July 15, 2015
Ann Todt
Ann Todt
Landscape Ontario member Ann Todt, owner of Dirt Girl Landscaping of Queensville, received this year’s East Gwillimbury Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

Todt has been a member of LO since 2009. Over seven years ago, she was living the corporate lifestyle as a marketing executive for a big bank in Toronto. She says that after 20 years of climbing the corporate ladder, she was ready to flee the rat race and trade the concrete jungle for a greener way of life.

That life was the start of Dirt Girl Landscaping, which provides professional landscaping, gardening and organic plant care services to homes and businesses throughout York Region, including Aurora, Newmarket, King, East Gwillimbury and the surrounding villages.

Growing up in the Caledon area, where her family sold evergreens, Todt combined her passion of the land and trees with her love and expertise in marketing. “It was the perfect way to mesh my passions.” She says her knowledge of marketing was a valuable resource on the business side, getting the company of the ground, while her love of nature gave her the energy to sustain the operation over time.

Todt says she wanted to give her business a name that stood out. “I was going into a male dominated industry and I wanted to leave my mark,” she said.  When thinking about a possible name, Todt said the brand,Lawn Boy, inspired her because it was simple and effective.