Up Close with Jim Citro: There’s a Lot to Celebrate, So He Brings Cake

Jim Citro brought a cake to the crew lunch he hosted for his Level Green Landscaping branch in St. Mary’s County, even though it wasn’t anybody’s birthday.

There was something else worth celebrating.

“I asked everybody, ‘How long have you worked here?’ and some answered 14 years,” says Jim, the branch manager at Level Green’s Southern Maryland branch.

“Just four or five guys’ years here added up to close to 50 years,” he says. “As the newbie here, that impressed me. People stay. A large corps of people here moved up through the ranks. That was really meaningful to me.”

Jim calls himself “the newbie,” with a few months on the job at Level Green. But his decades of experience in landscape management is impressive.

He deserves a piece of cake.

“It’s a Mix of Everything I Love”

Jim owned his own small landscaping business in college. Then he made landscaping his career.

“It’s a mix of everything I love,” he says. “The outdoors, plants, equipment.”

He’s been a branch manager, regional manager, vice president of operations and managed multiple landscaping company branches throughout the United States over the years.

Jim’s wealth of knowledge and experience meant he was hired as branch manager for Level Green’s largest branch.

“Coming in was a learning process, but this company is run so well, all the processes were in place,” Jim says. “I just had to make sure I learned and followed them.”

He has a unique perspective on the company.

“I used to work for companies that bid against Level Green,” he says. “It was hard to compete against them. All the pieces were always there, the focus was always on the customer. Everybody says they focus on the customer, but at Level Green, we really do.”

As a branch manager in charge of a team of hard-working pros, his focus is also on his team.

“I hate the word ‘boss,'” Jim says. “I’m a support mechanism.

“I listen more than I talk,” he says. “I really hear what people have to say. Then I digest it and evaluate it. I rarely jump to conclusions. I take the time to really understand.”

Those are good qualities for a guy who manages people for a living.

“I love helping develop people into their next job title,” Jim says. “I build them up, push them forward. I help move them out of their comfort zone, so they feel like they’re always learning and growing.”

As he noted in a recent LinkedIn post: “Building a career should feel like you're moving forward, not standing still.”

Coach Dad

Jim and his wife have four grown kids who all played soccer and lacrosse since they were young, including on college teams.

Supporting them has always been a huge part of Jim’s life, from coaching their elementary school soccer teams to attending their college games.

“Sports isn’t just about kicking a ball around,” he says. “It helps develop you into a leader, a teammate, someone people trust.”

He sees those qualities in his kids as they flourish as adults, and he’s loved being part of that journey.

As for his own sports journey, Jim enjoys golf, and jokes that he’s especially good at playing “best ball,” where the lowest individual score among team members serves as the team’s official score.

“We Always Try to Do the Right Thing”

Jim recently visited a client on site for a walk-through as the property manager considered whether to renew their contract with Level Green or partner with a different landscaping company. Level Green had taken care of the property for several years, but the contract was up for renewal.

“As we walked the property, she said, ‘This place looks great! There’s not a bad thing I can say,’” he recalls.

Other landscaping companies were on site, too, eager to be part of the bidding process.

“One guy said, ‘I don’t know why I came. I can’t compete against Level Green,’” Jim says. He loved that.

“It felt great,” he says. “When it comes to the bidding process, price is just a part of it.

“We’re going to make this property better every week,” he says. “Is there a magic switch? No. But we always try to do more and always ‘do the right thing.’”

Want to Join the Team?

Jim is just one of the dedicated team members we have here at Level Green Landscaping. And we’re always looking for hard-working, talented people to join our team.

Are you ready to work for a strong, supportive company that celebrates its team, sometimes including cake?