Our team members make all the difference. 

The professional team members at Blackwood & Associates are courteous, respectful, and customer-service oriented. We are passionate about exceeding our clients' high expectations.

Throughout our 40 years in operation, we have fostered a family-like atmosphere with true team members, not employees. We deliver amazing client experiences by working together. 

Pete Blackwood, founded Blackwood & Associates, Inc. in 1972. After graduating Pennsylvania State University, where Pete fostered his passion for horticulture, he became the golf course superintendent at Beaver Valley Country Club in Beaver Falls. The many new Pittsburgh landscaping projects that Pete and his crew developed at the club were highly regarded by the membership, many of whom soon became clients of the new company, Blackwood & Associates, Inc. From a single-truck operation, performing lawn maintenance and tree and shrub plantings, the company continued to develop, designing and installing distinctive residential projects and emerging as an industry leader.

TIM BAIRD, Interior/Exterior Maintenance Mgr

Tim Baird grew up locally in Mars, PA and has enjoyed employment with Blackwood & Associates since 2013.  Tim has been working in the landscape industry since 2008, having been self-employed for a few years and then supervising multiple commercial landscape maintenance crews before finding his place with Blackwood & Associates. Ornamental pruning is Tim's favorite duty and he takes pride in keeping his clients' properties looking at their best throughout the year. Photography consumes most of Tim's free time outside of work as he most enjoys capturing waterfalls and landscapes. 

MARK MILLER, Interior Construction Manager

Mark Miller heads the residential construction division of Blackwood & Associates. Leading his team of craftsmen, he works in unison with the homeowner to bring their dreams to life, from conception to completion. Mark has thirty years of experience in high end residential construction with projects spanning western PA to New York City to the Hamptons.  With degrees in furniture design and construction and residential historic preservation, Mark brings a keen eye for design and detail to the building process. He resides in the eastern suburbs with his wife, Lisa and their two college age children.  

GREG GORMAN, Designer Services Manager

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, Greg has worked and built relationships in the local green industry since the age of 14. Holding a degree in Landscape Architecture from Penn State's Stuckeman School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, Greg is currently pursuing his professional license. As a member of Blackwood & Associates team since March of 2011, he focuses on the development and implementation of our designs. Outside of work Greg is likely to be found with his soon to be wife remodeling their home or trout fishing at one of the family cabins in the Allegheny National Forest.

SARAH SWEHLA, Exterior Construction Manager

Sarah Swehla began her career with Blackwood & Associates in 2011. Originally from Havre de Grace, Maryland, she earned a B.S. in Biology from Bob Jones University in South Carolina and moved to Pittsburgh to pursue graduate studies in Landscape Architecture at Chatham University. Sarah holds industry certifications from the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) in Hardscaping and the National Concrete Masonry Association (NCMA) in Segmental Retaining Wall Installation. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, playing basketball, and biking.