Up Close with Rosvin Lara: “Little Things Make a Big Difference”

Rosvin Lara has a lot going on as a busy landscaping operations manager, from managing schedules to coordinating equipment and materials to making sure every job is done right.
But he prioritizes people.

“My relationship with my crews is very, very important,” he says. “I like to be a friend, but at the same time I want them to see me as the operations manager. I try to explain exactly why we’re doing this or that — not just tell them to do it.

“Just being friendly is important, you know? When it’s hot I go to the store and buy them Gatorade. Little things make a big difference.”

On the Move, and Moving Up

Rosvin grew up on a farm in Guatemala, where coffee bean trees flourished and life was busy caring for horses, cows, and chickens.

He’s always loved being outside, but his first jobs were in restaurants, both in Guatemala and when he first moved to the U.S eight years ago.

When he switched careers and started work at a small landscaping company in Silver Springs, Md., working outside was more like the countryside life he missed in Guatemala.

“I feel better working outside,” he says.

Rosvin started at Level Green four years ago as supervisor, won a Supervisor of the Year award and was promoted to operations manager in January 2020.

Keeping People Happy

As a supervisor Rosvin was in charge of small crews of three or four people.

Now, as operations manager, “There are more people I have to manage,” he says. “I talk more with clients. There’s a big difference, a lot more things to do.”

As Rosvin juggles schedules, trains crews, makes clients happy and keeps a close eye on his properties, good communication with his crews is always on his mind.

“That’s the key to keeping people working here for a long time,” he says. “If you don’t have that, they can decide to move to another company for the smallest reason. But if I talk to them, find out what they’re thinking, I can keep them for a long time.”

That’s important, he says.

“When you keep people, they know the details of the job and how to do it,” he says. “If you’re training somebody new every month, it’s really hard. They don’t know the details.”

His job keeps him on his toes, managing maintenance operations for apartment buildings, shopping centers and HOAs, including a high-end community of 400 homes.
That’s like having 400 clients to please.

“I have to be organized,” he says. “There are a lot of things to do every day. Because we work outside, I have to change things when the weather changes. Today we were scheduled to mow, but there’s a light rain, so I sent my guys to do shearing and pruning instead. You have to always be thinking about what’s the best plan.”

His hard work is rewarded with compliments.

“My favorite part is when we get comments from the clients that the property looks good,” he says. “That gives me motivation.”

Family, Church and Nature

Rosvin and his wife, Sara, have a 2-year-old son, Jaziel, who’s starting to talk a lot and delighting his dad.
“I like to spend time with my family, and my church is my family, too, so we spend a lot of time there,” he says.

Rosvin misses the wide open countryside of Guatemala, so he loves escaping with his family into nature when he can, heading to area parks and lakes.

His experience cooking in restaurants gave him some solid skills.

His specialty is carne asada made with fajita beef, but don’t bother asking for the recipe.

“It’s a secret,” he says, laughing.

Rosvin loves the opportunities at Level Green, and the encouragement he gets to move up the career ladder.

His English is good, but he’s taking classes to improve it, with his eye on future advancement.

“The company is growing every year,” he says. “There’s a lot of opportunities here, for everyone.”

Want to Join the Team?

Rosvin 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 company that encourages growth in your career?