Lowney’s Landscaping has won two Gold Awards in the Wisconsin Landscape Contractors Association Excellence in Landscaping Awards for 2026, one for construction and the other for maintenance. They are the first-ever WLCA Gold Awards in the history of the company, which also won a third award (Bronze for a residential construction project).
Voting is via a committee at the WLCA, which presented the awards at a gala in Milwaukee on Friday, March 13.
A construction project that started in 2021 on Thornberry Creek at Oneida golf course won a Gold Award in the Residential Design & Landscape Construction category. Holly Demske chose Lowney’s to build her dream outdoor space, including an outdoor kitchen housed by a ramada, alongside a hot tub.
It is a multi-level masterpiece designed by Lowney’s Landscape Architect Christine Kosiorek and owner/sales consultant Joe Lowney. It was built by Lowney’s most-senior hardscape construction crews, who were guided by project manager Chris Van Groll.
“Holly asked us to transform her outdated, monotone landscape into a refined outdoor living space worthy of its exclusive golf course setting,” Kosiorek said. “Difficult elevation changes, narrow steps, and cramped patios were replaced with safer, more functional areas designed for year-round entertaining. A custom ramada serves as the centerpiece, featuring a covered outdoor kitchen and fireplace supported by masonry pillars and wood beams. Custom concrete countertops, stainless steel appliances, and a tongue-and-groove ceiling with integrated lighting and heating extend the outdoor season well into fall, making it the couple’s favorite place to dine for most of the year.”
The project also includes a swim spa integrated into the main patio.
Lowney’s also won Gold for commercial maintenance at the ThedaCare Appleton North Campus. The maintenance at that property is managed by Hplex Solutions, which works with the Lowney’s maintenance management team to help create and maintain a friendly and comfortable place to get treatment or recuperate.
“Our ThedaCare partnership started in 2021 and we have fully maintained the property year-round since,” said Jeremy Stryhn, Lowney’s Director of Landscape Maintenance. “Working hand-in-hand with the management team at ThedaCare, we meet regularly to discuss scope and budgeting. The campus footprint is nearly 60 acres including green space, with approximately 14 acres of fine turf. Our base contract includes mowing, weekly bed maintenance and pruning, turf fertilization and weed control, hard surface spraying, spring and fall cleanups, seasonal annual arrangements, trash and debris cleanup twice a week, holiday lighting and décor, hard surface and bed edging, and IPM. We also provide (as needed) core aeration, structural/pest control, planting bed changes, mulch/stone changes, turf repairs, tree pruning, storm cleanup and more.”
Lowney’s won a Bronze Award for the Ellen Courtney project in Kaukauna, an overhaul of a railroad tie landscaping built by her dad decades ago that had finally started to fall apart. Kosiorek designed that space with the help of sales consultant Mike Schumacher.
“This project required the complete reconstruction of a failing riverfront landscape built on steep, multi-level grades with significant structural failure,” Schumacher said. “Decades-old railroad ties, mortared stone walls, and shifting concrete created unsafe conditions and demanded a comprehensive stabilization strategy. The site featured a 7.5-foot elevation change across the backyard and an additional 10-foot drop from front to back, all constructed during wet spring conditions. The completed project creates long-term stability under demanding terrain and seasonal conditions, while carrying much of the family’s traditions to future generations.”
The Lowney’s Landscaping team is available for landscaping advice articles and interviews. Contact Director of Marketing Rocky Landsverk to learn more, rocky@lowneyslandscaping.com or (920) 416-0960. You can also contact Landsverk for photos and videos of these projects.
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