Association of Professional Landscape Designers

What Association of Professional Landscape Designers does

The Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD) is a U.S.-based nonprofit professional membership association headquartered at 2207 Forest Hills Drive, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and professionally managed by Calabrese Management, an association management company. The organization serves individual professional landscape designers across the United States through state chapters plus a small international membership base. Its stated mission is to advance the profession of landscape design and promote members as qualified and dedicated professionals.

APLD's core offerings include an annual membership tier providing access to certification pathways, chapter participation, member discounts, and professional resources; the Certified Professional Landscape Designer (CPLD) program, a peer-review certification based on built projects and available to members and non-members with at least two years of practice; the Find a Designer consumer-facing directory (with a CPLD-specific filter); the annual International Landscape Design Awards Program (open to members and non-members globally); and a calendar of webinars, workshops, and conferences, including the International Landscape Design Conference, many carrying CEU credit. Supporting programs include the Honors & Service Awards, the APLD Store (operated through CafePress), the Healthy Pots, Healthy Planet sustainability initiative, advocacy resources, and a job board at careers.apld.org.

APLD monetizes through five primary streams: recurring annual membership dues (subscription), CPLD certification fees (professional services), event and webinar registration (transaction fees), merchandise sales via CafePress (product sales), and corporate sponsorship and advertising (e.g., Country Casual Teak, Vectorworks Landmark). Distribution is digital-first (website, email, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram) with regional chapters acting as in-person channels. No technology product, software platform, or proprietary tech stack is disclosed beyond a standard association-management website; no founding date, financial figures, or funding history is publicly disclosed.

Name

Association of Professional Landscape Designers

Legal name

Association of Professional Landscape Designers

Website

https://apld.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

The Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD) is a U.S. nonprofit membership association serving individual professional landscape designers through state chapters, providing CPLD certification, CEU events, the Find a Designer directory, and the annual International Landscape Design Awards.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

akta.pro primary industry

Project, Quality & Operations (PMP PDUs, Six Sigma, Quality CE) (EDAAALAM)

Keywords

• Professional membership association
• Landscape design certification
• Continuing education CEUs
• Designer directory services
• Industry awards program

Headquarters

HQ city

Harrisburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees providing access to benefits including certification, networking, chapter participation, member discounts, and professional resources.
2. Certification Fees: Fees for the Certified Professional Landscape Designer (CPLD) program, available to members and non-members who have been practicing landscape design for at least two years.
3. Event Registration: Revenue from webinars, workshops, conferences, and the annual International Landscape Design Conference. Pricing varies by event and member status.
4. Product Sales: Sale of goods through the APLD Store (cafepress.com) including merchandise and branded materials.
5. Sponsorship and Advertising: Revenue from corporate sponsors and advertisers seeking access to the APLD professional community.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

APLD is a nonprofit professional membership association that advances the landscape design profession through member services, peer-reviewed CPLD certification, continuing education events, an annual design awards program, a Find a Designer directory, and a network of state chapters in the United States. Its core deliverables are the CPLD credential, member benefits (networking, advocacy, sustainability resources), and events offering CEUs.

Product overview

The Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD) operates a membership-based professional association rather than a unified software product. The core offerings consist of the main website and membership platform providing access to member benefits, a directory services platform for finding designers, the Certified Professional Landscape Designer (CPLD) certification program for professional credentials, an annual International Landscape Design Awards Program for recognizing excellence, and a comprehensive events calendar featuring webinars, workshops, and the annual conference with CEU opportunities. Additional offerings include the APLD Store for merchandise, industry resources, sustainability initiatives, advocacy programs, and a job board for members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CPLD: Certified Professional Landscape Designer designation awarded by APLD to designers who complete the certification program and pass the peer review process.

Products and services

• Professional Membership

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Country Casual TeakminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsorship partner supporting the Association of Professional Landscape Designers.
• VectorworksminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsorship partner (Vectorworks Landmark) supporting the association. Vectorworks provides landscape design software.
• Calabrese ManagementcoreOthersAssociation management company that professionally manages APLD operations.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Landscape Institute: The UK's chartered body for landscape professionals, offering registration and professional standards. Comparable to APLD in providing professional recognition for landscape designers in a different geography.
• Association of Garden Designers: A UK-based membership organization for garden and landscape design professionals. Comparable to APLD as a community-led professional association with accreditation and continuing education.
• Society of Garden Designers: The UK's professional body for garden and landscape designers with Registered Member status. Directly comparable to APLD as a designer-focused association offering peer-reviewed accreditation in a different geography.

Others

• Vectorworks (Nemetschek): A landscape design software vendor and APLD sponsor. Comparable as a key ecosystem enabler supplying technology tools used by APLD's professional designer member base.

Emerging players

• Master Gardeners: A volunteer horticultural extension program operating across U.S. states. Comparable to APLD as a community-driven education and credentialing body serving horticulture-interested professionals and consumers.
• Perennial Plant Association: A professional association for the perennial plant industry, offering education, events, and symposia. Comparable to APLD as a community-led association serving landscape practitioners with overlapping CEU offerings (referenced in APLD event calendar).
• Garden Communicators International (GCI): A professional association for garden communicators, writers, and designers. Comparable to APLD in providing certification, networking, and professional development for a horticulture-adjacent audience.

Broad incumbents

• International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA): A global umbrella organization for national landscape architecture associations. Comparable to APLD as the international federation supporting landscape design professional bodies.

Direct peers

• Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF): A nonprofit organization supporting the landscape architecture profession through research, scholarships, and leadership programs. Comparable to APLD as a mission-driven professional association serving overlapping stakeholders.
• American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA): The largest U.S. professional association for landscape professionals. Directly comparable to APLD as a membership and certification body serving an overlapping (though broader) landscape community.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/APLD4me
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/association-of-professional-landscape-designers-apld-
• Instagraminstagram.com/landscapedesigners
• Xx.com/APLD

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Association of Professional Landscape Designers