July 11, 2024
Jon Durzi supports members across Toronto Chapter
By Julia Harmsworth
Toronto Chapter president Jon Durzi wants Landscape Ontario members to know he’s there to support them. From his involvement on the chapter board, to the provincial board of directors, to the COVID-19 Task Force, he loves finding solutions to people’s problems and keeping them in the loop.
“My biggest goal [as Toronto Chapter Board president] is to bring as much knowledge and value from Landscape Ontario to our members as we possibly can,” Durzi explains. “It’s continuously keeping them involved and really listening to them and understanding what they want to see from us.”
Durzi first entered the landscape world in 1999 after a historic Toronto snowstorm caused the mayor to call in the army to help dig out the city. Durzi shovelled sidewalks and operated snow plows for Clintar Groundskeeping.
From there, he transitioned into lawn and garden maintenance and, later, construction and hardscaping. Now, he’s the marketing and sales business development manager for Miller Compost, where he’s been since 2013. Being involved in almost every niche sector of the landscape and horticulture industry has made Durzi’s career particularly fulfilling.
“It’s been great. I totally fell in love with the industry, the profession, the people,” he says.
Though he had known of LO since the beginning of his career, Durzi got heavily involved in the community after joining Miller Compost. There, he saw an opportunity for the company and LO to support each other — and for him to extend the support he offers his clients at Miller Compost to LO members.
Durzi sat on the Toronto Chapter Board as a director, working on several volunteer projects, including an accessible schoolyard at James Robinson Public School in Markham, Ont., which created a safe green space for children of all abilities. Then he became the chapter’s representative to the associations’ provincial board of directors.
“I really fell in love with [LO] at that level. It was so much shared knowledge at a provincial board level and my voice really mattered,” he says. “I was able to vote on topics and things that were coming down, and I really understood what brought LO together.”
Now, as chapter president, Durzi encourages folks to come to him with hot topics they’re curious about — like healthy soils or landscape photography — and he’ll get speakers together and plan a meeting or event. His favourite part of being involved with the chapter is having conversations with like-minded members.
This interest brought him to sit on LO’s COVID-19 Task Force, which met frequently throughout 2020 and 2021 and hosted webinars to keep members informed on COVID-19 news and protocols, from lockdowns to legislation.
“We really had no idea what we were getting into, and the size and impact it [would have],” Durzi says. “Before we knew it, it was a rolling ball of thunder down a hill, and it progressed into something fantastic. We were all sharing information on a day-to-day [basis].”
He and the rest of the task force received the Community Leadership Award in 2021 for their work, which Durzi did not expect. He says he was “taken aback greatly,” and felt appreciated by the LO community.
“To have our members know that we were there to support them was rather uplifting. It was a lot of time and energy, but it was more than worth it,” Durzi says. “It’s something that I’ll never forget, that’s for sure.”
Looking forward into the future of the profession, Durzi believes LO must continue to be an inclusive space where every member, in every aspect in the profession, can play an active role. He would like to see the creation of a supplier’s group, for example, to give suppliers a voice at the provincial board level.
When he’s not hearing members’ queries or volunteering, Durzi enjoys spending time with his wife and three kids, travelling and being on the ice.
“From starting from the ground up to where I am now has been a fantastic path,” he says. “I would not change it, that’s for sure.”
Toronto Chapter president Jon Durzi wants Landscape Ontario members to know he’s there to support them. From his involvement on the chapter board, to the provincial board of directors, to the COVID-19 Task Force, he loves finding solutions to people’s problems and keeping them in the loop.
“My biggest goal [as Toronto Chapter Board president] is to bring as much knowledge and value from Landscape Ontario to our members as we possibly can,” Durzi explains. “It’s continuously keeping them involved and really listening to them and understanding what they want to see from us.”
Durzi first entered the landscape world in 1999 after a historic Toronto snowstorm caused the mayor to call in the army to help dig out the city. Durzi shovelled sidewalks and operated snow plows for Clintar Groundskeeping.
From there, he transitioned into lawn and garden maintenance and, later, construction and hardscaping. Now, he’s the marketing and sales business development manager for Miller Compost, where he’s been since 2013. Being involved in almost every niche sector of the landscape and horticulture industry has made Durzi’s career particularly fulfilling.
“It’s been great. I totally fell in love with the industry, the profession, the people,” he says.
Though he had known of LO since the beginning of his career, Durzi got heavily involved in the community after joining Miller Compost. There, he saw an opportunity for the company and LO to support each other — and for him to extend the support he offers his clients at Miller Compost to LO members.
Durzi sat on the Toronto Chapter Board as a director, working on several volunteer projects, including an accessible schoolyard at James Robinson Public School in Markham, Ont., which created a safe green space for children of all abilities. Then he became the chapter’s representative to the associations’ provincial board of directors.
“I really fell in love with [LO] at that level. It was so much shared knowledge at a provincial board level and my voice really mattered,” he says. “I was able to vote on topics and things that were coming down, and I really understood what brought LO together.”
Now, as chapter president, Durzi encourages folks to come to him with hot topics they’re curious about — like healthy soils or landscape photography — and he’ll get speakers together and plan a meeting or event. His favourite part of being involved with the chapter is having conversations with like-minded members.
This interest brought him to sit on LO’s COVID-19 Task Force, which met frequently throughout 2020 and 2021 and hosted webinars to keep members informed on COVID-19 news and protocols, from lockdowns to legislation.
“We really had no idea what we were getting into, and the size and impact it [would have],” Durzi says. “Before we knew it, it was a rolling ball of thunder down a hill, and it progressed into something fantastic. We were all sharing information on a day-to-day [basis].”
He and the rest of the task force received the Community Leadership Award in 2021 for their work, which Durzi did not expect. He says he was “taken aback greatly,” and felt appreciated by the LO community.
“To have our members know that we were there to support them was rather uplifting. It was a lot of time and energy, but it was more than worth it,” Durzi says. “It’s something that I’ll never forget, that’s for sure.”
Looking forward into the future of the profession, Durzi believes LO must continue to be an inclusive space where every member, in every aspect in the profession, can play an active role. He would like to see the creation of a supplier’s group, for example, to give suppliers a voice at the provincial board level.
When he’s not hearing members’ queries or volunteering, Durzi enjoys spending time with his wife and three kids, travelling and being on the ice.
“From starting from the ground up to where I am now has been a fantastic path,” he says. “I would not change it, that’s for sure.”