Meet the Morning Star Team
Paige Doda
Paige is the owner and operator of Morning Star Lawn & Garden, Inc. Paige is a Kalispell Native and started in the industry at a young age working with her Dad, Neil Deering, former owner of Total Lawn Care. Paige started by helping her dad measure lawns to provide quotes, and was using a Walker mower by the time she was 10 years old. She worked with her father throughout high school and college. Paige went to the University of Oregon and has a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Italian with an English as a Second Language teaching certificate. After University she lived and taught English in Italy for five years.
Paige moved back to the Flathead in 2011 and worked with Total Lawn Care until she opened Morning Star Lawn & Garden in 2016. She is a licensed Chemical Applicator through the Montana Department of Agriculture and a member of the MNLA (Montana Nursery and Landscape Association). Paige is a single mother of two, Anja and Henry, and enjoys taking her kids on adventures throughout the Flathead. Paige enjoys kayaking, swimming, going to the lake, camping, hiking and just being outside with her kids.
Dave Mahoney
Dave is originally from Kentucky. He moved to the Polson/Missoula area for three years and fell in love with Montana. He then moved back to Kentucky, where he worked as a professional landscaper for 12 years before moving back to Montana to stay in 2012. He is a Certified Landscape Professional through the ALCA (Associated Landscape Contractors of America). Dave is Morning Star’s pruning pro and also does general lawn maintenance and irrigation repairs. He earned the nick name “Tree Hugger Dave” as a result of his green thumb and love of the outdoors.
Dave is an artist and can be found in his studio in his off time or up on the mountain skiing in the winter. His goal is to get 1 million vertical feet on Big Mountain every season.
Brian Shepherd
Brian is a third generation Montanan and is a jack-of-all-trades. He has been working in the lawn care industry for 6 years and is Morning Star’s chemical applicator, taking care of all Fertilizer and Weed Control accounts. He also provides regular lawn maintenance and is our in-house mechanic. Brian has experience with everything from milling to mechanic-ing and is always ready to learn more about the lawn care industry.
Brian loves the outdoors and spends most of his off time with his family, fishing and hunting. He is also a member of the Big Sky Four-Wheeler club and loves to tinker on his Samurai and go off-roading.
