Our Team

A graduate of Canisius College and the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Management Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership & Strategic Entrepreneurship, Jim Hornung Jr. was named Volunteer of the Year in 2008 by the Snow & Ice Management Association, where he currently serves as president.

Jim also belongs to the New York State Nursery & Landscape Association, the Western New York State Nursery & Landscape Association, the New York State Turfgrass Association (where he serves on the board), Sports Turf Managers Association, Planet (Professional Landcare Network), Main-Amherst Business and Resident Association (where he serves as board treasurer) Cherry Hill Club and the Buffalo Club. In 2003, Jim and his dad, James E. Hornung Sr., started Great Lakes Athletic Fields, an athletic field service, construction, maintenance and consultation company.

Peter began working at Elbers in 1982, while attending Erie Community College. Upon receiving his Associate Degree in Engineering Science from ECC, he turned his passion for gardening and the outdoor lifestyle into a full-time career as nursery manager at Elbers. During his 10-year tenure as nursery manager, Peter became a certified nurseryman and a certified pesticide applicator. In 1992, Peter moved over to the Landscape Division of Elbers where, for the past 20 years he has worked on and produced designs for many prominent Buffalo properties. Peter is a member of the New York State Nursery Landscape Association (NYSNLA); New York State Turfgrass Association (NYSTA); Snow & Ice Management Association (SIMA) and PLANET Professional Landcare Network.

Tim has been in the landscape business since 1973.  After successfully running his own landscape construction company for more than 20 years, he joined the staff at Elbers in 1998. His current duties include estimating, sales and the day-to-day operations of Elbers Landscape Service. Tim, who is a certified landscape lighting installer, received his Bachelor’s degree from Canisius College and attended the two-year Turf and Horticulture Program at Cook College of Rutgers University. He is a member of the National Contract Management Association (NCMA); the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI,); New York State Turfgrass Association (NYSTA) and PLANET Professional Landcare Network.

Upon retiring from a career as an executive secretary in the fields of television, promotions and higher education, Susan decided to pursue her lifelong enthusiasm for gardening by joining the Green Industry and becoming a New York State-Certified Nursery and Landscape Professional (CNLP). She joined Elbers in 2007, and enjoys working with plants and people at our Garden Center where she especially enjoys teaching novice gardeners how to get started and introducing new plants and ideas to veteran gardeners. Susan is active with the Western New York State Nursery and Landscape Association (WNYSNLA) and currently writes the Region 6 Update column in the New York State Nursery and Landscape Association’s quarterly magazine, Nursery Lines.

Laurie is a certified nursery and landscape professional who has worked for Elbers since 2002, where she specializes in helping our customers plan and implement gardens, landscapes and more.  Laurie attended the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and received a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from the San Francisco Art Institute. She is a resident of the city of Buffalo.

Brendon has been in the construction and landscape construction business for more than 20 years, and has been an employee of Elbers since 2006. His experience includes installing and maintaining commercial buildings and office parks and designing and installing water features and landscapes. In addition, Brendon has more than 15 years’ experience with drainage and irrigation projects and snowplow supervision. Brendon has been certified by the Interlocking Concrete Pavers Institute and the National Concrete Masonry Association.

Kevin has been an employee of Elbers since 2005 and manages all phases of our snowplowing operations, as well as handles the purchasing needs for athletic field projects for Great Lakes Athletic Fields.  Kevin graduated from Buffalo State College in 2010 with a degree in Business Administration.