In the Company of Honorable Men ?EUR??,,????'?????<

Interview by Leslie McGuire, managing editor

Richard A. Sperber, President and CEO of ValleyCrest Landscape Companies. Photo courtesy of Valley Crest Landscape Companies.

In 1949, Burton S. Sperber bought a small nursery from the widow of Mossimo Gianulli and started ValleyCrest Landscape Nurseries. In 2008, after going to work with his father from the age of five, Richard A. Sperber was named President and CEO of ValleyCrest Landscape Companies. Today, ValleyCrest has become the nation?EUR??,,????'?????<

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?EUR??,,????'?????<Photo courtesy of Guy Nelson

ValleyCrest broke ground for their new headquarters in Calabasas, California in 2004 and shortly thereafter, Richard A. Sperber was named President and CEO. The company, started in 1949 by his father, has grown $300 million in the last five years. Photo courtesy of Guy Nelson

Managing From the Heart

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ValleyCrest has had branded trucks like this one, since 1950. However, now, they?EUR??,,????'?????<

 

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?EUR??,,????'?????<Photos courtesy of Valley Crest Landscape Companies.

?EUR??,,????'?????<Photo courtesy of Lonna Tucker Photography

Going Global

Sperber knows that ValleyCrest, collectively, is building much more than environments. they are making an extraordinary effort to set the mood for human experiences that will enrich peoples?EUR??,,????'?????<

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ValleyCrest is also going to China. ?EUR??,,????'?????<

?EUR??,,????'?????<Photo courtesy of ValleyCrest Landscape Companies

...We made magic.?EUR??,,????'?????<

?EUR??,,????'?????<Photo courtesy of Guy Nelson

The Past Will Inform the Future

Both Richard and his father Burt know one of the biggest challenges in the future is the economy. ?EUR??,,????'?????<

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What about the competition? Sperber points out, ?EUR??,,????'?????<

Built by ValleyCrest Landscape Development in collaboration with Suzhou Garden Development Company in China, the Garden of Flowing Fragrance spans more than 12 acres. The project utilized a team of Mandarin-speaking Chinese stonemasons and artisans, and a tri-lingual crew of Mandarin, Spanish and English speaking people to build and landscape the garden. Translators were retained to interpret between Mandarin, Spanish and English speakers and were on site throughout the entire project. Photo courtesy of Bob Riha

?EUR??,,????'?????<Rendering courtesy of ValleyCrest Design Group/Comstock Studio.

An Opportunity for Positive Change

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?EUR??,,????'?????<Photo courtesy of Robb Williamson

The Palm Collection is a new signature urban landscape design at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), a 20-acre campus in one of Los Angeles?EUR??,,????'?????<Licuala ramsayi) and a showpiece 50-year-old Chilean Wine palm (Jubea chilensis).?EUR??,,????'?????<Photo courtesy of Lonna Tucker Photography Courtesy of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)

The Secret to Making Magic

My favorite project is the park all 250 of our managers installed in one day right up the street. We made magic. It was a surprise to the city as well. But it was not a simple process?EUR??,,????'?????<

Sperber?EUR??,,????'?????<