Community Highlights: Meet Jose Muñoz of Foregrounds Landscape

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jose Muñoz

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
The story begins with my mother and father. My father arrived to the US during the early 70’s, where he worked the fields throughout California and a few other states. As field work was more seasonal than anything, he was determined on starting a basic gardening service and saved enough money for a mower, edger, and a rusty Ford Ranger. Slowly he expanded the business by word of mouth and his gardening route grew.
My childhood summer vacations and Saturdays consisted of riding in the pickup, raking, weeding, jumping on green trash bins to stuff as much greenery in them as possible. Eventually, it became into a paid gig for me.

As I became older, I noticed the potential and opportunity in the industry, beyond the “mow, blow and go”. I would observe landscape construction crews, tree guys, plumbers, electricians, anybody I could learn from. As a teen, education wasn’t a priority for me, and In my “old-school” Mexican household I had two options- go to work or go to school. I chose the pick and axe. However, several years later, I realized that education was the true key to success. After gaining an astronomical amount of experience in the field, I decided to take it further and obtain a formal education in the industry that I grew up in.

I became a State Licensed C-27 Landscape Contractor, an ISA Certified Arborist specialized in Tree Risk Assessments, enrolled at UCLA’s Extension Graduate level program to become a Certified Landscape Architect, and most recently graduated from the American Society of Consulting Arborist “Consulting Academy”. These were all highlights in my education, given I had dropped out of school in the 7th grade and never saw a classroom again until I reached adulthood.

My trials, tribulations, challenges and determination have landed me in the position where I am today. I am grateful for everyone who has given me the opportunity to serve them. What began as a “mow, blow and go” business in the early 70’s has evolved into a interdisciplinary landscape design and construction company, in addition to providing expert arborist services. We now provide an array of services for homeowners, HOA’s, Municipalities, Educational institutions, and pride ourselves that no landscape or tree job is too small or too big for us.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Being a first generation Mexican American in Los Angeles comes with its unique set of challenges. A tremendous challenge for myself was obtaining a formal education as an adult. I hadn’t been in a classroom since 7th grade- I could design and build your landscape but I was petrified about being in a classroom. After a few classes at Los Angeles Southwest College I realized that the vast majority of my classmates were in the same boat as I was and it was all smooth sailing from there, I was later accepted as a conditional student at UCLA Extensions Landscape Architecture Program. As a business owner, the biggest challenge was having to figure out how to grow a business without the help of any business loans, basically lifting yourself from your own bootstraps. Running a business is expensive, so finding a balance between our overhead and remaining affordable within reason helped to overcome this obstacle. Our exceptional quality of work is valued by our clients and has been a driving force behind our growth and success.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Foregrounds Landscape is a local LA landscape design/build company proudly serving the greater LA area for over 25 years. We’re known for our design process, taking into account a full understanding of what our clients unique aesthetic and needs are. We are a broad spectrum landscape and hardscape service fully equipped to handle all aspects of your outdoor living space. We are most proud of our ability to make the entire process of transforming your landscape from design to execution as smooth as possible for our clients. Being able to provide all aspects of landscaping makes it easy for our clients, by not having to deal with several contractors. Owner Jose Antonio Muñoz also offers expert Certified Arborist services including tree risk assessments, diagnosis, treatment, pruning, preservation, and removal whenever necessary.

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Customer satisfaction. I believe a satisfied customer is worth more than any profit margin. Were passionate about what we do, it runs deep, so this is more than just a job- its what we do because we love and enjoy beautifying the communities we serve. Getting paid for it is just the icing on the cake. Walking away from a project with a satisfied client is the best reward hands down.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.theforegrounds.com
• Instagram: @foregroundslandscape
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/foregrounds-landscape-los-angeles-3