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

Hi Jessie, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Salazar Landscaping or SLA was starting with the goal in mind of creating something different. Throughout school for landscape architecture much emphasis was placed on the build and natural environment and with it came methods of sustainability. It was my view that our field was not doing enough in the social justice realm. Being a social justice advocate, I was not sure if I wanted to continue working in this field if it would mean that my work would not have a direct impact on marginalized neighborhoods. I had two options, change fields of study or make this field of study my very own. Landscape was all I ever knew and everything I ever wanted to know, so I decided for the second choice and that is how SLA was created. SLA was created out of deep passion for our community. During my time studying at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo I had seen the importance of green spaces and the lack of them in our South East Los Angeles area. As we grew in our business so did our commitment for social and environmental change. Over time we have implemented new metrics to dictate our social and environmental impact. Now SLA is a Certified B Corporation. B Corps are a type of company that uses the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. Salazar Landscaping was certified by the non-profit B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. We’ve evaluated how our practices impact our employees, our community, the environment, and our customers. With a refreshed mission and vision we continue to work towards our goals. Our mission is to Design, build and maintain thoughtful, healing landscapes with the goal of creating social and environmental change. Our vision is to become the catalyst in creating social and environmental change within the landscape field. We work and create opportunities that are of benefit to our company, employees and community all while being the leading landscape company to provide training and a path to employment for at risk youth and formerly incarcerated individuals.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Our care for our community distinguishes us from any other landscape company. As a social enterprise we put our community and employees first over everything. We appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with local schools as well as community in teaching youth how to plant and be more plant friendly.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Chicos pizza in Lynwood is definitely the best spot to take friends who are visiting. It is the best pizza in LA!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My shoutout is to my father Abel Salazar who since the beginning has been very involved in SLA. As my father and best friend it is truly an honor to be able to work so closely with him. We are now going on 23 years working together. Throughout the years the roles have changed and now we are partners. When I founded SLA in 2015 we had the opportunity to continue working together. I am now 28, and started working with him at the age of 5 during any time off I had from school. Whether it be weekends or vacations.

Website: salazarlandscapingla.com
Instagram: salazarlandscaping
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessie-salazar-779a65a0/