Episode 200: ‘Leadership Without Limits’ with Natasha Sexton
In this episode:
Christi Powell and Angela Gardner interview Natasha Sexton, president and CEO of Sexton Design and Development, an eight-and-a-half-year-old design-build firm based in Greenville, SC. Sexton explains the company’s landscape-architecture roots, multi-state work (SC, TN, pursuing NC licensure, with GA next), and focus on hospitality, university, and commercial/institutional projects, including Clemson University’s Tiger Walk design. She discusses Southeast market challenges—rapid growth driving labor shortages and material cost volatility—and how value engineering and alternative materials keep projects on track. Sexton shares scaling and quality strategies centered on choosing aligned clients and the “photo, friend, fee” philosophy, plus team culture priorities like leading by example, paying above average, benefits, open dialogue, and burnout awareness, with interest in an employee-ownership/ESOP-style future. She highlights community projects with Upstate Warrior Solution and Camp Greenville, board involvement with the Greenville County Art Museum, and emphasizes surrounding yourself with supportive people.
Show Notes and Links:
00:00 Welcome and Introductions
01:01 Natasha and Sexton Overview
02:24 Multi-State Growth and Creativity
03:41 Values Driven Building
04:56 Southeast Market Challenges
07:03 Scaling with Reputation
08:58 Team Culture and ESOP Vision
11:17 Sponsor Break - Groundbreak Carolinas
11:54 Design First Hiring and Burnout
14:59 Community Giving Projects
17:31 Weekend Life Off the Clock
18:33 Mentorship Friends and Tribe
21:17 Final Takeaways and Goodbye
About Natasha:
Natasha Sexton serves as President and lead Landscape Architect for Sexton Design and Development in Greenville, SC. She and her husband, Jeremiah, founded SDD over 8 years ago and have worked together since then. She has over 24 years of experience as a landscape architect. Her project experience includes mixed-use development, historical adaptations, higher education, campus planning, hospitality, park and recreation facilities, commercial, and industrial site development. Natasha’s unique mix of design experience and construction knowledge allows her to create beautiful design solutions for every budget. She is extremely adept at providing solutions for complicated problems, from rezoning applications to Value Engineering to intricate custom design solutions. In addition to her private work, she also taught a landscape architecture studio at Clemson University and
volunteers for numerous professional organizations. In addition to her professional work, she is a mom to 4 amazing kids and a dog mom to 2 crazy dogs. She loves to read, paint, hike, raft, and generally be outside anytime possible.
