Testimonials, Letters, Background
Thank You Notes and Resume Included
Resume > Mario Vaden > MS Word .doc
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UNIVERSITY OF PORTLAND - L. Cordas February 15, 1985 To whom it may concern: ...Mario Vaden has been employed in my department since June 1984......we have found Mario to be reliable, dependable and hard working......I think you will be satisfied if you consider hiring him. Sincerely, L. Cordas, Grounds Foreman Portland, Oregon |
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OREGON STATE GOVERNOR - THEODORE R. KULONGOSKI November 30, 2005 
Dear Mr. Vaden Thank you for your six years of service to the State Landscape Contractors Board. Your talent, experience and input to the board has been very beneficial. ...I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest appreciation for your work. Thank you for your time, talent and effort in this important role, and for your willingness to be involved in public service. I commend you for your unselfish contribution to the citizens of the State of Oregon. Sincerely, THEODORE R. KULONGOSKI
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PORTLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE - Mr. John Wirth September 11, 1985 (To) Landscape Contractors Advisory Board RE: Mario Vaden ...He has assisted me with two landscape jobs and I was pleased with his expertise and ability to work......I personally have found Mario to be very interested in and dedicated to the landscape industry. Sincerely, J. Wirth |
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HOMEOWNER - Mr. Donald Nichols January 26, 1998 (To) Oregon State Contractors Board: To whom it may concern, Mario is very knowledgeable in his field, and willing to share this with those for whom he works. We have always found his work well done, and the clean up extra careful. He is an excellent workman who takes pride in his craft. We became good friends over the years. Sincerely, D. Nichols Portland, Oregon |
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ROCK CREEK COUNTRY CLUB - P. Gabrilis February 28, 1983 To whom it may concern, ... Even with the adverse weather conditions of the winter of 1982 - 1983, Mario maintained the golf course in equivalent, if not better, condition than during the previous winter with less manhours and less fuel consumption. P. Gabrilis Owner Portland, Oregon |
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BROOKINGS - HARBOR GARDEN CLUB February 22, 2007 Dear Mario Vaden, Thank you for taking the time to come and speak at our meeting. As you could tell from the response of our members your presentation was well received. We all learned so much about pruning trees and shrubs. The Brookings - Harbor Garden Club by, John Sullivan Corresponding Secretary Brookings, Oregon |
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HOMEOWNER - Mr. M. Rogers February 21, 2000 Hi Mario, Thanks very much for the fine job you did. I appreciate it. Regards, Beaverton, Oregon |
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HOMEOWNER - Mr. & Mrs. Tomlinson April 2007 Thank You ! Did a great job !! We'll call you again - Regards, D. & M. Central Point, Oregon |
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January 10, 1985 ...Mario did a fine job for me and his enthusiasm especially in the tree maintenance department was quite commendable... Tigard, Oregon |
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HOMEOWNER - B. Collins August, 2004 Thank you for the quick work! The yard looks much better. I will not hesitate to recommend your service to others. Aloha, Oregon |
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HOMEOWNER - D. McCutcheon November 7, 1989 Just a brief note to thank you again for the very professional job you did in pruning the hedges. We did not believe you would have so much material to remove but the "finished product" is excellent...and the subject of several very, very favorable comments around the neighborhood... Beaverton, Oregon |
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INTERNATIONAL DUNES COMPANY - L. Lusk September 13, 1985 ...Mr. Vaden is a competent and knowledgeable landscaper and we will consult with him about any further problems we might have with the grounds. Portland, Oregon |
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HOMEOWNER - P. Doherty February, 2004 Dear Mario,After your phone call I braced myself to see the shrubs. Jim and I both love them! And the cherry tree looks so much better. My neighbor, Mrs. Sher..., gave her approval too! Thank you.Sincerely, Wilsonville, Oregon |
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HOMEOWNER - J. Chandler February, 1998 ...Mario has always been prompt, diligent and very dependable. We have always been happy with his work especially his creativity in the application of his skills. He is a very professional and skilled arborist... We would not hesitate to recommend Mario for any pursuit... Tigard, Oregon |
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HOMEOWNER - C & S Marshall July, 2003 Thank you so very much. It looks wonderful, you really did and excellent job. We will keep you in mind, when our next outdoor project comes up... C. & S. Marshall Portland, Oregon |
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HOMEOWNER - L. Mullen October 12, 2003 Great job of opening up Mom's back and side yard. What a difference......The gal that lives in the house was shocked - she had no idea the yard was so big. Portland, Oregon |
