ROOTS Emily Keown’s journey to finding her place in the industry IN THE INDUSTRY
By Gail Pope
E mily Keown’s journey proves the path to success is often a winding one, demanding both the flexibility to embrace radical change and the wisdom to return to your roots. As a persistent champion of community and collaboration, Keown is transforming both clients’ properties and the face of leadership in the landscape trades. Growing up, Keown watched her mother run the successful Lake of
College to pursue a career as a law clerk, a path she quickly
realized was not for her, as she found the work repetitive and stressful. After finishing this degree, she worked in
banking, which also failed to spark the passion her mother had hoped she would find. Throughout these years, each time Keown was unsure of what to do or where to go next, she was drawn back to the family business. She eventually quit her job at the bank to work there full-time. “I started to realize, maybe this is what I want to do,” she said. Keown recognized that with bills to pay and a future to prepare for, she would need to go all in. She went back to school in 2016 to earn her diploma in Floral Design and started the floral department at Lake of Bays. After a couple of years, another opportunity came up for her to manage the maintenance team. Then, in 2019, roles shifted once more when her brother opened Fivepoint Landscaping and took over the centre's maintenance section, having Keown to work alongside him. In 2021, Keown bought into Fivepoint Landscaping, officially becoming a co-owner.
Bays Garden Centre in Dwight, Ont. Instead of expecting her daughter to follow in her footsteps, her mother encouraged her to seek out a passion and professional path that was her own. “My mom wanted us to learn how to work for other employers, since it’s a different experience from working for your family,” Keown explained. This encouragement led Keown to explore various fields. As a child, she would talk about becoming a hairdresser and moving to a big city. During high school, she worked as a waitress, but often found herself between shifts offering to join the mulching crew or cut grass. On weekends, she would also help out at the garden centre. Keown continued to explore her options throughout her twenties. She attended Georgian
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