Meet Andrew Martin | Horticulturist, Business Owner and Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Andrew Martin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Andrew, how has your background shaped the person you are today?

Growing up in Cincinnati, Ohio at age ten I began maintaining landscapes with my grandfather and servicing residents. He taught me about horticulture, but also the value in helping others and treating everyone equally.

Simultaneously, I became aware of my artistic talents in painting and drawing and applied them to the enhancement and beautification of landscapes.

My upbringing taught me to work hard and treat all people with respect. I’ve traveled all over the world and met a variety of people, but always remember my roots.

I achieved a bachelor’s in business administration at the University of Kentucky, a degree in horticultural technologies and landscape design from Cincinnati State Technical College, and started my first business, Optimist Landscape, where I was able to sell and design landscapes and was able to utilize my knowledge as a horticulturist and artist.

About 18 years ago, I moved to San Diego, California to manage accounts with the largest landscape maintenance company in the country and specialized in large scale, high quality landscape grounds such as Military Bases and Master Planned Communities.

My career in San Diego, emphasizing high quality customer service, has continued to flourish. I have been fortunate to connect to the culture of the workforce, learn their language, and understand their heritage. When I started as an Account Manager, I did not speak Spanish and my team did not speak English. I ate lunch with my crews every day, went to Spanish night school at the University of California San Diego, and traveled to Mexico to learn the language and immerse myself in the culture. Dedication as such has helped fuel my success and cultivate the respect my coworkers and I share for each other.

After working for various local and national firms gathering vast experience in the industry, I decided to follow my entrepreneurial dreams and launch Urban Landcare. My team and I are dedicated to the craft and committed to a quality product for our clients. For the past 4 years, we nearly doubled in size each year. I credit this to my diligent team, following the same rules I learned as a local gardener: work hard and treat everyone with respect.
As we expand further into the San Diego commercial landscape market, we continue to focus on delivering a quality, competitive product while optimizing company culture for our team.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?

Urban Landcare performs quality, consistent landscape maintenance services to numerous commercial landscape clients throughout San Diego County. Our clients include homeowner associations, corporations, apartment communities, and commercial properties. We are a full-service solution for all your landscaping needs and are committed to providing an efficient, high-quality suite of landscape services. At Urban, we believe that every project is unique, and we will strive to customize our services to meet your specific needs, enhance the property landscape, and exceed your expectations.

I live and work in the community of Bird Rock. The Bird Rock Maintenance and Assessment District (MAD ) can attest to the quality of our services. Neighbors and other residents have approached me with gratitude for cleaning up the community. The polished landscapes of the round-abouts and medians have attracted more businesses to La Jolla Blvd. Urban is dedicated to continuing this progressive, productive relationship with Bird Rock MAD and the community.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I always suggest Liberty station or Pt. Loma straight from the airport. We would hit STONE Brewery or Pt. Loma Seafoods. My favorite beach is Windansea so we would go there for a sunset then swing by El Pescador for the freshest seafood in San Diego. There is always OB if we want to mix it up and make things interesting.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Since I started Urban, my good friend Jeff has been a rock and a soundboard. He always gives straight up advice, encouragement, and gives me confidence if ever in doubt. Jeff has owned a landscape company for 40 years and is also an art collector of mine. Along with Jeff my wife, family, and various clients have always given me the support I need.

Website: www.urbanlandcare.com and www.andrewmartinart.com

Instagram: @urban.landcare @andrewmartinart

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-martin-30054149/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrewmartinart and https://www.facebook.com/urbanlandcare