Local landscaper turns heads with his manicured lawns and young age

BERRIEN COUNTY, Mich. -- Spring is in full swing, and that means it's busy season for our local landscapers, and one lawncare expert has been turning heads with his precision, and his age.

At 12 years old, some people dream of being a professional athlete, a firefighter, or maybe the president. For Nate Hawks, his dream at 12 was landscaping, and that dream has more than come true. It's been nearly a decade for Nate in the landscaping game.

But if you think there's even a slight chance the 21-year-old is starting to get bored with it, think again.

"I'm still getting up every day and saying let's do this and wanting to grow, there's never a day where I want to sit stagnant and do nothing and I just want to continue the business and do everything that we can to keep growing," said Nate Hawks, landscaper and owner of Hawks Landscaping.

Even before he started the business at 12 years old, yes, 12 years old, Nate and fresh-cut grass were a match made in heaven.

"He's always been pretty unique in the aspect of play to him was working outside, if he was burning gas, he was having fun. We've got pictures of him from back in the day, with the backpack blower on when it went down to his knees, and it was fun to watch him grow up," said Brent Hawks, Nate's father.

Nate isn't the only member of the Hawks family in the company, as his father is the self-proclaimed V.P. of Sales. 

It's been a joy for Brent to watch his son come into his own, but don't even for a second think he and other members of the Hawks family aren't ecstatic about reaping the benefits of having a solid landscaper in the family.

"Our whole family enjoys the landscaping aspect of it. When he got old enough to ride the tractor, he wouldn't let me on it anymore, I didn't get the opportunity to mow the lawn, so it was kind of fun watching that," said Brent.

In March this year, Nate competed in the National Collegiate Landscape Competition at Michigan State, his alma mater. Out of 726 competitors, Nate emerged as the king of the lawns, rating number one student overall.

"It was great, great experience, I loved the networking that Michigan State has offered me, and that's the biggest reason I went to Michigan State. Looking out in the crowd and seeing all the people that I know, out of the 726 students, I can proudly say that I knew a third of them, so it's great," said Nate.

Nate says the best part about working with his dad is that it's brought them even closer together as father and son.