Up Close With Hector Felipe: Work With A Greater Purpose

As the seasons change, so do the tasks Hector Felipe tackles every day as a landscape maintenance crew member for Level Green Landscaping.

He loves the variety.

In the late winter and spring, Hector works on property clean-up, preparing grounds for a new layer of mulch. By late spring, shrub pruning moves to the forefront, and mowing is in full swing.

In the fall, there’s a seemingly endless supply of leaves to corral, right through late December.

By January, when groundskeeping work is on hold, Hector is on call for snow removal.

The seasonal rotation of tasks is perfect work for Hector, who loves being outside and takes pride in work well done.

But beyond that, each day’s labor has extra meaning for Hector, 53, who moved here from Guatemala 12 years ago to provide a better life for his family.

His wife, Rosa Lidia Villa Fuerte; son, Jefferson Felipe, 20; and son Vilka Lomely Felipe, age 16, remain in Chiquimula, Guatemala, and Hector hopes to one day move them here to the U.S., and maybe send his sons to college.

Hector’s hometown of Chiquimula, in the highlands of the Sierra Madre, is characterized by steep mountains, deep ravines, beautiful valleys and wide plains. It’s far away from the bustle of the metropolitan DC area.

So as he works each day, through the changing seasons, caring for some of the high-profile properties in our North Branch area, Hector has a bigger goal in mind.

A typical day for Hector starts with a safety check of the mowing equipment. He makes sure the equipment trailer is stocked with all the supplies needed for the day’s work.

Then he moves on to whatever work the season has in store.

One of his recent projects involved leaf removal at Baltimore-Washington International Commerce Park, a 40-acre business park in Hanover, MD that includes office and retail space in a campus-like setting.

It’s a high visibility site, near Baltimore-Washington International Airport, and Hector was proud of the way the property looked when his work was done.

"Hector’s pride in his work is just one of the traits that makes him a great Level Green employee," says his branch manager, David Roles.

"Hector greets everyone with a smile, takes his work seriously and always asks if there’s anything else that needs to be completed before he heads home," Roles says.

He takes on responsibilities without being asked, like making sure all the mower blades are sharpened and ready. 

When Hector talks about his work at Level Green, he tells about the people. He appreciates working with good people, he says, who offer him honest work and the training he needs to do it well.

Away from work, Hector rents a home with three friends. They have a flower garden, and Hector tends to the roses. He loves to play cards and watches news from Guatemala to keep up with events there.

He has a foot in each world — planning a better future for his family while working hard here at a job he loves.

Want to Join the Team?

Hector 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 where employees love what they do?