Staff Bio

Our staff is committed to excellence in our profession. Many of us have reached the highest level of professional achievement by earning the Massachusetts Certified Landscape Professional (MCLP) certification. We are active members of the Massachusetts Association of Landscape Professionals (MLP). We continually strive to enhance our knowledge and skills through educational seminars, annual attendance at the New England Grows! industry conference and marketplace, involvement with MLP committees, and networking with the industry leaders.

If you would like to contact our team, please call 978-768-3359 for immediate attention or fill out our online information request form.

John C. Filias, MCLP
President and Founder

John has been in the landscape industry since 1980 and graduated from the Essex Agricultural & Technical Institute in June of 1986 with an AAS in Horticulture with a Certificate for the Highest Academic Achievement in his class. Prior to that, he attended the University of Vermont where he earned Dean's List status in the engineering program. John credits the time he spent during his high school years mowing the lawns of fine, ocean front estates for providing him with an education in design far better than he could ever have learned in school. Built during the late 1800's, a time of much wealth and no income tax, these properties were landscaped in a simple, elegant manor by the likes of Olmstead and others. Having spent countless hours observing the old world craftsmanship and attention to detail found in even the most remote corners of these properties has given him excellent perspective.

John first started in business in 1985 and was incorporated under the name Deckscapes, continuing to work on estate properties such as those owned by the Gannett and Reeve families. In 1996, he reincorporated the business as Jeffreys Creek Land Contractors to better reflect the type of projects being done. He also became the 100th Massachusetts Certified Landscape Professional (MCLP) that year. John was also the President of the Massachusetts Association of Landscape Professionals(MLP) in 2000 after serving for seven years on its Board of Directors.

Following his tenure, he served as the Associations representative on the Board of Directors of New England Grows!, Inc., the regional conference and exhibition supporting members of the Green Industry, which is held annually at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. John was a key member of the team that facilitated the move from the Hines Convention Center to the new convention center in 2005, and was President of the organization in 2006. In November of that year he was also bestowed with MLP's highest honor, the Beacon Award, which is given to an individual whose actions serve as a guide to other members in the landscape industry.

John is married to his wife Paula and has two daughters, Lindsay & Alexandra, and enjoys offshore sailboat racing during the summer months as a crew member aboard the Incentive, based out of Manchester by-the-Sea.

Paula F. Filias
Vice President & Office Manager

Paula has been with Jeffreys Creek since 1996 and is in charge of all Office activities. She was previously in the restaurant, banking & property management business and continues to be a full time mother and homemaker to John & the girls. Paula enjoys cooking and relaxing at the beach when she's not preoccupied with work related issues.

Daniel R. Klebart
Operations Manager, Landscaping

Dan has been a valuable member of the Jeffreys Creek team since 1990. After serving in the Military after high school, Dan returned to the local area and worked in the construction and landscaping fields prior to coming here. Dan has worked in all aspects of the industry, and currently leads the Landscape Installation crew where he insists on only the highest quality workmanship. It is Dan's job to make the rest of the firm look good, and he does it with great pride and ease. He is also known for his outstanding hand pruning skills which are critical to our After Care service.

Dan has a Hoisting Engineers License as well as a CDL class A drivers license. He is a very skilled operator of our trucks and machinery and is very careful to protect our clients property from any damage. He is married to his wife Katie and has one son, Harper Charles, and lives in Gloucester. He enjoys hiking, fishing and spending time with his family.

Patrick Baker
Operations Manager, Stone Masonry

Pat graduated from Manchester High School and North Shore Regional Vocational School in 1995 where he learned a broad array of skills related to the building trades. After working for a year as a carpenter, Pat came to work for us and was willing to do and learn anything. His work ethic and finely honed skills make him a crucial member of our team and he is the go to guy whenever we need to accomplish something technical. His forte is stone masonry, where he leads a crew of up to 4 additional people where he excels at building walls and installing hardscapes. He is truly an expert in this field and handles all aspects of our masonry work including quotations and ordering of materials, as well as speaking directly with landscape architects to get the fine points of their design built just right.

Pat also has a Hoisting Engineers License as well as a CDL class A drivers license. He is a licensed Title V septic system installer in the town of Essex and also holds an AAS in Criminal Justice. He is the proud owner of a new home where he lives with his wife Karla and their two children, Stephanie and Johnny. He enjoys fishing, lobstering and harvesting clams during the summer months, and hunting during the late fall.

Arthur C. Filias
Operations Manager, Earthwork

Arthur has been in the construction industry all of his life and has worked for excavating contractors for most of that time, starting with the Doucette Contracting Company in Manchester, Ma and then the R.W. Drinkwater Construction Company of Beverly Farms Ma. He has extensive knowledge of site work, utilities, water, sewer, septic system installation, road building and more, and is an asset on all of our projects because all of the other work is built on top of his prep work. He has a Class A Commercial Drivers License and a Hoisting Engineers License and is also very skilled in running all of our equipment. Arthur is married to his wife Dawn and has one son Chris, who is an automotive technician. They reside in Manchester and are currently building a new garage. For fun, Arthur rides a Custom Harley Davidson Dyna Low Rider with a custom front end ape hanger handle bars. The garage is for he and Chris to work on their toys!

Jesse Shrewsberry
Irrigation Manager

Jesse became part of our team in 2007 after working in the industry for the past seven years after graduation from Manchester High School. He has extensive experience installing irrigation systems, ponds and waterfalls as well as hardscapes. Prior to coming here, Jesse was a foreman for Comak Bros. Irrigation installation division where he installed over 100 systems annually. He is currently seeking his CIC (Certified Irrigation Contractor) from the Irrigation Association, a national group that governs all irrigation contractors in this country. Jesse was a key individual in 2007 when we built our first pond and waterfall in Rockport Mass which was quite a unique and extensive project (view gallery). Jesse lives in Manchester by-the-Sea where he enjoys golfing, reading and banging on the drums all day.