can be a problem in the industry; sometimes, if there’s an issue after an installation, the installer doesn’t return to fix the problem or even address it. That’s not the case with McCarrell Landscape Construction.

In fact, after one incident with a failed retaining wall, Brad had his team tear it down and completely put it back up—at zero cost to the customer.

“We almost never have a problem with our work, but if there is, we absolutely address it,” he says.

Just as loyal customers prompted Brad to start the business, McCarrell’s high level of customer service undoubtedly keeps them coming back with more projects and 
special requests.

One previous customer reached out to Brad specifically to commission his help on a special project. Brad worked from start to finish to design, customize and build a complete outdoor living space, including a patio around an existing in-ground swimming pool that stretches into multiple seating areas. Additionally, there is a fire pit, a full outdoor kitchen that includes lighting, appliances, electrical work and a cedar pergola. The job took three months, and Brad was more than happy to turn his customer’s dream backyard into a reality.

Paving the Way for the Future

McCarrell Landscape Construction’s approach to business always ties back to Brad’s mission statement: “To provide the most professional service that I can, with the help of dedicated employees, at a level of commitment to my customers that is above most others in my industry—while maintaining the highest standards of quality, ethics and safety.”

Both Brad and Suzette are dedicated to raising the standards of professionalism and customer service as their business continues to grow in the years to come.

“The possibilities are endless for McCarrell Landscape Construction,” Suzette says. “We are constantly looking for areas of growth and advancement so we can continue to make customers’ dreams come true in their own backyards.”