Breedlove Land Planning, one of the premier landscape architecture and civil engineering firms in Georgia, has announced the retirement of Mike Breedlove, the founder of the company. 

The four other principals -- Hugh O. “Chip” Brown, Jr., J. Scott Talbot, Matt Tanner and Kyle Webb -- will carry on the executive leadership of the company. 

For 36 years, Mike has been the face and name of Breedlove Land Planning. During that time, he and his team have designed thousands of projects, built an expansive client list and fostered a supportive, collaborative culture that continues to grow.

“As we’ve grown, we have continued to be relationship-focused, and that started with Mike,” said Webb. “We have organically developed a lot of mentor-mentee relationships that create a lot of well-rounded professionals in our field. To carry on Mike’s legacy is to continue to teach and develop others.”

Mike has served his profession of landscape architecture through his active involvement on the Georgia State Board of Landscape Architects for nearly 20 years, including stints as Chairman for the majority of that time. He also served as Regional Director for the Council of Landscape Architecture Registration Boards (CLARB) and Georgia Chapter President for the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). The ASLA inducted him as Fellow in 2000. He has been most recently honored by the Georgia Soil & Water Conservation Commission as the Level II Design Professional of the Year in March.

Mike graduated from the University of Georgia’s College of Environmental Design in 1980 and started his career at Evan Marbut & Associates in Decatur, performing site design services for several schools in Dekalb County. 

In 1985, Mike started Breedlove Land Planning with one client, Gwinnett Industries. Under his leadership, the company has grown out of his basement in Conyers into a pair of offices in Atlanta and Bishop with over 20 design professionals. 

The firm grew beyond traditional landscape architecture firms, as Mike saw the value of bringing engineers onto the team and encouraging his staff to be well-rounded in their skill sets. This practical design approach leads to more thoughtful spaces and user experiences for each project.

“When we started, we were exclusively landscape architects practicing site design,” Mike said. “Soon, we had engineers on our team, too, creating a landscape architecture-engineering firm. Our clients appreciated our holistic approach.”  

For more than three decades, Breedlove Land Planning has designed projects for schools and government complexes, commercial developments and parks, and a multitude of projects at the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech and other higher education institutions. 

The Rockdale Veterans War Memorial in Conyers was designed by Mike and his team. Since its inception, the park has been expanded and updated to continue honoring those who served the U.S. in various wars and conflicts. The Memorial has been a “passion project” for Mike, providing an opportunity to express gratitude to those who have served through the avenue of design and construction.

Mike’s impact extends far beyond the projects that Breedlove Land Planning has designed.  For the Big Creek Elementary School project in Forsyth County, Mike worked with professors and researchers to develop methodologies and modeling for innovative erosion control best management practices that have been adopted by the industry. Much of the Georgia Erosion Control Manual has Mike’s fingerprints on it, as he has continued working with professors and experts at universities across the Southeast to expand research and education. 

“We view our projects as much more than the project -- it’s the community, the environment, the people and end users,” Mike said. “It’s all about balance, and our clients value the balanced approach of what we do.”

That approach will not change with the firm’s current leadership, which has been in place for several years. Brown, Talbot, Tanner and Webb intend to carry on Mike’s legacy of holistic design and a culture of camaraderie.

“I think that Mike has clearly created a culture and principles our clients see as assets, which is a big part of why we keep getting to work with them on great projects,” said Tanner, who serves as vice president of engineering for the firm. “Everyone at BLP has been influenced by Mike’s approach, to be well rounded and learn everything they can about our industry.”