Morris Kand his wife Lillian and their son Robert operated the 25 acre Niles Nursery successfully for over 20 years. Then in the mid 1950s an opportunity allowed Morris and his family to purchase a 100 room hotel in Florida, The Crestwood. It is now part of Florida University’s campus. Due to Robert Kand attending Military school and being too young, Morris Kand called his nephew Alvin Kand, at the time 20 years old who lived in Chicago, to help close down the nursery. Alvin had recently come home from the front lines of the Korean War. Before the war Alvin had worked at a machine shop. A skill he had trained for at Lane Tech High school in Chicago. He continued to work there after the war but when his Uncle called for help, he conceded. Morris told Alvin to sell all the stock with the agreement that the profits would be shared.  Alvin found that he had a knack for sales. Customers started to ask if he would plant the materials. Alvin called a couple of buddies and told them of a business opportunity. Alvin then saw that there was a profit to be made. Like his uncle, he started designing and planting in the Niles and Skokie areas.

​

     When His father passed on 2003, Ken took over. After 6 months, Al’s landscaping change respectfully to Before and After Landscape Design. The name holds a double meaning to our family. Business is done the old fashioned way. A proud tradition of personalized service, practical experience, a goal to provide the highest quality of workmanship, and build a long lasting relationship with our customers.