Team
Drake’s 7 Dees is a local business, started by one of Portland’s oldest gardening families. We’ve been blessed to attract a great group of talented people who’s contributions make our company what it is today. Here are their stories:
Drake Snodgrass
Owner and President of Drake’s 7 Dees Landscaping and Garden Center since 1974.
Drake is active in both the local and national landscape industry associations. He is
Co founder and past president of the Oregon Landscape Contractors Association. Drake is a Landscape Industry Certified Manager (LICM). This is a designation that less than two percent of the members in the landscape industry have attained.
Drake is a member of the Portland Metro Salvation Army Board of Directors and currently serves as the Chairman of the Gresham Salvation Army Advisory Council. He has been a member of the Advisory Council since 1999. Drake is also the Chairman of the Board of Good News Community Health Center, a non-profit health clinic that offers free or low cost health care to the working needy in East County.
Drake was recently elected for three year term to the board of directors of the Portland Japanese Garden for a. The Portland Japanese Garden is considered one of the seven best Japanese gardens outside of Japan.
Drake is the past chairman of the Mt Hood Jazz Festival and past president of the Gresham Chamber of Commerce. He, along with wife Lynn, received the Farm Bureau President’s award in 1999 for their service and dedication to agriculture in the state of Oregon.
During the early 2000’s Drake led educational teams to Qingdao China. The teams were charged with teaching graduate students at the University of Qingdao and Ocean University “American Business Strategies and Ethics”. During the three years that the teams traveled to China over five hundred Chinese students attended the classes.
In 1982 Drake traveled to Ibitsu Japan serving as an ambassador for the Gresham Sister City program. “We set up a display in the city’s annual trade fair representing several Gresham businesses as well as the City of Gresham”. The Sister City relationship between Gresham and Ibitsu remains strong to this day.
Drake attended Parkrose High School 1968 to 1972 and Oregon State University from 1974 to 1978 majoring in Business. He served in the Oregon National Guard from 1978 to 1984.
Drake has been married for thirty-five years to wife Lynn (former Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives). Drake and Lynn have two amazing daughters, Jenne, son in law Ryan and Megan, son in law Eric, and 6 1/2 very sweet grandchildren.
Drake is a member of Good Shepherd Community Church in Boring Oregon. In his spare time Drake loves to water and snow ski, camp, exercise, read, and of course garden.