Team

Rodrigo Frias

General Manager

Rodrigo grew up in Monterrey, Mexico in a family supported by a small business and he experienced firsthand the impact that it had in the community and with people. He became fascinated with how businesses and organizations can have a dramatic impact on people’s lives. After a 12 year-long corporate career, Rodrigo decided to leverage his experience in marketing, finance and strategy and transitioned back to his roots as a small business entrepreneur. In 2021, Rodrigo acquired Classic Nursery & Landscape Company and in 2022 he did the same with NW Bloom Ecological Services. As the General Manager of Classic Nursery & Landscape and NW Bloom Ecological Services, Rodrigo is working persistently in making his community healthier and better connected to nature. At an early age, Rodrigo was exposed to nature and animals by his veterinarian father. Rodrigo grew up surrounded by a variety of pets such as dogs, sheep and peacocks. His favorite pet was a golden Labrador named Goldie. 

Rodrigo has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and a MBA from Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family or skiing.

Jessi Bloom, CPH, ECP, ISA Arborist

Founder, Ecological Designer, Consultant, Author, Speaker

Jessi is a NW native and comes from a strong background of horticulture and environmental sciences. Her early experience ranged in project management, from organizing restoration projects with community volunteers, to high-end residential and commercial landscape design/build. In early 2000, she decided to start an ethical business in the green industry to fill a niche for organic and ecological landscaping. Her leadership combined with her artistic design talents have brought N.W. Bloom numerous environmental awards. She is passionate about animals, permaculture and making functional gardens beautiful. She travels nationwide as a speaker and is the best-selling author of Free-Range Chicken Gardens and  Practical Permaculture Design. (Timber Press 2015) and Creating Sanctuary: Sacred Garden Spaces, Plant Based Medicine and Daily Practices to Achieve Happiness and Well-Being  (Timber Press 2018) and its companion workbook Everyday Sanctuary(2019).  Jessi’s work has gotten press and been featured in many national and local media outlets from the NY Times, Better Homes & Gardens, Sunset Magazine, DISNEY, Martha Stewart Living, Mother Earth News, UTNE Reader, Fine Gardening Magazine and PBS’s Growing a Greener World TV. 

Jessi is strongly committed to volunteering in the community and sits on several advisory boards within the green industry and educational/environmental organizations; hoping to empower people, also raising industry standards, and recently helping to develop the EcoPro program for WA State. Currently she was appointed as an Agriculture Commissioner for King County, as well a member of the WA DNR Urban and Community Forestry Committee.  She has three kids and spends time with them around their little farm, with a handful of animals and gardens to look after.  When she is not helping others with their gardens, traveling or writing, she enjoys the outdoors: snowboarding, hiking, running, yoga, biking and stays strong with Olympic weightlifting.

Austin Amaya

Earth Steward Lead

Austin grew up in the NW and graduated from the University of Redlands with a B.S. Environmental Science and B.A. Anthropology.  He volunteered with an Ecuadorian NGO outside the city of Tabacundo where he was first introduced to permaculture and bio-intensive agriculture and volunteered for 27 months in Peace Corps Paraguay working alongside an all-women’s farmer committee.  As the pandemic began to settle, he found NW Bloom and it was a perfect place to continue his sustainable agricultural journey.  Austin is always seeking new knowledge and love to read when he is not getting my hands dirty with the crew he is either buried in a book or at a local crag rock climbing…..

Marcos Hernandez

Earth Steward

Marcos has been with the NW Bloom maintenance and installation crew through 2015.   He hails from Mexico and enjoys learning landscape construction techniques.  In his free time he enjoys spending time with family and friends, and playing soccer.

Kekoa Braxton-Nelson

Earth Steward

Ever since Kekoa was a young child, he knew that he wanted to work with his hands and be building.  He enjoys listening to music and watching sports and loves to play basketball.

Alex Kim

Earth Steward

Alex came to the PNW in 2016, coming from Iowa.  He enjoys roadtrips, flyfishing, backpacking, climbing, drawing and martial arts!

Spanky

Office Dog

This excitable Staffy Bull Terrier pup greets guests enthusiastically when they visit the office. He is also known as the resident foot warmer and has many jobs around the farm, but his favorite job (by far) is being a snuggle bug. He loves to chase off pesky garden rodents, insects, Frisbees and his tail in his spare time.

Rocky

The Ninja Farm Cat

This silly tabby likes to do yoga in the lawn (we’re not kidding) and his impressive ninja skills ensure that any trespassers are surprised and well alerted to his skills – watch your legs! He keeps a watch over the farm and his mad hunting abilities keep all pest rodents in check. Rocky has a knack for herding the poultry out of gardens and can be found spending much of his time near the catmint; rolling in it, eating it, and hugging it. He always smells delicious!