Podcast: Inside the Dual Leadership Structure at Great Lakes, with Desiree Bouchard & Ellen Moore

In this episode, Jeffrey Scott sits down with Desiree Bouchard, Integrator and General Manager, and Ellen Moore, Director of Continuous Improvement — both from Great Lakes Landscape Design in the Detroit, Michigan area. These two have built one of the most intentional leadership structures in the green industry. Des shares how she rose through the ranks over 13 years, from office support to becoming the obvious choice for integrator when the company adopted EOS. Ellen brings an unconventional background — from nuclear power to an MBA to landscape — and now serves as what she calls “the integrator’s integrator,” diving deep into process fixes so Des can focus on running the company. Together, they break down the real work of operational leadership: building meaningful KPIs, implementing daily huddles that actually stick, standardizing sales estimating in LMN, and using tools like the Five Why’s and tabletop customer journey exercises to eliminate process breakdowns for good. They’re honest about what change management actually requires — patience, persistence, buy-in strategy, and the courage to go through the hard stuff, not around it. If you’re a landscape business owner, integrator, or anyone trying to scale with better systems and a stronger culture, this one is packed with actionable insight straight from the field.

Great Lakes Landscape Design will be co-hosting the Summer Growth Summit — August 18–20th! Dez and Ellen will both be speaking.

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