By Kevin Greer
Lakeside Communications Manager
During his 25-year career in horticulture, Adam Premo has worked everywhere from Philadelphia to Los Angeles. But while working in Cape Fear, North Carolina, he focused his job search on one specific region: Northwest Ohio.
“I’ve been looking for a job in the Toledo or Cleveland area for about six years because I’ve always wanted to return,” Premo said. “It’s a very tight market, and there aren’t many director-level positions in this area.”
When he saw the opening for Director of Horticulture at Lakeside, he applied without hesitation. Although he had never visited Lakeside during his earlier years in the area, a tour with Dennis Doolittle, Lakeside’s Vice President of Municipal Services, quickly convinced him he had found the right fit.
“When I walked around with Dennis, I was like, ‘All right, I’m going to take this job,’” Premo said. “I had other offers at the time, but I was excited to go back to Ohio.’ It has that community vibe I was looking for.”
A Coast-to-Coast Career
Premo earned a four-year degree in criminal justice from Husson University in Bangor, Maine. While in high school, he worked in landscaping in Brunswick, Maine, where his family settled after moving around for a few years with his father, who served in the Navy. Despite earning a degree in another field, Premo continued to pursue his interest in horticulture.
“It was important to me to finish my degree,” Premo said. “Then I continued working in landscaping, which was my passion.”
Premo eventually moved to Bowling Green, Ohio, and earned associate degrees in landscape turf management and horticulture from Owens Community College in Perrysburg. He then joined Ken’s Flowers, managing the horticulture departments at three stores.
A few years later, Premo accepted a position at the Toledo Zoo, where he managed the north side of the grounds, including Africa, North America, the entrance and the parking lot. It was also where he began focusing more on conservation and composting.
When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted his work at the zoo, Premo turned to online job searches to find his next opportunity.
“When COVID hit, I wasn’t working at the zoo anymore because it was closed,” Premo said. “There weren’t many opportunities in the area.”
He moved to Los Angeles to care for the sculpture garden and law school grounds at UCLA. There, he helped coordinate the installation of large trees using cranes after a fungus began killing the campus’s Ficus trees. Although he tried to save the affected trees, some ultimately had to be removed.
After pandemic restrictions eased, Premo moved across the country to become Director of Garden Operations at the Philadelphia Zoo. He later joined the Cape Fear Botanical Garden, where he oversaw 80 acres. He organized 15 events. Those included a plant sale, native seed and plant swaps, Heritage Fest, Bourbon Fest and educational programs.
Putting Down Roots in Lakeside
Premo began working at Lakeside on June 15, 2026, and is looking forward to meeting more Lakesiders. In the meantime, he has been focused on caring for the grounds and helping residents understand how to maintain the community’s trees for the future.
From his first day, Premo began developing an ambitious plan to care for and improve Lakeside’s grounds. Along with advancing sustainability and conservation efforts, his priorities include:
- Improving drainage at the Gundlach Garden
- Weeding, redirecting water and adding companion plants around the Lakeside daisies
- Addressing landscaping along Second Street near the shuffleboard courts
- Refreshing the Grindley Aquatic & Wellness Campus
- Removing dead trees and planting replacements
- Working with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources on tree assessments
- Maintaining garden areas and keeping pathways clear
- Aerating Bettinger Park
- Refreshing the Route 163 entrance and Welcome Center
- Expanding composting and recycling efforts
- Offering garden tours and educational programs
Premo also hopes to grow something beyond the gardens: a team of volunteers who share his passion for horticulture. He already has a small group helping out, but he welcomes more Lakesiders who want to get involved.
“Horticulture is really about the community,” Premo said. “I’m passionate about building a gardening team that will make Lakeside even more beautiful and nationally recognized.”
Premo knows there is plenty of work ahead, but he sees that as an opportunity.
“I like putting in hard work,” Premo said. “I’m excited to work with a community that’s passionate about the four pillars.”
