Up Close with Marvin Balsoma: Jack of All Trades, Master of This One

Marvin Balsoma has worked as a baker, chef, truck driver and furniture delivery guy. He’s worked in sales and in retail. It took a job in landscaping to make him realize he found his calling. 

Now, as a branch manager at Level Green Landscaping, he’s settled in for the long haul.

“It took me 50 years to find a home,” he says.

He’s making the most of it.

Balsoma leads a team of 62 people at Level Green’s BWI branch, starting each morning at the gate cheerfully greeting crews headed out for the day. He asks how they’re doing, if they had a good weekend. There might be a goofy joke involved. 

“In the mornings my top goal is to make sure they head out happy, with a smile,” he says. “I like seeing the guys laugh.”

“I’m Kind of Everywhere”

Balsoma started at Level Green in 2017 as an operations manager, with 12 years of landscaping experience under his belt at a small landscaping company.

After a year at Level Green, he advanced to account manager. Balsoma excelled in that role for three years, breaking a company record for enhancement sales. In 2021 he was promoted to branch manager.

It suits him. Balsoma loves solving problems, tackling challenges, making sure his branch hits monthly sales goals so the company stays profitable. 

There’s a lot to handle.

“I’m kind of everywhere,” he says.

He routinely heads to job sites with his operations managers and account managers, offering advice, lending a hand, making sure everybody has what they need to thrive. 

“I do whatever I can to help my team be successful,” he says. 

That often means encouraging them to apply for promotions. 

“I’m a firm believer that everybody deserves a chance,” Balsoma says. “You don’t come to a company to stay in the same job your whole life. In my life there were lots of times I inquired about an open position at work, but I was overlooked and somebody from the outside got the job. 

“When I have an opportunity to recommend somebody for an opening, I take notice of our people.”

He makes note of team members with the desire and potential to grow, then creates training opportunities “so they’ll be ready when a position is open.

“People here are happy to see other people move up,” Balsoma says. “It makes me feel good to be part of that.”

In his time as branch manager he’s seen four of his crew members promoted to crew leaders; one crew leader move up to operations manager and one operations manager promoted to account manager 

“There’s satisfaction in  being able to give people opportunities,” he says.

Lessons Learned at 3 a.m.

Before he settled into a career in landscaping, Balsoma worked at a lot of different jobs.

“I was a jack of all trades, master of none,” he says.

Each job taught him life lessons that stuck.

He was a baker at age 18, getting up at 3 a.m. to start the donuts. 

“It was a difficult job to do when you’re 18 and you want to hang out with your friends until 1 a.m.,” he says. After his boss had to call a couple times to wake him up, he learned the importance of getting to bed early and being on time.

“Truck driving taught me how to deal with traffic without losing my mind,” he says. He drove long distances and maintained an admirable driving record.

When he delivered furniture he spent every day in the truck with co-worker Aaron, learning what it takes to forge a solid friendship. Decades later, he and Aaron are still friends. 

When Balsoma started as account manager at Level Green, he had to polish his communication skills.

“I wasn’t a huge people person,” he says. “I was always the shy, quiet kind of guy. I had to overcome that. I had to meet with strangers and know what I was talking about. I knew I could do it, but that was the toughest part of the job for me.”

Now he sometimes realizes he’s been talking too much and needs to let somebody else get a word in.

The King of Glazed Ham

Marvin and his wife, Peggy, have been married for 31 years and have three daughters: Nichole, 29; Christian, 27; and Faith, 18. Their five grandchildren range in age from 2 to 9. 

“They’re my pride and joy,” Balsoma says. “I can spoil the crap out of them and then give them back.”

Rounding out the family are two dogs: Diezel, an American bulldog and Hopper, a fluffy American Eskimo dog. 

A sportsman, Balsoma loves hunting, fishing, crabbing and the occasional round of golf. 

He’s an avid gamer indoors, too, enthusiastically leading the charge in matches of Fortnite and Call of Duty. 

If it’s a holiday or breakfast time, you’ll likely find him in the kitchen, busy at the stove. He’s the guy who gets up at 5 a.m. on Easter morning to start dinner. 

Balsoma doesn’t just rustle up great food — he’s carrying on cherished family traditions.

He started cooking at age 12, learning from his grandmother, Frances, in her kitchen. He still simmers her memorable spaghetti sauce.

Before his mother-in-law, Cathy, passed away, he joined her in the kitchen on every holiday to learn her special recipes, including her famous savory glazed ham.

“Everybody goes insane for it,” Balsoma says. King syrup, pineapple juice, mustard, and apple pie spice are among the key ingredients. 

He and Peggy often host more than 20 people for holiday meals, including several of his in-laws who miss their mom and her cooking. 

“I can still give them a taste of their mom’s holiday meals,” he says.

A Lucky Landing at Level Green

The former donut maker and long haul driver is happy where he’s landed. 

“Level Green will be my last stop,” Balsoma says. “It’s not a small company, by any means, but it has a family feel. The leadership team is always open to new ideas. They’re honest. They always do the right thing.

“Coming here is one of the best career decisions I’ve made,” he says. “I’ve advanced more here than anywhere else in my life.

“I can’t think of a better place to end up.”

Want to Join the Team?

Marvin 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 encourages you to grow?