Meet Alec & Kurt Markowski | Environmentally friendly landscape design, build, & maintenance
We had the good fortune of connecting with Alec & Kurt Markowski and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Alec & Kurt, what is the most important factor behind your success?
We approach everything with intention. From sourcing environmentally friendly products, using all electric equipment, and being our clients’ best advocate, every action has an impact and we work to bring awareness to it.
Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Starting our business in 2020 was no easy feat. We built our company and brand one yard at a time. Our first project in California we borrowed tools from the homeowner. After each project, we’ve reinvested in more equipment and hiring additional team members. After over 200 projects throughout San Diego county, we have a team of 10, four company vehicles and a fleet of all electric maintenance equipment. We’ve overcome challenges one project and one issue at a time.
Having your husband as a business partner has been challenging and also very beneficial. Learning how to turn off “Drab to Fab” at the end of the day is something we are still working on. We are currently working on carving out time for ourselves, but somehow we still end up checking inventory at nurseries and the San Diego Botanic garden on the weekends.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Upon arrival we’d take our guests immediately to Donna Jean and see if they could tell it was vegan.
On our first day we’d start with a hike at Torrey Pines, then take them to the La Jolla Cove to see the sea lions, and have brunch at Trilogy for the best views in town.
We’d get our nature fix with a hike at Potato Chip Rock, Fiesta Island with the dogs and all the views, and sunset cliffs for the best sunsets.
A trip to San Diego wouldn’t be complete without a trip to Yu Spa followed by the best vegan sushi at The Yasai (don’t miss the brussel sprouts).
In our neighborhood, you can’t miss the ambience and cocktails at Part Time Lover followed by a delicious meal at Plumeria.
We’d spend the rest of the week cooking meals at home with the best organic, vegan ingredients sourced from North Park Produce, North Park & Hillcrest farmers’ markets, H Mart and Lazy Acres.
If we’re feeling adventurous, day trips to Joshua Tree, Anza Borrego and Valle Guadeloupe are wonderful stops within a stone’s throw of our backyard.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Narrowing down the support system to our success is a difficult task. We’d like to dedicate our shoutout to our mothers who fostered love for the planet and instilled our responsibility as part of that system. We learned from sweat equity in their gardens that hard work can reshape a space and how we see the world. Both of our moms supported our love for nature and encouraged us to follow a path that brought meaning and fulfillment. It was actually in April 2020 in Kurt’s mom’s garden that we thought of building a business together with her encouragement.
Website: Drabtofab.com
Instagram: @drabtofab
Twitter: @drabtofab
Facebook: @drabtofab
Youtube: @drabtofablandscape
Image Credits
Jenna Selby
Nominate Someone: ShoutoutSocal is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
