Jim Ihnen
Operations Manager
Jim builds old cars from the ground up. He loves car shows and swap meets. He hopes to one day attend the annual SEMA show in Las Vegas; this is the world’s most important trade event for the automotive industry. It includes the unveiling of many new products and concept cars. Jim also rides a Harley. `He has been married to Sylvia for 37 years, and they have raised three kids—Jesse, Joshua, and Valerie. Little Juliette is the family’s canine member.
Jim and Sylvia are definitely the kinds of folks you want for neighbors. They shovel snow, mow the lawn, and do other such tasks for a neighbor in poor health. They pitch in when help is needed at their church. And they cheer for all the right teams, according to the majority of their Colorado neighborhoods—the Rockies, the Avalanche, and three-time world champion Broncos.
Educational & Professional Credentials:
- Started with JBK in 1982 as a laborer
- He has held several positions in the company
Michael Neel
Irrigation Manager
Michael and his family have a special love for dogs. He and his wife of 34 years, Dana, are not only great parents to their son, Joshua, but also to their two yellow labs Bernadette and Charlie. Michael graduated from Metro State University, in Denver, with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering Technology. He is also a huge Dallas Cowboys fan. In fact, Michael’s dream job as a child was to be the team’s quarterback.
Michael’s favorite thing about working for JBK Landscape is being able to create and maintain beautiful landscapes or living spaces in the Denver area. His favorite thing about living in Denver is that you get all four seasons, no humidity, and no bugs.
Dave Kostic
Landscape Architect, PLA
Dave studied Wildlife Biology at the University of Wyoming. Taking a client’s wishlist and creating the best possible landscape for the site is what Dave enjoys most working for JBK Landscape. Living in Denver, Dave and his wife enjoy getting to witness how often the seasons change and that there is no humidity. He is a Denver Broncos fan and his favorite things to collect are guns and coins.
Thom Whitney
Landscape Designer
In Thom’s previous life, prior to JBK, he was a successful musician. He and his bass guitar toured the country with several different bands and performed in 38 different states. He traveled mostly with a rock and roll group, but also did some hip hop. These days, he still plays, but only regionally. His touring days are over and he is married now to Lola. The two of them have a little girl, Loftlon. Doofus is the family cat.
Thom grew up in Denver. His parents had him earn his keep early; he often accompanied them to work in the family business (an alcohol packaging company). By age five, he was busy with various helpful little tasks. As he grew older, his time went increasingly to soccer, football, baseball, and wrestling. He was high school varsity in all of them. Soccer was his favorite. Today, he is a volunteer soccer coach with the Colorado Real Edge Soccer club. He also volunteers with the non-profit Growing Home.
Somehow, Thom finds time for hiking, climbing 14ers, and painting the wilds of Colorado in watercolors. He also loves travel. Besides the music touring, he has traveled to Mexico and much of Europe.
Educational & Professional Credentials:
- Bachelors of Science in Landscape Architecture – Colorado State University
Monique Lucero
Account Manager
Monique has always been a lover of the outdoors. Her first job was as a park and recreation leader at fourteen years old. After working at the parks and recreation center, Monique was in the medical field for thirteen years and attended nursing school at Brookline Nursing.
Today, Monique is a loving mother of three kids and a grandma to her grandson. What Monique enjoys about living in Denver is the diversity, mountains, and endless options of activities to do with her family. Monique’s treasured thing about working for JBK Landscape is being outdoors, communicating with HOAs’ crews and property management teams along with learning new skills and information daily.
Monique is a Pittsburg Steelers and Golden State Warriors fan. Some of her cherished hobbies are cooking, spending time with her children, doing home projects, and working on her yard. Her beloved vacation spot is in the mountains where she can relax in a tranquilizing environment breathing into the fresh air and the beautiful scenery.
Reg Craigo
Account Manager
Reg is a veteran landscape guy who enjoys mentoring those new to the profession. He began his own learning process as a teenager working at a garden center in Aurora. As a child, he’d thought he wanted to be a tennis pro, like his dad; but growing plants and designing landscapes drew him. Reg and his wife have since raised a daughter and son to adulthood. Recently, they became grandparents to a baby boy. During his downtime, Reg enjoys golfing, exercising, and hanging out with the family.
Tommy Hemphill
Account Manager
When Tommy was a kid, his biggest aspiration was to be a grown-up. He actually got a jump start when he was 13, working at It’s safe to say that he has surpassed his childhood aspirations. This rocking father of two and two cats makes this grown-up thing look easy. Tommy attended Gateway high school where he made a lot of things happen with the forge. His favorite thing about living in Aurora is the history and diversity it has to offer.
Tommy is a big golf fan. Playing in the Colorado open golf tournament is actually on his bucket list. Tommy is also a big music lover, especially the guitar and the piano. His favorite thing about working for JBK is the interaction he has with people every day.
Kevin Johnson
Account Manager
My name is Kevin Johnson, an account manager here at JBK Landscape. I began with JBK Landscape in the fall of 2018 as an Irrigation Technician. I have spent previous years in various skilled trades and enjoy being able to apply what I have learned to better serve our clients and team here at JBK in my role as an Account Manager.
I grew up in Colorado and was formally educated here in Lakewood, CO, and had further schooling at Fort Lewis College in southern Colorado. I enjoy being outside in any and all capacity which makes enjoying the days out in the field with JBK pretty easy. I spend my free time enjoying the outdoors with my girlfriend, family, and our cats. I am an avid mountain biker, snowboarder, and fisherman. I enjoy making things and playing with power tools.
I am glad to be a part of the JBK Landscape and greater LUSA family and look forward to growing with everyone here.
Dennis Dautel
CEO
Dennis is a recognized leader in the landscaping industry, with an outstanding track record of success spanning almost a quarter of a century. He was the founder and CEO of Clean Cut, Inc., which became part of LandCare. After growing Clean Cut to one of the largest companies of its type, with success based in large part on its unique style of management and client satisfaction programs, Clean Cut became the largest landscape maintenance subsidiary of LandCare after it went public on the NYSE.
Dennis holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Kansas State University, as well as completing the “Birthing of Giants” graduate program at MIT. He is a private pilot and is married with four children.