An Unexpected Path to the Green Industry
When McQuade graduated college with a degree in marketing, she assumed that the only career options for her were to work at large agency or a big company based in Toronto.
But in 2012, a mutual connection introduced her to Intrigue Media where she discovered her real passion was working with entrepreneurs and small-to-medium-sized businesses.
McQuade moved up through the ranks and bought into the company in 2018. As she grew with the company, she helped Intrigue organically pivot to landscape-focused marketing.
“One of our first clients that I took on over 12 years ago now was a landscape client and we had a lot of success in their campaign,” McQuade said.
That success led to an introduction to Landscape Ontario, where she discovered “so many other awesome entrepreneurs that are in the green space that also need a bunch of help.”
But what sealed the deal wasn’t just the business opportunity, it was the people.
“We really like the people in the industry because they’re – I was using this and not realizing it was a pun for years – down to Earth,” she said with a laugh. “They are such good people. There’s so much space to assist and help because they’re landscapers. They know what they know best and we’re really good at knowing how to market landscaping.”
Stepping Out from Behind the Computer
As her career progressed, McQuade found that her biggest strengths lay in the human connections that drive successful campaigns rather than technical execution.
“I honestly thought I would be more on the ‘in front of my computer’ side of things,” she said. “What I discovered is that I’m very social, but sales still seemed really scary to me.”
Her perspective on sales transformed when she realized it wasn’t about being a “used car salesman” stereotype but about genuine problem-solving.
“Sales done well is just having conversations with people, understanding what they want, and seeing if we’re a fit to be able to help them with it,” she said. “I get to just have really awesome conversations with people and learn about them. I get to meet hundreds of amazing people every year.”
Now her typical day reflects her focus on relationship-building and strategic planning. She hosts discovery calls, conducts deep-dive assessments, works with her team to create comprehensive marketing audits, and presents integrated marketing plans that include everything from competitive analysis to budget recommendations.
The other significant portion of her current role involves industry engagement through association events, conferences, and educational presentations, which supports McQuade and Intrigue’s core philosophy: “To create the gold standard in marketing that landscape entrepreneurs can trust to grow their business.”
A Philosophy Built on Education and Honesty
This philosophy stems from recognizing a fundamental problem in both the marketing and landscaping industries.
“There’s a lot of ‘snake oil’ that exists in it. It’s very similar in both of these industries,” McQuade said.
Intrigue’s approach centers on empowerment rather than dependency.
“It was really around the idea of how we elevate marketing for landscapers, whether they’re working with us or somebody else, so that they at least know the right questions to ask and the right things to look for,” McQuade explains.
For McQuade, this means providing extensive free resources and education, even for businesses that might be too small to work with her firm directly.
At the 2025 Hardscape North America trade show, McQuade will be presenting a session titled, “5 Marketing Mistakes That Most Landscape Entrepreneurs Are Making and How to Overcome Them.”
McQuade’s years of experience have taught her that many landscape businesses make the same fundamental mistakes when approaching marketing.
“Marketing can seem very overwhelming. They’re trying a bunch of stuff. They’re wasting a bunch of money because they’re dabbling in a bunch of things. They’re also spreading their budget over a bunch of different things, instead of honing in on something, doing it really well, getting it right, and then rolling in some more stuff as they go,” she said.
The goal is to arm attendees with the knowledge and questions they need to make informed marketing decisions, whether they’re working with internal teams or external agencies.
True to her educational philosophy, the presentation won’t just identify problems—it will provide solutions.
“We will give you the problem. But we’ll also give you the answer,” McQuade said. “We want landscape and hardscape entrepreneurs to make good decisions in their marketing and to hold their internal team members or marketing agencies to a higher standard.”
Breaking Into the Industry
For those considering a career in landscape and hardscape marketing, McQuade’s advice is encouraging and practical.
“Companies are looking for awesome people all the time,” she said, emphasizing opportunities from social media support to full in-house marketing roles. She encourages women especially to consider the green industry.
“I think the hardscape space needs more women in it because there’s this nice balance that gets brought by everybody, male or female, being involved in it,” McQuade said.
Her key recommendation for aspiring hardscape marketing and sales professionals is to try and stand out from the crowd.
“It’s about making sure that your resume doesn’t just fall within a stack of other resumes,” McQuade said.
She suggests networking, leveraging tools like LinkedIn to search for mutual connections, or even sending video resumes to make a lasting impression.
McQuade also noted that in her own career, especially as she moved up through the ranks, she faced the familiar specter of imposter syndrome.
For both aspiring marketing professionals and industry veterans facing the same, she recommends the book The Dip by Seth Godin. It helped her understand that difficulty is a natural part of growth.
“When we try something new, we’re going to go through that uncomfortable phase. It’s the people that try something and push through that difficult phase and get to the other side of it that are the ones that really succeed,” McQuade said.
“Look at yourself as a person that’s adding value. Lead with confidence.”
McQuade’s career journey from marketing student to industry leader illustrates the incredible opportunities available in the landscape and hardscape marketing space. Her success stems not from following a predetermined path, but from following her passions, playing to her strengths, and focusing on genuine connections.
