Up Close with Lauren Zacharko: She’s a Popular Topic on the Pickleball Court

When Lauren Zacharko stopped to check on the landscaping at her retirement community account the other day, residents happily greeted her.

“They said, ‘We were just talking about you when we were playing pickleball, about how much we love having you in the neighborhood,’” recalls Lauren, an account manager at Level Green Landscaping.

She laughs.

“I made the pickleball court!” she says. “That compliment is high praise from people who really care about their landscaping.”

How does she impress landscape-loving clients?

“By being genuine, being open and honest, being myself,” Lauren says. “By being a go-getter and advocating for my clients. I tell them, ‘I’m here for you and what you need.’”

That might include a lively chat about pickleball.

“I’m a Jack of All Trades”

Before she worked in landscaping, Lauren worked as a fashion merchandising executive at a large department store; managed a grocery store; worked in food service and as a facilities account manager.

A fine arts major in college, she designed jewelry and wielded a torch to create sculpture and metal art.

“I’m a jack of all trades,” she says. “Because I was trained in visual arts, I see the little things.”

That’s a key skill in her work, where eagle-eyed account managers need to notice if weeds have sprouted, if a tree has aphids, if an entrance needs a visual boost.

Lauren’s art background helps in her container design work, devising innovative plant combinations that don’t look like everybody else’s.

“I always find a way to incorporate visual elements in my work, no matter what my job is,” she says.

Lauren might combine sections of pretty birch logs, graceful sea oats grass and sturdy ornamental kale in a challenging area where more fragile plants struggle.

Her passion for plants started early, learning from her mom

and grandmother, both avid gardeners on Maryland’s Eastern shore.

When she worked in facilities management, overseeing properties in Texas, Lauren learned about drought-tolerant plants popular in xeriscaping that need little care. She uses them here, too, to save water and maintenance.

“I love a challenge,” she says. “Anytime I can solve a problem, I’m happy. When I get an email that says an area isn’t draining or a plant is dying, I can’t wait to get over there to fix it.”

Lauren loves being out in the field visiting clients, working with large HOAs, shopping centers, churches and retirement communities.

She’s an energetic, detail-oriented problem solver. Her job suits her.

“I wish I had known about this career path when I was 23,” Lauren says. “I didn’t even know this job existed.”

Meanwhile, her past jobs helped sharpen the array of landscaping account manager skills she uses today, from critical thinking to comfortable chats with retiree clients.

Big Parties, Big Energy, Big Dog

Lauren and her husband, Scott, have a 9-year-old son, Wesley. They share their home with a 140-pound dog named Carmela, half husky, half Great Pyrenees with stunning blue eyes.

Carmela is named after Carmela Corleone from “The Godfather.” All the family pets have been named after characters from the famous fictional crime family, including cats Santino, Connie and Luca Brasi and goldfish Tessio and Clemenza, who, sadly, now all sleep with the fishes.

They even named the cardinals that return to their yard each year Johnny Fontane and Apollonia.

Lauren is a cheerful entertainer, throwing fun birthday parties for Wesley and an annual bash that fills her home with guests.

The family loves exploring. They take walking tours of historic sites, shiver through spooky ghost tours at Halloween, and work their way through challenging escape rooms. Lauren loves a good puzzle.

A musical theater fan, she almost always has tickets to see an upcoming show. She uses her artistic skills to engrave metal and wood for home decor projects.

And that time working in fashion merchandising means her closets are very tidy.

“I fold my laundry like I used to fold tables of clothes,” Lauren says, laughing. “Everything is perfectly styled.”

Finding Her Place at Level Green

The “jack of all trades” says Level Green feels like home.

Lauren admits when company owner Doug Delano invited her to lunch one day, she was terrified.

“I thought, ‘What’s happening? Am I getting fired?’ Everybody said, ‘No, he just does that.’ He’s such a normal guy, so warm and kind.

“I love the small company feel in a big company atmosphere,” Lauren says. “I love how everybody knows everybody and you might go to lunch with the CEO.”

Want to Join the Team?

Lauren 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 where the owner might invite you to lunch?