Thank you, Hansjorg for 41 Years at
Reno Green Landscaping!
Hans has been with Reno Green Landscaping since 1979, four years after the business started in 1975. Reno Green wouldn’t be the company it is today with an amazing, flavorful, kerchief wearing man like Hans.
He brings a special expertise that only time, dedication and pure hard work can produce. When you ask his coworkers, they describe his character as being that of a gruff demeanor, true grit and heart of gold. Hans has shepherd many landscape professionals in his day, teaching them what it means to do the right thing, even when it may be the more difficult option.
One story that sticks out most was told by our General Manager, Ryan Harvey. She described a time when Hans went out of his way to save the day, not because he had to, but because he knew it was the right thing to do.
They were driving through an apartment complex, performing a standard landscape inspection, when they saw a shocking amount of water, 4-6 inches deep and 5 feet wide, gushing through the parking lot.
It was close to a small creek and Ryan recalls, 7 children were playing in the water and Hans put the truck in park, hopped out, in his spry 70 year-old fashion, leaving the door open, the keys still in the ignition and started running, following the water source. The children followed him, like ducklings in a row, all the way to an exterior closet. The fire riser valve had ruptured, blowing the doors open and spewing water, with incredible pressure, straight out into the landscaping, flooding the surrounding area at a shocking speed. All the kids exclaimed collective “Woahs!” and “Wows!”
Hans wiggled his body between the enormous stream of water and the side wall of the closet to see if there was another shut off. Moments later, a fire truck with a full team of firemen showed up to fix the break. They were not familiar with the property, but that was okay because they had Hans.
By intuition, he began pacing off the standard length of pipe, essentially tracing the underground infrastructure with nothing but his own two feet and selected which manhole he though would contain the correct valve to turn off. The firefighters opened it up and went to close the valve but lacked the correct irrigation key. It just so happened Hans had the correct key in his truck!
It’s stories like these, simple stories of a man helping when he didn’t have to, going beyond what’s expected of him and sharing his knowledge of years past that make Hans irreplaceable at Reno Green Landscaping. If no one else can figure it out, we call Hans. Even our local water authority has called Hans when they are having trouble locating underground irrigation on properties throughout the city.
If his knowledge doesn’t win you over, his caring nature will, although he does a stand-up job of trying to hide it. Hans checks up on his coworkers when they are sick or having a rough time with a call or text. He remembers intimate details about his coworkers and would give anyone the shirt off his back, though he would certainly tell them that they should have been better prepared. Hans always owns up to his own mistakes, few they may be. And he always wears his signature kerchief and three coats, even in the summer.
Hans has saved Reno Green Landscaping money that can’t be quantified by his proactive problem solving. He’s so in tune with our variable climate, that he knows what to do in every situation, even before his superiors and catches problems before they arise.
Hans’ landscaping legacy in the Reno area will be remembered by more than Reno Green and its employees. Ryan remembers when she and Hans were waiting for a client to do a property walk. They were standing under a very large shade tree as it was a hot summer day. Hans looked up at the tree and said to Ryan, “I planted this tree over 30 years ago.” We imagine there are hundreds of other trees in the Reno area that Hans can say this about. He’s improved Reno Green Landscaping culturally and financially, but it should be noted, he’s improved our community at large too.