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OREGON HEALTH SCIENCES UNIVERSITY - N. Ray September, 1984 Mario Vaden...is working as Grounds Keeper I. He has maintained our south campus area in excellent condition and has made many improvements in this area....He also has been involved with special projects. He completes assignments with minimum amount of supervision. Mario has maintained good working relations with other employees and with Physical Plant employees working in his area....Mario maintains a commercial pesticide applicators license....I would recommend Mario for any position in grounds maintenance. Portland, Oregon |
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HOMEOWNER - S. Burch March 15, 2004 Thank you again for the beautiful work! We've mentioned you to all of our friends, and encouraged them to tell their friends. Warmest Regards, Portland, Oregon |
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HOMEOWNER - E. Jackson October, 2003 Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! Tigard, Oregon |
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HOMEOWNER - C. Hendrickson September, 1985 To whom in may concern:... I was very impressed with Mr. Vaden's work, which was performed quickly and efficiently in a very professional manner.Sincerely, Gaston, Oregon |
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HOMEOWNER - G. Herztein June, 2001 ...What a lovely surprise to find when I returned from Vermont. -- how very kind and thoughtful of you... Beaverton, Oregon |
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HOMEOWNER - Mr. "D" July, 2004 Thanks. Trees look great and the monkey puzzle makes us both sleep easier... Mr. "D" Tigard, Oregon |
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HOMEOWNER - L. Marsden April, 1998 Thank you so much for getting in touch with us regarding pruning...We are in Maui right now, however, you can do the pruning any time....After the wonderful job you did with all our pine trees and everything else, I was so dissappointed when you told us you were leaving, and I just kept procrastinating on calling someone else to to it. Now, I'm glad I didn't do it. Sincerely yours, Charbonneau, Oregon |
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HOMEOWNER - A. Martin February 1998 To whom it may concern,Mario Vaden has done pruning for us...as well as at a rental home that I manage...1990 through 1997. His work is in the superior range. He is honest, fair and trustworthy and takes great pride in doing good work for you....Since his move...I have no idea who I might emloy of his caliber & work ethic. Thank you. Beaverton, Oregon |
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HOMEOWNER - D. Kidd February, 1998 To the Oregon Landscape Contractors Board...Mario Vaden...His work was excellent. He kept us informed of the progress as he worked. He explained what he was doing and why. And he fulfilled the work on time and on budget. In addition, he took the time to walk the property with us, to identify each tree by type and characteristics, and recommended landscaping concepts, some of which we adoped in later work on the property. I consider him to be a fine professional, and a pleasure to deal with, and would recommend him to any employer. Tigard, Oregon |
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HOMEOWNER - D. & D. Kennish October, 2004 Thanks - the job was done very nicely - Beaverton, Oregon |
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HOMEOWNER - C. Borntraeger September, 2005 Thanks so much for such an excellent job done - C. Borntraeger Jacksonville, Oregon |
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Administrator: Online Seminars for Municipal Arborists - L. Phillips November, 2006 Hi Mario, I just thought you might like to know that your article has produced more comments and is the most popular article ever featured on the Seminars. So far this month, over 50 tests have been recorded on your article. This is more than most articles get in the average two month Seminar.... ... I am even getting emails from people about your article. They are all telling me how good it is and are there any more like this coming. Do you have another topic you would like to write about? Thanks again for thinking about the Seminars when you wanted to publish. |
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Homeowner - K. Burrill September 27, 2007 Hi Mario, Thank you so very much. You did a "Great" job. It all looks so good ! I so appreciate what you did. God Bless, Central Point, Oregon |
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Homeowner - D. & N. Scafani December, 2007 We appreciate all your wonderful ideas as well as all your hard work and dependability. Medford, Oregon |
B&W Flyer > Download for bulletin boards or friends > MS Word .doc
Images: 2003 Mario in office, 2005 with wife and youngest children, 2005 landscape board meeting, 2007 oldest son, 2006 oldest daughter.
1980 was the beginning of my my work with horticulture: as landscaper, arborist, greenskeeper, horticulturist and golf course superintendent.
Add "student" too. The early work years involved 6 golf courses, 2 university campuses and 2 landscape companies, followed by projects as a business owner.
Before 1980, my experience included construction, new home inspection and my parent's restaurants; one was at 3rd & Alder downtown Portland; another in Arlington, Oregon; another at Timber Junction on the way to Seaside.
Currently, my hobby of making walking sticks replaces 6 years of fine woodworking which I enjoyed in high school. In my senior year, I received a design trophy from a woodworking competion show at Washington Square mall.
