Some of the most meaningful progress in an industry begins with a simple question:
Is there a better way?
For Robyn Schmitz, founder of High Prairie Outdoors & Pools, that question has shaped more than a company. It has led to years of studying how outdoor environments are designed, engineered, built, cared for, and ultimately experienced by the people who live in them.
Rather than accepting minimum building codes, conventional construction practices, or “the way it has always been done,” Robyn has traveled nationally and internationally to study proven construction methodologies, historic craftsmanship, horticulture, design, materials, technology, and the ways other cultures live outdoors.
Those lessons have helped shape High Prairie Outdoors into the nation's first Class-1 certified outdoor living contractor—and have given Robyn something she believes is meant to be shared.
As a published author, university educator, national speaker, and industry contributor, Robyn has spent years doing exactly that: sharing what High Prairie has learned while continuing to seek out what the company—and the industry—can learn next.
Because raising the standard for one company matters. Helping raise the standard of an entire industry matters even more.
We Believe Better-Educated Industries Create Better Outcomes
High Prairie Outdoors was built on the belief that homeowners should not have to become construction experts simply to protect themselves from poor outcomes.
Yet outdoor living is an industry in which consumers are routinely asked to make significant investments without fully understanding differences in engineering, drainage, foundations, materials, horticulture, construction methods, long-term care, or contractor accountability.
Robyn believes education can change that.
When professionals understand why something should be built differently, craftsmanship improves.
When designers understand how lifestyle influences the way a space will actually be used, design improves.
When companies invest in developing skilled professionals rather than simply filling positions, careers improve.
And when homeowners understand what questions to ask, what details matter, and where shortcuts tend to occur, they can make wiser investments.
Education elevates the professional, the craft, the client experience, and ultimately the industry itself.
That philosophy is why education has become an important part of both Robyn's work and the culture of High Prairie Outdoors.
From Kansas City to the World—and Back Again
Learn Globally. Engineer Locally. Teach Generously.
Kansas City presents unusual challenges for outdoor construction.
Expansive soils. Freeze-thaw cycles. Dramatic temperature swings. Heavy rain events. Summer heat. Winter cold.
Building something beautiful is only part of the challenge. Building something beautiful that continues performing through those conditions requires a deeper understanding of what lies beneath the finished surface.
Robyn's pursuit of better answers has taken her well beyond conventional American landscape and pool construction.
She and the High Prairie team have studied construction methods, materials, engineering principles, horticultural practices, design traditions, and artisanal craftsmanship from around the world—sometimes traveling directly to the places where those techniques have been refined for generations.
The objective isn't to copy Europe or any other region.
It is to study the world's best ideas, understand why they work, and thoughtfully adapt the right principles to the realities of Kansas City.
That pursuit has influenced High Prairie's approach to hardscape foundations, swimming pools, drainage and water management, planting and soil science, material selection, construction sequencing, long-term property care, and more.
And the learning never stops.
High Prairie Is a Teaching Organization
There is a reason many of the world's most respected medical institutions are teaching hospitals.
Knowledge is passed down.
Masters develop apprentices.
Theory is tested through real-world application.
And the next generation becomes better because someone took the time to teach them not simply what to do, but why it matters.
High Prairie operates with a similar philosophy.
It is common on a High Prairie project to see an experienced craftsman mentoring a developing professional. Designers collaborate with construction experts. Horticultural professionals share knowledge with installers. Leaders teach emerging leaders.
Education isn't separate from the work.
Education is part of how the work becomes better.
When you choose to build differently—using specialized construction methodologies, sophisticated water-management systems, advanced pool construction, soil science, artisanal materials, and highly detailed continued-care programs—training cannot be occasional.
It must be perpetual.
That commitment helps High Prairie develop careers, preserve specialized craftsmanship, create greater consistency, and continually challenge its own standards.
The Legacy Program: Turning What We've Learned Into a System
Years of studying homeowners, outdoor living, construction, craftsmanship, horticulture, and continued care ultimately led Robyn to develop The Legacy Program—High Prairie's proprietary operating system for designing, crafting, and nourishing exceptional outdoor environments.
The Legacy Program connects what the outdoor living industry has traditionally treated as separate disciplines.
Experience-Driven Design
Rather than beginning with a list of features, the process begins by understanding how people actually want to live.
- How does a family relax?
