John GachinaJohn Gachina, founder and president of Menlo Park, California-based Gachina Landscape Management, has died, the company announced this week.
“John passed away peacefully at his home on Sunday, December 27th, and was surrounded by his loving family and the love of the Gachina Landscape Family,” the statement read, noting that the landscaping industry had “lost one of its pioneering icons.”
A champion of sustainability in landscape design and operations, Gachina founded his company in 1988, working out of his home in Cupertino with just two employees. Today, Gachina Landscape Management employs more than 350 people.
Early on, Gachina emphasized training and continuing education for both himself and his employees. He took pride in the fact that as many as half of the company’s managers had joined Gachina Landscape Management in entry-level positions and worked their way up through the ranks.
The company says it will announce a “Celebration of Life” service for Gachina on its Facebook page. In lieu of flowers, the family has suggested memorial donations to the JobTrain program, which Gachina supported enthusiastically through the years.
