Pond is proud to announce and welcome Brad Jones, PLA, ASLA as Senior Project Manager for the Transportation and Community Development division.
Located at Pond’s headquarters, Jones, a registered Landscape Architect and Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Level II Certified Design Professional, brings 20 years of experience as a landscape architect and project manager with a vast talent in planning, design, site engineering, and construction observation, with a focus on parks, urban plazas, streetscapes, and greenway trails, for public and private clients.
The hallmark of Jones’ talent is to “design with nature,” by using subtle engineering to flow with the natural and historical context of the street, trail or park, so it integrates seamlessly into the landscape.
Pond took notice of his creativity, passion and landscape design skills.
“Brad has more than 20 years of experience in public space design, and his clear passion for his chosen profession in landscape architecture was evident to Pond through his design portfolio, and through his commitment to his clients’ needs,” said Director of Landscape Architecture Matt Wilder.
His zeal for integrating landscape design with civil engineering started at a young age.
“When I was three years old I became fascinated with the Holiday Inn ‘Great Sign’ on road trips. I think I drew it for the first time when I was four,” he explained.
By the time he graduated from high school, Jones’ drawings started to expand to show maps, site plans and imaginary cities. When it came time to choose his major in college, his passion became his vocation.
After graduating from UGA with a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, Jones began using his talents for landscape design for clients throughout Georgia, with personal highlights including managing the riverfront improvement in Rome, Georgia, and the renovations in his hometown of Cedartown, Georgia.
“When the streetscape was being implemented, we had to adjust the design to accommodate a movie location shoot,” he said. “The new open spaces are well used and added to the quality of life there.”
It’s the tribute to Georgia’s own Ray Charles that Jones says was another example of combining the natural landscape and engineering for a public park.
“The most unique project was designing a riverfront park honoring musician Ray Charles in Albany, Georgia,” he reminisced. “My team designed a musical themed hardscape, planned a sound system that played ‘Georgia on My Mind’ at certain times of the day, and a rotating pedestal for a statue of Ray Charles sculpted by the late Andy Davis.”
Pond’s strong reputation within the government and private sector construction and design professionals attracted Jones when looking for his next professional home.
“The support for growing and serving clients is very strong here. I hope to help bridge disciplines through my experience in urban design, green infrastructure, restoration, transportation enhancement and planning, so that I also hope to help our group be successful, win unique projects, and grow.”