- Where do conversations naturally happen?
- How do they entertain?
- What makes them feel restored?
- What traditions do they want to create?
The answers influence the environment long before materials are selected.
Elevated Construction Methodologies
A beautiful rendering means very little if the construction beneath it cannot endure.
High Prairie studies engineering, historic building traditions, modern technologies, soil conditions, water movement, and internationally proven construction practices to continually improve how outdoor environments are built.
The goal isn't simply code compliance.
The goal is intelligent construction designed for longevity.
The Legacy Method
The Legacy Method translates that research into field practices for pools, hardscapes, landscapes, structures, water management, and other outdoor elements—with particular attention to the conditions that make Kansas City challenging.
Continued Care
A garden is alive. Materials age. Families evolve. Outdoor environments change.
High Prairie therefore treats completion as the beginning of another phase rather than the end of the relationship.
Through continued care and Habitat by High Prairie, clients can protect, nourish, style, and evolve their environments over time.
Together, these ideas create something larger than a landscape process.
They represent a different way of thinking about outdoor living.
Thought Leadership Rooted in Doing the Work
Robyn's educational perspective doesn't come solely from research or theory.
It comes from building a company, developing professionals, working with homeowners, collaborating with architects and designers, solving complex field conditions, studying failures, testing better methods, and continually asking what could be improved.
High Prairie's multidisciplinary teams work across outdoor living design, pools, hardscapes, structures, horticulture, fine gardening, water management, and continued property care.
That gives Robyn an unusual vantage point.
She can speak about what happens when design meets construction, construction meets long-term care, business systems meet craftsmanship, and outdoor environments meet human behavior.
Just as importantly, she is willing to share what has not worked.
Real education isn't about presenting perfection.
It is about sharing lessons, challenging assumptions, examining mistakes, and giving people ideas they can take back to their own companies, careers, projects, gardens, and homes.
Education for Professionals, Students & Consumers
Robyn's educational work reaches beyond any single audience.
She has contributed to national industry conferences, professional organizations, university classrooms, webinars, podcasts, industry roundtables, consumer education, garden groups, client workshops, and other educational forums.
In 2018, Robyn published her first book, Outdoor Living: A Guide to Design, Construction, and Estimating, extending that commitment to education into a practical resource for the industry. She is now preparing to publish her second book, The Alfresco Lifestyle, which explores a broader philosophy: how thoughtfully designed outdoor environments can help people live richer, healthier, more connected lives in the fresh air.
Her audiences may include:
- Landscape and outdoor living professionals
- Business owners and leadership teams
- Designers and landscape architects
- Architects and residential building professionals
- Horticultural professionals
- University students and emerging professionals
- Garden clubs and community organizations
- Homeowners and luxury consumers
- Organizations interested in leadership, culture, innovation, craftsmanship, or client experience
The subject may change.
The objective doesn't:
Help people understand more so they can expect more, create more, and make better decisions.
Topics Robyn Explores
Presentations and educational programs can be customized around the audience rather than forcing every group into a predetermined keynote.
Challenging the Status Quo in Outdoor Construction
What happens when “meeting code” becomes the starting point rather than the finish line? Explore construction methodologies, global building practices, water management, foundations, climate considerations, and the responsibility professionals have to understand what they build.
Building Outdoor Environments Around Human Experience
Outdoor living should begin with living. Explore how relaxation, connection, play, wellness, entertaining, rituals, and everyday behavior can influence better design.
Building a Class-1 Outdoor Living Organization
Explore the thinking behind bringing traditionally fragmented disciplines together and what integrated design, construction, horticulture, pools, craftsmanship, and continued care can mean for accountability and client experience.
From Worker to Professional: Developing Careers in the Trades
The future of the industry depends on developing people. Robyn shares lessons from building year-round professional teams, creating learning pathways, mentoring emerging leaders, and cultivating pride around skilled outdoor work.
Creating a Teaching Organization
Explore how mentorship, continuing education, cross-disciplinary learning, and a willingness to question existing practices can influence craftsmanship, retention, leadership, and culture.
Craftsmanship as a Business System
Exceptional craftsmanship cannot depend entirely upon finding one exceptional craftsperson. Explore the systems, education, accountability, planning, and culture required to make higher standards repeatable.
