Employee of the year

The 2025 winners are live!

We profiled three employees who really made their companies stand out last year: Yocelin Reynoso Prado, Marvin Balsoma and JT Wilkinson.

IN A NEW DIRECTION: After starting over in the green industry, Yocelin Reynoso Prado has helped transform SouthWest Landscape and its staff.

LEVELING UP: Whether it’s his own ambition or helping those around him, Level Green’s Marvin Balsoma is laser-focused on pushing people to meet their potential.

TRUE TO FORM: FormLA’s Maintenance Manager JT Wilkinson exemplifies the company’s dedication to California’s native plants.

Last year's winners

After receiving hundreds of nominations, Lawn & Landscape managed to catch up with the top three nominees for this year's Employee of the Year awards — Joxuan "Jay" Burgos, Isidoro Acedo and Tim Kent.

LEND A HAND: Helping Hand is more than a name for Joxuan “Jay” Burgos, manager of maintenance and enhancements with Helping Hand Lawn Care in Zellwood, Florida — it’s a mentality.

WISE AND WILLING: For a few months out of the year, Isidoro Acedo spends his days in Veracruz, Mexico, at home with his wife and daughter. The rest of the time, he’s working as the lead foreman for Cedar Ridge Landscape in Baltimore County, Maryland — over 2,300 miles away.

PUT IT TO PRACTICE: Tim Kent wasn’t looking for a career in landscaping. Before he became the maintenance manager at Blue Stone Gardens and Landscape in Oregon, he made sandwiches at his local Subway restaurant. Then he interviewed for the job that changed his life.