ArtisTree hires, promotes employees in response to Manatee County growth

Venice-based ArtisTree Landscape Maintenance & Design announced the promotion of Jeremy Lepper and the hiring of Matthew Stewart in response to growth in Manatee County.

Lepper, who started at ArtisTree in 2006, was promoted from account executive to North Branch Manager to oversee daily operations. Lepper obtained a certificate for Best Management Practices from the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and is also an FNGLA Certified Horticulture Professional, according to a release from ArtisTree.

Stewart will oversee foremen and crews serving homeowner associations in University Park as a new account executive for ArtisTree’s North Branch.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, landscaping and groundskeeping employment in the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota statistical area rose from 4,160 in 2014 to 4,490 in 2015. The median hourly wage dropped 10 cents and the annual average wage went from $23,400 to $23,140 between 2014 and 2015.

Founded in 1990, ArtisTree Landscape Maintenance & Design specializes in planned community/commercial maintenance and landscape design/installation. Services include community maintenance, pest control, irrigation, tree service, landscape design and installation, hardscape installation and landscape lighting. ArtisTree is a privately held company headquartered in Venice, serving Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties.

This story was originally published May 27, 2016 at 5:44 PM with the headline "ArtisTree hires, promotes employees in response to Manatee County growth."