Unlike others who took a more winding path before finding a career in the landscape industry, Javier Suarez started his very first job in the industry in 2001.
“The people I worked with back then taught me everything they knew and made me feel comfortable working in this industry,” he says.
In 2005, he joined CoCal Landscape Services, based in Denver, Colorado. Starting from the bottom, he worked his way up through the ranks. Suarez has held various roles, including laborer, driver, foreman, irrigation tech, maintenance and irrigation supervisor, operations manager and now an account manager.
Suarez says it was his desire to improve himself and someone challenging him that helped him move up the ladder.
“I wanted to show him and myself that I would not stay where I started,” Suarez says. “After that, opportunities started coming. The company started a program so I could study more about what we were doing. I earned my CLT certification. After that, I was given the opportunity to be a supervisor, and that is when I understood that this company and the Medrano family did not want anyone to stay in the same position or place, and so I started wanting to improve my skills a little more each time.”
Suarez says he feels it was the best decision to start working in the landscape industry, as having the opportunity to build a career in this industry fills him with gratitude and personal satisfaction.
“It does not matter what job you choose, as long as it creates opportunities for you to continue growing in it,” he says.
While he hasn’t had any specific mentor guiding him, Suarez says he has taken the best from each person he knows to get where he is today.
“It is good to learn from everyone you meet over time, as everyone has something to contribute to your experiences,” he says.
Suarez says he enjoys working with his co-workers as they all strive to improve themselves. His favorite aspect of the industry is being able to be outdoors, meet new people and have a new challenge every day, as no day is the same.
As an account manager for CoCal, Suarez serves as the bridge between their clients and the field crews. He works with a diverse range of commercial clients and ensures each property receives high-quality services and clear, responsive communication.
Suarez says he arrives at work at 6 a.m. to start checking emails and then at 7 he’ll talk with his crews to discuss client perspectives and schedules.
“Around 7:20 a.m., when everybody is out, I go to attend meetings, check for extra work, check my crews and go back to the office around 11 a.m. to start my proposals for extra irrigation,” Suarez says. “No day is the same, but from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. I do the same (thing) every day, after that time, my schedule is changing every day.”
As a completely Spanish-speaking individual, Suarez says his biggest challenge is the language barrier.
“It’s difficult for me, but not impossible,” he says. “Sometimes I’ve felt frustrated for not being able to express myself; the frustration drives me to want to improve more and tell my people that we as Latinos can do a lot for this industry.”
Suarez says he’d like to see more programs and classes in Spanish so everyone can access them. He says while he doesn’t have any firm long-term plans, he would like to help others improve and excel so they don’t have to just cut grass for 20 years.
“Landscaping is not the worst job you could have,” Suarez says. “If you study and have the industry knowledge, we can help the ecosystem, create greener spaces, save more water, and cause less damage to the soil with too many chemicals, etc.”
This article was published in the September/October issue of the magazine. To read more stories from The Edge magazine, click here to subscribe to the digital edition.
