Originally posted in Lawnandlandscape.com
Led Award-winning Bay Area Landscape Company
Gachina Landscape Management recently announced that their founder John Gachina passed away on Sunday December 27.
In a statement, the company said that he died “peacefully at his home, surrounded by his loving family. We will miss John’s passion for life and his energy. John truly enriched the lives of everyone and everything he touched.”
Gachina Landscape Management recently converted 5,000 square feet of their construction yard into an organic vegetable garden that was awarded a Certified Wildlife Habitat™ designation by the National Wildlife Federation.
Here, company president, CEO and founder John Gachina works
with children in the demonstration garden.
Gachina Landscape Management was founded in 1988 and has a corporate office in Menlo Park, and satellite offices in Fremont, San Jose, and Sand City. It has been recognized as one of the healthiest employers in the Bay Area three times, and was number 33 in the list of the top 100 local places to work.
At the 42nd annual California Landscape Contractors Association’s San Francisco Bay Area Beautification Awards, Gachina took home four trophies: the Landscape Management Sweepstakes for best-maintained commercial property, two first place awards, and one achievement award.
According to a recent article in Landscape Contractor, Design/Build/Maintain, the company is not only involved in community service including donating money, materials, time and equipment for nonprofit renovation projects, participating in yearly team walks for breast cancer, and sponsoring scholarships and local nonprofit organizations, but also encourages employees to develop themselves beyond on-the-job training by such things as reimbursing employees for expenses related to tuition and books at local colleges and school districts, and encouraging employees without high school diplomas to complete their GED requirements.
The company statement said that Gachina Landscape Management will remain a family-owned business under the continued leadership of Craig Van Dorp and the Gachina management team.
“(John) leaves behind a strong company and organization of passionate employees that will honor his memory by dedicating themselves to continue the work and service he loved so much,” the statement read. “He will be missed and remain in our hearts; never to be forgotten.”
A Celebration of Life service for industry, community, clients, and family friends will be held on Saturday, January 30th at 6 pm at Napredak Hall, located at 770 Montague Expressway, San Jose, 95131. The company is asking that any donations be made to honor John’s commitment to JobTrain.
This was originally posted on http://www.landscapeonline.com/research/article/28113
