Meet Roots First
Our Story
We firmly believe in strong foundations and planning for our design and construction projects, however we extend that philosophy to our company culture and team. We take our "Roots First" Ethos and believe in investing in our team. We strive to surround ourselves with like minded individuals who continually raise the bar for themselves and our company, helping to establish Roots First at the forefront of our industry.
The Roots First Team
Harrison Hoffman
A true garden lover at heart, Harrison harnesses a strong passion for horticulture, design and construction that has been cultivated throughout his over 16 years of experience within the high end residential landscape industry. He first realized his love for plants as a kid working summers at a plant nursery growing up in Nevada. After traveling throughout Europe, he developed an appreciation for early architecture and European gardens. Harrison enjoys drawing from that affinity and blending in modern design elements to create organized and purposeful spaces evoking various emotions throughout a property. His work has been featured in numerous magazines. Harrison oversees every project from concept to completion. Outside of work, Harrison enjoys camping, fishing, traveling, and cheering on the Los Angeles Chargers with his wife Ashley and their daughters, Violet and Hazel.
PRESIDENT/DESIGN LEAD
Ashley Hoffman
Ashley’s family relocated to Arizona from Wyoming when she was 5 years old, and grew up taking advantage of the diverse Arizona state. She spent summers fishing with her grandparents, hiking, camping, and snowboarding every winter. Overtime she naturally developed a passion for wellness and fitness, and wanted to help others do the same. She became a licensed massage therapist and aesthetician, Eventually finding herself in spa management for a large international resort brand. After having children, Ashley made a choice to pause her career and raise her two daughters full time. Over time due to a love of the outdoors, and through osmosis of hearing Harrison ramble on about designs and projects he was working on, found herself enamored with the very same industry when they decided to launch their own brand. In fact, Ashley was the brain child behind the company’s founding name. When Ashley is not helping manage Roots first, or caring for her daughters, she continues to explore her passion for personal wellness and fitness, traveling, and creating memories with family and friends.
HUMAN RESOURCES/ACCOUNTS PAYABLE
Ericka Shaffer-Lopez
As a native to Arizona Ericka is no stranger to the Sonoran desert, however she never intended to get involved with the landscape industry. Ericka always excelled with numbers, and began pursuing a degree in accounting. As a working student, Ericka stumbled into the landscaping industry by chance due to her bilingual abilities and quickly found herself an integral part of a local award winning landscape design, build and maintenance firm. As a naturally curious person who loves to understand how things work, Ericka began to develop a passion for the industry, learning horticultural practices and using her bilingual skills to establish relationships with industry leading professionals and vendors. Over time, she was able to combine her natural talents with numbers and her growing green industry knowledge by becoming a construction estimator and purchaser. When she is not carefully piecing together a large construction contract or planning logistics for job materials, she loves to spending time with her family and friends, cooking new recipes, and planning future adventures.
ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR
Stella Dzudza
Stella has grown up around architecture her entire life as the daughter of a licensed architect. This influence combined with a natural born affinity for design drew her to pursue a similar path. Stella also has a passion for wellness, the medicinal and psychological benefits of plants as well as the aesthetic beauty they add to our environment. It was her strong roots in design, and her love of studying the form and function of native plants that ultimately led her to pursue a degree in landscape architecture. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture in 2021 from Arizona State University. Stella enjoys working with clients to create spaces that become an extension of their home, drawing them outside to connect with their friends and families in an authentic way. Stella grew up spending summers in Europe visiting her family, and continues that tradition to this day. She finds great joy experiencing and learning from different cultures through food and art. When not working, Stella enjoys yoga, dinners with friends, a good podcast, and traveling whenever possible.
DESIGNER