Designing for Legacy Rather Than Trends
What makes an outdoor environment feel relevant decades later? Explore timeless design, enduring materials, craftsmanship, horticulture, and the relationship between initial construction and long-term stewardship.
The Alfresco Lifestyle
Outdoor living is ultimately about life. Explore how thoughtful environments can encourage families to spend more time in fresh air through spaces designed for wellness, connection, relaxation, play, beauty, and everyday rituals.
Consumer Education: How to Invest Wisely Outdoors
For homeowner groups, garden clubs, and consumer organizations, Robyn translates complicated outdoor living topics into practical education—from evaluating contractors and comparing proposals to understanding construction methodologies, garden design, materials, drainage, pools, and long-term care.
Selected Education, Publications & Industry Appearances
Robyn Schmitz is a published author, university educator, national speaker, and industry contributor whose educational work spans books, university classrooms, national conferences, professional organizations, industry roundtables, webinars, podcasts, and consumer education.
Published Work
Outdoor Living: A Guide to Design, Construction, and Estimating — 2018
Robyn's first published book brought together practical knowledge surrounding outdoor living design, construction, and estimating—formalizing her commitment to sharing knowledge that could help elevate both professionals and the outdoor living industry.
The Alfresco Lifestyle — Forthcoming
Robyn's second book expands the conversation beyond what we build outdoors to explore why outdoor environments matter.
The Alfresco Lifestyle examines the relationship between nature, design, wellness, connection, relaxation, and the everyday rituals that can make life richer in the fresh air.
Together, the two books reflect the evolution of Robyn's work: from helping professionals better understand the mechanics of designing and building outdoor environments to exploring how those environments can ultimately improve the way people live.
Selected Education & Speaking
- Kansas State University — Recurring guest educator every fall, across multiple classes and educational levels.
- Belgard University — Industry education and speaking
- Lawn & Landscape Technology Conference — Atlanta — National industry education, including multiple appearances
- Pro Landscape Conference — Atlanta — National industry conference
- LeanScaper — Scottsdale, Arizona — Leadership, people development, and industry education
- AmericanHort — Educational programming and webinars
- Industry Roundtables — Contributor to professional roundtables and peer education both locally and nationally
- The Landscaper's Guide — The $2M Growth Wall: What's Really Holding Your Landscaping Business Back — Conversation on breaking through growth plateaus while intentionally building stronger companies
- Using Innovation to Revolutionize Professional Landscaping — Conversation with Bret and Robyn Schmitz about training, technology, professionalism, and raising expectations within the landscape industry
This represents only a selection of Robyn's educational work. Over the years, she has participated in additional speaking engagements, professional discussions, interviews, podcasts, educational programs, and industry conversations—all rooted in the same belief:
Knowledge becomes more valuable when we're willing to share it.
Why Share What Makes High Prairie Different?
There is an understandable temptation in business to protect every good idea.
High Prairie takes a different view.
There are certainly proprietary systems and details that remain part of our organization. But the larger lessons—the importance of craftsmanship, better education, developing professionals, studying proven methodologies, empowering consumers, caring for what we build, and refusing to accept mediocrity—are ideas worth spreading.
Because if another contractor builds something better after attending a session, a homeowner benefits.
If a student sees the trades as a meaningful professional career, the industry benefits.
If a homeowner learns the right questions to ask before investing, families benefit.
If another company begins investing more deeply in its people, those employees benefit.
High Prairie doesn't need the rest of the industry to be worse in order for us to be better.
We would rather help elevate the standard.
Bring the Conversation to Your Audience
Robyn accepts a limited number of speaking, teaching, interview, panel, workshop, roundtable, and educational opportunities each year.
Engagements are selected based on audience alignment, educational value, scheduling, and the opportunity to contribute something meaningful to the conversation. Professional speaking fees may apply depending on the organization, format, preparation requirements, travel, and scope of the engagement.
Potential formats include:
- Conference keynotes and breakout sessions
- Industry education and workshops
- University and classroom education
- Professional association programs
- Industry roundtables
- Leadership and company events
- Panels and moderated conversations
- Podcasts and media interviews
- Consumer education
- Garden clubs and community organizations
- Private client or professional educational events
If you're interested in bringing Robyn's perspective to your audience, tell us about the people in the room, the challenges they're facing, and what you hope they will understand differently when they leave.
The best education doesn't simply give people more information.
It changes what they believe is possible.
