Roots of Resilience: How a Pittsburgh landscaper is reviving spaces and strengthening community

Stone Grow's Suzanne Pace shares her story of growth and reinvention

Landscaper and certified stone waller Suzanne Pace has built a thriving design firm revitalizing outdoor spaces with sustainable landscaping, full service design and masonry. The business provides Pace with the hands-on work she craves and with a meaningful way to give back to the community she values.

Pace launched Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based Stone Grow when she wanted a change from a successful career in non-profit work and community development. Now, more than five years later, Stone Grow is successfully beautifying spaces in need of repair. Stone Grow also takes part in a few specific volunteer projects to give back to the community.

"Our volunteer work ranges from parks and schoolyards to empty lots and backyard wildlife habitats," says Pace. "We do this without fanfare for five or six properties a season. We're not looking for attention; we just want to help and support our neighbors."

Stone Grow is one of the 2025 Citizens Small Business Community Champion Award winners. The award recognizes Citizens business account customers striving to improve their communities and provides them with a $10,000 prize.

Pace recently spoke about how she has carefully built a strong business foundation, a network to lean on and a community that shares her commitment to giving back.

Tip: Combine passion with prudence.

Pace first started landscaping in 2015 after she developed an interest in plants and horticulture. She has formal training in Landscaping and Sustainable Design at Phipps with a certification from Vermont's Stone Trust in dry stone walling; a technique that uses stones only - no mortar or concrete - to craft walls.

Then she had an epiphany.

"I realized that I didn't have anything to lose," she says. "I had a new educational foundation, and I knew I never wanted to work behind a desk again. I thought, 'How can I marry all my past experience in development, community work and education with my new skill sets?' I knew I had to listen to my heart and find something I could do where I got my hands dirty and worked with my brain and my body."

Stone Grow officially launched in late 2019, just before the COVID-19 pandemic began. While that timing would not be ideal for many startups, the market was good for landscape design. "People forced to stay home were suddenly very interested in investing in their spaces," Pace says.

Since then, Pace has built on her passion with a careful approach to business growth. She created a road map for expansion, falling back on her experience in business plan development from when she worked in community development. She also started small by borrowing $500 and a truck from her husband, stocking it with used equipment, and then mailing 200 existing contacts with an offer of a spring cleanup. As Stone Grow prospered, Pace poured savings from each year's profits back into the business to buy tools and supplies for the next season. Her careful planning and spending have worked well, but she's aware that she needs stronger financial management know-how to support her future success.

"I feel confident creating a business plan because of my background, but I'd love to build on my financial management skills," she says. "I'm really learning while I go. It's a bit like building a plane while it's in the air."

Pace says keeping on top of expenses has been critical to her financial success so far, but truck repairs and other expenses add up and can be difficult to predict. Her low-cost growth approach is also becoming more difficult to maintain due to the impact of tariffs and economic uncertainty. She sources plants and stones locally, but some of the tools she needs are made in Canada or overseas.

"That means that a pair of great pruners that used to cost $75 could now cost $150," she says. "It's something we'll have to factor for going forward."

These financial realities are reinforcing the need for her to learn how to manage cash flow and plan out her financial management the same way she has mapped out Stone Grow's expansion.

Bottom line: Use passion to launch a business and build momentum and apply careful financial management to help it thrive. Keeping costs low during the startup phase may help you have the funds you need to invest in business-building and to pay for unexpected expenses. Build important cash flow management skills and line up financing ahead of when it is needed to maintain the business you've built.

Tip: Build a network to lean on.

While Pace wanted to create a business of her own, she knew she didn't need to do it alone. To create the network of peers she knew was essential to success, she actively sought out industry groups and experienced peers.

To establish the credibility Stone Grow would need to attract customers, Pace has worked with Pittsburgh's Phipps Conservatory. Phipps classes helped Pace build her skills, and her affiliation with the institution gives customers confidence in her expertise. Stone Grow's listing as an accredited sustainable landscaping professional on the Phipps website has been central to her growth.

"People looking for my type of services look to them for recommendations," Pace says. "It's like a seal of approval."

Industry mentors have helped guide Pace in her business journey along the way. While she was doing consulting work with the city of Pittsburgh, she was able to meet Frank Pizi, the curator or horticulture at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium. Mr. Pizi was able to help Pace understand how and where she could find hands-on training, education opportunities and even connected her to his network of horticulturalists and landscapers.

On the business side of Stone Grow, Pace has accumulated both important skills and confidence that her business idea was sound. "Early on, these experiences were really useful," she says. "From my prior work in consulting, I knew how to create a business plan, but these experiences gave me confidence in my concept."

She also participated in business accelerators, as well as small business programs, through Chatham University's Center for Women's Entrepreneurship in Pittsburgh, which have been an important source of support. As a Citizens Small Business Community Champion Award winner, Pace now also has access to mentoring, education and networking opportunities through a Luminary Fellowship membership.

A skilled and reliable network also helped Pace through a particularly difficult time: She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer just as she was in the middle of busy season and had a large install project underway.

"It was scary. I reached out to another contractor and explained the situation, and while it wasn't the type of project he usually worked on, he did the work and helped connect me with resources for other parts of the project," she says. "These guys were amazing and worked beautifully with my core team. I was vulnerable, and they helped me. These are precious, dynamic relationships for me."

Bottom line: Seek mentors, programs and professional allies to support your personal and business development. Industry organizations and experienced peers can help you quickly find the resources you need while strengthening your skills and credibility. Every business — and person — experiences ups and downs; having a trusted, reliable network in place can offer critical support when it matters most.

Tip: Build community.

An integral part of Stone Grow's mission is to help revitalize individual and nonprofit Pittsburgh-area properties for owners who may not have the financial resources to do so on their own.

In a recent project, a woman who had inherited her mother's home was not sure what to do with a yard that had become overgrown and unmanageable. The project was overwhelming both emotionally and financially. "In a situation like this, my team will go in and clean things up first," Pace says. "Once that is complete, we talk about what is needed from there and what someone can afford to do. Helping people in this way is what we do."

Stone Grow's community spirit unites it with other local businesses with a similar commitment. Pace says she's actively involved in a network of Pittsburgh women who operate their own landscaping companies and prioritize community service. The connections provide ongoing support for community giving and the vitality of the businesses that are giving back, since businesses in the network routinely refer jobs to each other.

"When someone in this professional network hears of a stone project, they might suggest me, and I would do the same when a potential customer is looking for a specialized type of installation we can't do," Pace says. "We're all very supportive of one another, because we know having a strong professional community helps all of us thrive."

Bottom line: Giving back can create a strong community and also be good business. Building authentic relationships with neighbors and peers can lead to a stronger business environment for everyone and important referrals that can contribute to success.

Entrepreneurship isn't just about profit; it's also about purpose, persistence and people. By blending experience with new skills, building a trusted network, and staying rooted in community values, Pace has cultivated more than just beautiful landscapes; she's grown a business that uplifts others and thrives on connection.

Do you need guidance on your small business journey? Schedule an appointment with Citizens to receive personalized assistance for your business.

Start Your Business Journey