Chris Dalton

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As the oldest of three, Chris Dalton always set a hard-working example for his siblings.

“My family has always fondly called me the old man,” said Dalton. “Although I enjoyed typical kid activities like playing basketball, I began working at 10 years old.”

Dalton had a top-notch mentor that inspired him to begin working in the world of landscaping.

“I had guidance from a retired United States Air Force three-star general. He fought in both World War II and the Korean Wars. Despite having a stroke prior to him helping me, he was still able to teach me everything I know about gardening,” said Dalton. “I was in awe that despite being paralyzed on his left side, he could operate heavy machinery efficiently and one-handed.

“I posted a sign advertising my landscaping business and worked in that line of work pretty steadily in between schooling until I turned 16. At that point I worked as a convenient store clerk and helped my grandfather in his business of selling tires.”

Aside from having a strong work ethic, Dalton felt compelled to help his family out financially. “If I could help with paying for some of my clothes and food, I wanted to do it.” 

Although Dalton dabbled in other places of employment, his passion for horticulture was calling him.

“I went to Sandhills Community College because at that time they had the number one horticulture program in the country. I had considered other schools like Clemson and NC State Universities, but I knew what I wanted to focus on,” said Dalton. 

At the beginning of his program at Sandhills there were 52 students, and towards the end of it were just eight students that graduated on time. Throughout his time as a student, he was eager to soak in everything that was offered to him which included prestigious internships at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania.

“It was fascinating getting to work at the largest horticulture garden in the world as an arborist intern,” said Dalton.

Taking in both classroom and real-world experiences, Dalton finished at the top of his class. 

After graduating, Dalton put his experience and education to work, primarily in Fort Mill, South Carolina.

“I realized pretty quickly that irrigation work paid better than just being a landscaper,” said Dalton. “I did work at Carowinds and Tarheel National Turf before starting a business on my own as a landscape designer.” 

Dalton continued to find work in all the areas that had interested him in horticulture and irrigation. One of them included being a director of facilities in Clover, South Carolina where he had attended elementary and middle school.

“For almost 12 years I was responsible for over a million square feet of construction, 1.8 million square feet of finished facilities, and over 600 acres of maintained landscape area while managing 100 employees,” said Dalton. “Another added benefit to my time in South Carolina was meeting my amazing wife, Carole.”

While continuing to build his professional experiences, he and Carole couldn’t turn down the opportunity to head to Clearwater, Florida to help with a zoo and aquarium facilities.

“It was the most interesting job. The interview was also the longest,” said Dalton. “I stayed there for 10 hours while they asked me questions. It was worth it because I got to do fun things like sink a boat house. I built a four-story facility and had to help with the transfer of the animals (including dolphins and manatees) from their old habitat to their new one.”

The facility also hosted the site of multiple films including “Dolphin Tale” and “Dolphin Tale 2.” 

“Developing a relationship with the animals was really special. I really enjoyed that bond, especially with a dolphin named Nick,” said Dalton. 

While Chris and Carole enjoyed their time in Florida, they both were ready to have multiple seasons again. After acquiring many awards throughout his career, including the Green Thumb Award from the Future Farmers of America, the Football Field of the Year (while at Clover) and Softball and Baseball Field of the Award by the Sports Field Management Association, Dalton was able to be selective about his next step. 

“When I came to interview at Summit School as the director of facilities, I knew right away I wanted to be a part of that community. It was in such a beautiful setting, and everyone there was excited about their new (Science, Engineering, Entrepreneurship and Design) SEED Center. As a landscape designer, I was excited to make it beautiful and innovative for the teachers, staff and students who will get to spend a lot of time there. We have been designing this facility for the past three years, and the excitement around it continues to build,” said Dalton.

Another perk to joining the Summit staff is that Dalton gets to walk to work.

“This area has so much to offer, and even our 4.5-year-old dog, Rigby has enjoyed it,” said Dalton. “When my extended family learned that we were moving back to North Carolina they were excited because we all get to enjoy being closer to each other as adults. That was a huge perk.”