When Jose Parra worked second shift at a factory assembling computer parts, he slept until it was time to work, then worked. And that was about it.
Two years ago, when the entire second shift was laid off, Jose got a job as a crew member at Greenscape, Inc.
Everything changed.
For one thing, he got reacquainted with the sun. No more standing at an assembly line, inside. He was on the move, traveling from one property to another, spending his days outside in the fresh air.
“Suddenly, I got to work outside, doing different things every day,” the 20-year-old says. “Now I wake up in the morning, go to work and I still have free time at the end of the day to hang out with my friends, maybe take some classes.”
He likes the variety — beautifying the grounds of a shopping center one morning, an apartment complex that afternoon. Maybe a medical clinic the next day.
The one constant: making the place look great.
“You show up and see ugly patches of tall grass,” Jose says. “After cutting, edging, trimming, it looks great. You make cool patterns in the grass when you mow. The property looks so much better.”
He can see the difference he makes, job by job.
“The clients will tell the managers that we did a great job, and they tell us,” he says. “They say, “Thanks a lot, keep up the good work.’ That feels really good.
“I live near some of these places,” Jose says. “On the weekends I might drive by. I can say, ‘I worked there.’
“It’s satisfying.”
He’s earned a couple raises along the way. And he often helps out as a translator for the human resources department when they have conversations with Spanish-speaking crew members, as well as translating each morning for the company’s “morning stretch” announcements.
“I realized I really like helping out that way,” he says.
“Everybody’s Happy To Have Him On Their Team”
Jose is one of those guys you just like having around, says Jon Davis, Greenscape branch manager.
“Regardless of the task, he never complains, he always has a good attitude, he works well with any team member,” Davis says. “Everybody is happy to have him on their team, because they know he’s a good performer who will do well.”
Davis says he’s talked to Jose and to Greenscape’s corporate training manager about moving him up to associate foreman.
“Jose likes to ask questions, about why we do things the way we do, about what’s coming next,” Davis says. “I love his inquisitive nature. He always wants to learn.”
Being A Dude
Away from work, well, picture a typical 20-year-old.
“I do what any dude my age does,” Jose says. “Sometimes I’m an extrovert and hang out with my friends. Sometimes I’m an introvert and stay home.”
He likes gaming, fashion and music.
“Lately, I spend most of my money on clothes,” he says.
He and some friends recently traveled to Washington DC to take in all the sights, from the White House to the Lincoln Memorial.
Jose lives at home with his family — his parents and four siblings who range in age from six months to 9. His parents moved here from Mexico before he was born.
“They wanted a better life,” he says. But they hold tight to their culture.
“We eat Mexican food every day,” he says. His mom makes enchiladas, quesadillas, tortas, tamales and a sweet breakfast rice with milk and cinnamon called arroz con leche. Sometimes his mom’s sister sends her authentic ingredients from Mexico.
More Than Mowing
Jose appreciates the variety of work as the seasons change — mowing, trimming and pruning in the spring and summer, leaf control and mulching in the fall.
Over the past two years, he’s learned lots of landscaping skills. But it takes more than edging expertise to be successful in this work, he says.
“You need dedication,” Jose says. “I like to leave each job really clean. I leave a property looking like I’d want my own yard to look.
“You have to work as team,” he says. “You see your team members every day, so you have to get along. You’re in this together. You have to communicate.
“As the months have gone by, I’ve had a chance to work with just about everybody here,” he says. “We all get along. That’s really nice.”
And it helps to have thick skin, he says.
“There might be criticism, sometimes,” Jose says. “You might hear that you could have done a job better. You can’t get mad about it. You just use it to do better the next time.”
But those edging skills come in handy. Because when Jose gets home, he has to do what any 20-year-old dude has to do.
“I have a big lawn at home,” he says, “and my parents always make me mow it.”