Enrollment at Portland Community College began in 1983, leading to certification as a Landscape Technician. My college experience started more as a matter of workplace competition, but I immediately found enjoyment in landscape design and management.
Business started in 1988, specializing in pruning. In time, landscape design and installation were added. Most projects have been in Oregon towns, both inland and coastal.
From 1999 to 2005, I was appointed by Governors Kitzhaber and Kulongoski, to serve 2 terms as a board member of the Oregon Landscape Contractors Board which is responsible for testing and licensing of Oregon landscape contractors.
We (the 7 board members) coordinated objectives with our administrator and personnel. It was a fine opportunity to contribute, meet people and view the industry from a new angle. Serving on this Oregon license board was an educational and beneficial experience.
In the image to the right, is a 2005 landscape board meeting held in Grants Pass, Oregon. Most meetings were at the State Capitol in Salem.
My mother - one of 13 brothers and sisters - was born in Keewatin, Ontaria, Canada, now included in Kenora, Ontario. That was a favorite vacation spot, near the Lake of the Woods. We visited my grandmother there in my early teen years: each visit included fresh blueberry pie from a woodstove oven. That was 1972, and my grandmother still didn't have running water or electric appliances. A woodstove and a few electric lights. "Restroom" outdoors of course, and bathing in a galvanized tub or the lake - one or the other. My grandmother spoke Ukrainian, so our communication was limited to a few words and hugs.
My father, Paul Vaden - oldest of 4 brothers; no sisters - was born in Athens, Greece, and met my mother, Eleanor Mulski, in Vancouver, B.C., where they married. Favorite times with dad included many drives to the Oregon Coast and Mt. Hood. We drove to those regularly as a family, dining with a picnic basket. (I never travelled to Athens to meet relatives, but my Grandmother came to the USA to visit in the 1980s - she later moved to Johannesburg in South Africa to live with my cousin and uncle. I still remember an orange cake she made for me when she came to Oregon. My solid gold engraved tie clip was a 10th birthday present from her. It remains my only tie clip, and still gleams like new. Both grandfathers passed away before I was born.
I was born in Vancouver B.C., Canada in 1959. My family (I had no siblings) moved to the United States in 1960, temporarily living near New Jersey. By 1963, we came to Oregon, where I attended school in Beaverton for 12 years and was graduated from high school in 1977. I remained in Beaverton most of the years between 1963 and 2005. Beaverton had about 8,000 residents in 1963 and was mainly rural. By the time we moved south to Jacksonville, Oregon, in 2005, Beaverton was mainly urban, with a population of near 80,000. My dad re-married a woman, Carla Anderson, who's roots were from Tillamook, Oregon - from which I gained a brother Michael and sister Melina.
My wife Jan, and I, met in Beaverton and were married 1991 in Portand. Jan was born in Klamath Falls, Oregon, and grew up in Medford. Before we met, she was a medical assistant. Of Jan's several siblings, two became nurses and her father was a dentist.
We have children and plenty of pets. Four children altogether - 2 boys and 2 girls; with about a 20 year spread from youngest to oldest: Michael, Sarah, Greg and Tricia. We lived in Beaverton as a family for at least 14 years, then - for a while - relocated near Jacksonville, Oregon, between Medford and Grants Pass, in July of 2005 (in Applegate Valley at Ruch). Pets ranged from miniature schnauzer, long-hair chihuahua, rotweiller, papillon, African grey parrot, blue and gold macaw, cockatiels, green cheek conures, Indian ringneck parakeet and fish.
We tried a small adventure in 1998, moving to Savannah, Georgia, for 8 months to see the east coast. If it wasn't for the fire ants, sand gnats and humidity, we may have stayed a long time. I combined pruning business and part-time employment in Savannah until we were ready to move back to the Pacific Northwest.
The Savannah area is attractive including the Spanish moss draped from limbs of tall oak trees. The beach is very interesting to walk on because there are many differenct kinds of sea shells. People there, enjoy collecting shark teeth, and learning which sharks the teeth are from. We collected hundreds of shark teeth and framed many of them for our son.
But, I like Oregon's coast better - less shells - but plenty of character. Maybe it's because it feels like home. Four favorites places among many are Ecola State Park, the long drive-on beach near Gearhart, Beacon Rock across from Cascade Locks, and Nehalem Bay State Park.
Without a doubt, the Oregon coast is my favorite destination for a drive, relaxing or camping. I also enjoy the southern Oregon coast, combining it with the north California Redwoods, where I enjoy hiking.