Her Story
About Gladys
Gladys Martinez is an Irrigation Manager at LaSalle Landscaping in McAllen, Texas, where she also provides operational support and helps introduce systems drawn from her experience at other companies. With nearly nine years in the landscaping industry, she began her path as an intern at Yellowstone Landscape after a university professor encouraged her to pursue broader field experience. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Plant and Soil Sciences with a minor in Biology from Sam Houston State University.
Over the course of her career, Martinez has served as an enhancement and irrigation manager, account manager, and general manager with companies including Yellowstone Landscape and Earth First Landscapes. She has deliberately explored small, mid-sized, and large organizations to understand every facet of the business. She currently holds irrigation, backflow, and chemical licenses and was recognized by Lawn & Landscape magazine as an influential student early in her career. She also served as a horticulture instructor with Lee College, teaching women preparing to re-enter society after incarceration, and she has mentored female interns throughout her career.
Martinez credits her success to her parents, her faith, and mentors such as Edwin Enriquez, Greg Mendoza, and Andy Reeves, and she lives by the value of integrity. Guided by the belief that there is always room for improvement, she encourages young women to be bold, to be themselves, and to extend grace to themselves along the way. Her goals include returning to a general manager or branch manager role and, one day, perhaps starting her own company. Outside of work, she enjoys bass fishing and hopes to try fly fishing for salmon in Alaska.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Gladys
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my parents, my faith in God, and a strong support system. God has placed the right people in my path, including mentors, teachers, and colleagues who taught me and shaped my career. Even years after working together, I can call them when I feel lost, and they always help redirect me.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
A laborer once asked me, "What is the biggest room in the world?" The answer is the room for improvement, because it is always open and always growing. I go into everything, whether my career, relationships, or finances, knowing there is room to improve. No matter how prepared I am or how many licenses I hold, there is always a way to make things better.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Be bold and be yourself, both in the decisions you make and in who you are as you enter this industry. It is not easy, but it is very rewarding. The right people will find you and guide you. Carry yourself with grace, give yourself grace along the way, and keep your head held high, because it will carry you a long way. I give this same advice to my interns, and I hope to keep helping women and young men who enter the field.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The industry is growing quickly, and technology such as robotic mowers and software for accounting and scheduling is advancing exponentially. These tools make our jobs easier, but they can leave older, less tech-savvy professionals feeling left behind. I believe experienced professionals with 20 or 30 years in the industry still have a great deal to offer, and the younger generation will still have much to learn from them. Another major change is the growing acceptance of women. When I started eight or nine years ago, women managers and field workers were rare, but today they are much more common. I try to hire women for my crews and give them the chance to learn a new trade.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity is the value I hold most dear. I strive to be honorable, responsible, and honest in my work and with myself about whether I am performing at the level I should. I apply that standard to my professional and spiritual life by giving 100% and finishing every job completely, knowing I did everything in my power.
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