Beautiful Changes Blooming at East Texas A&M: Inside the Campus Makeover

Anyone walking around the East Texas A&M University campus in the last year has probably noticed a slow yet wonderful transformation taking place.

Sections of patchwork lawn—equal parts dirt and brittle blades of grass—are being exchanged for green, vibrant turf. Trees whose dead limbs hung low and foreboding over walkways are now dancing happily with the breeze after a fresh trim. Weeds and the sagging remnants of forgotten flowers are vanishing, replaced by splashes of color and life.

Like a talented artist with a plethora of paint and a blank canvas, Red River Outdoor Living is working a kind of magic to bring nature's beauty to East Texas A&M. Though Red River has partnered with ETAMU on several projects in the past, including the Lakeside Pavilion and Heritage House, the company didn't take over campus-wide landscaping and beautification efforts until July 2024.

The following is an interview with Red River Outdoor Living CEO Ross Moore.

Can you describe your vision for how the East Texas A&M campus will look and feel in the coming months and years under your care?

We want East Texas A&M to become the most attractive college campus people have ever visited—that's our goal. We're focused on making it well-kept, beautifully planted and carefully maintained. From the curb appeal to the overall atmosphere, we want the campus to feel and look better than anywhere else when people arrive.

What are some of the first projects or improvements your team has focused on since beginning work here?

Our first priority was really to clean up the campus and begin weed control. We started implementing a turf management program to eliminate weeds and establish healthy turf grass. Over the last ten months, we've transformed what was essentially a native patch of weeds into thick, vibrant, and attractive turf. It's been a major focus—one that's largely happened behind the scenes, so many people may not have noticed the effort involved.

Another big initiative has been removing old landscape beds that had reached the end of their lifespan. They weren't contributing positively to the campus anymore and had become more of a nuisance than an asset. We're replacing them with plants that are better adapted to this region, offer more color, and overall create a more inviting outdoor space. Our goal is to make the exterior of the campus a place people genuinely enjoy—somewhere they want to be. Whether it's walking from building to building, eating lunch or even holding a meeting outside, we want the outdoor areas to enhance the everyday experience of campus life.

What's your approach to maintaining green spaces in an environment like East Texas with the challenges of heat and drought?

We're focusing on planting drought-tolerant, Southwest-style plants that can handle the heat and dry conditions typical of East Texas. That's especially important because major infrastructure work—like sewer lines—often happens in the summer when fewer people are on campus. Unfortunately, that's also when irrigation systems may need to be shut off, as they were last summer, which really impacted plant health.

So, we've adapted by choosing plants that can thrive even under those tough conditions. We're also working to improve and expand irrigation systems where possible. In terms of plant selection, we're using a lot of hardy perennials that add lasting color, while still leaving room for annuals in key areas. Varieties like lantana and blue daze are great examples—they're resilient and bring vibrant color to the landscape.

What are those trees your team is putting in that have the purple leaves?

Those are called Flip Side chaste trees. The tops of the leaves are green, but the undersides have a deep purple color, and they produce a beautiful bluish-purple bloom. You can see another variety of them near the end of University Drive by the Business Administration building—one on each side of the driveway. They're in full bloom right now and look stunning.

They're more of a shrub-type ornamental tree and stay relatively small, so we're using them in a similar way to how you might use crape myrtles—to add structure, color and visual interest to the landscape without overwhelming the space.

How does your team work with university leadership or departments to ensure the campus landscape supports student life and academic needs?

We make it a priority to build strong relationships with all the auxiliary departments on campus—Residential Living and Learning, the Student Center, the Division of Enrollment Management, Athletics and more. We stay in regular communication with them, often daily, and encourage them to share their event calendars with us. That way, if there's a volleyball or soccer camp, a major campus tour, or any large event, we can prepare the surrounding areas—clean up, blow off walkways, and do some detailed landscaping to make everything look its best.

As for university leadership, I primarily work with Tina Livingston and Travis Ball. Together, we do what we call a ‘campus ride’ each month. We hop in a side-by-side and tour the entire campus. We assess the progress we've made since the previous month and identify new opportunities for improvement.

We've focused first on high-traffic areas, like the walking mall between the Business Administration building and the library, as well as residential zones—places that impact first impressions and curb appeal. We also address safety concerns as they come up, such as fallen retaining walls, buckled walkways or other hazards that could affect students, staff and visitors.

Do you involve students in any way—whether through internships, educational opportunities, or feedback on design elements?

Yes to all of those, actually. We actively involve students in several ways. We have a number of students who work with us part-time on campus, and we really enjoy hiring them. It works out well for both sides because we can offer flexible scheduling that fits around their classes.

We believe the university grounds should be part of the educational experience. So we're especially interested in engaging students studying horticulture, agriculture and mechanics. In fact, we currently have a horticulture student interning at our Paris office this summer. She's working on some design concepts for specific areas of campus that caught her eye, and she'll be presenting those plans later this summer.

We truly want both the campus and our business to be part of the broader educational process at East Texas A&M.

What do you hope students, faculty, staff and visitors feel or notice as they walk through the campus once your vision is fully realized?

Above all, we want students, faculty, staff and visitors to enjoy the space they’re in. Take the pavilion by the lake, for example—we want that to be a place people are drawn to, a spot where they want to relax, gather or study. More broadly, we want everyone to feel like they’re on a well-kept, beautiful campus, a place they're proud to be part of.

For students and faculty, it should feel like a campus worth coming to every day. For parents, we want them to feel confident sending their kids here. When someone drives onto campus for the first time, one of the first things they notice is the condition of the grounds. Well-maintained landscapes and hardscapes immediately send a message about the culture of the place. If the grounds are cared for, it reflects an institution that is organized, attentive and values its environment.

That level of care says something important—it shows that people here care. It shows that leadership has it together. Even if someone doesn't consciously think about it, those visual cues make a lasting impression. If the grass isn't mowed or the sidewalks are crumbling, people start to wonder: if they can't take care of the basics, what does that say about the rest? We want the impression here to be a good one.

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East Texas A&M's campus continues to evolve under the care of Red River Outdoor Living, transforming into a welcoming, vibrant environment that fosters pride, connection and inspiration. This blend of beauty and functionality promises to leave a lasting impression, reflecting the dedication and vision of all involved in shaping East Texas A&M's future.

Featured Photo: The walkway between library and BA building | East Texas A&M Marketing and Communications