Josh Blakeley established JB Yard Services while serving in the US Army at Fort Carson. With basic equipment and a single truck, Josh gained a reputation for reliable yard maintenance in and around Colorado Springs while working as an officer. After a year of building accounts and expanding their family, Josh and his wife Dana decided to return to their roots as fourth generation Calistogans and move back to the Napa Valley with their two kids - Gatlin and Molly - and another on the way in Ellie.

In 1996,

Over the next four years, JB Yard Services operated out of Josh’s father-in-law’s garage and evolved into Blakeley Landscaping Inc. In 1998, Luis Avila joined the crew and BLI expanded into high-end maintenance and estate management - serving their first account in St. Helena with an install crew of two.

Over the next 20 years, Blakeley Landscaping continued to expand their crew and capacity for services - estate maintenance eventually grew into installation work, and a truck grew into a fleet. Currently, the team is comprised of 10-12 people: 2 maintenance crews and a 3-5 person installation crew. Luis retired after 25 years with the company, and Josh remains in oversight of the properties that BLI services - some 20 years in the making. With strong roots in tradition, a team of expertise and nearly 27 years in the industry, Josh has begun to introduce a second generation into BLI.

In 2023, Josh’s son Gatlin joined BLI.

After studying Economics and Environmental Science at UC Santa Barbara, Gatlin spent a few years in Fort Collins, Colorado restoring expedition camper vans and rock climbing in the Rocky Mountains.

He recently moved back to Calistoga with his partner, Autumn and their dogs Mango and Millie to work alongside Josh and the rest of the team at BLI.

With a knowledge of the landscaping principles that have defined the business since the beginning, Gatlin brings an understanding of the practices that will encourage a more sustainable future for BLI.

Native plant propagation and water conservation have always been a priority, and Gatlin plans to expand on BLI’s impact by concentrating on low-emission practices, such as electric equipment and solar power.