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Odyssey Landscaping Company was established by Martin Gates in 1982. Under the same ownership, and in the same location, they have grown to over 330 employees offering a full-service Design/Build landscaping firm that provides maintenance, environmental services, concrete design and irrigation installation for both commercial and residential properties.
Martin Gates started Odyssey Landscaping primarily because he wanted to have his own business. He was also trained in the landscaping business having lived overseas for three years. He was working for a landscaping company in Saudi Arabia, which built multiple projects as part of developing a city called Jubayil on the Red Sea.
When he came back it was clear that this was an opportunity to start something of his own. ?EUR??,,??I essentially started my business with a pick-up truck and a wheel barrow,?EUR??,,?? says Gates. ?EUR??,,??I got involved in the residential landscape market doing residential installations.?EUR??,,??
He was in partnership at the time, and after several years, the partnership failed. The company was struggling to stay in business, however during that period of time they were able to re-establish themselves more in commercial projects. ?EUR??,,??It was extremely difficult,?EUR??,,?? he says, ?EUR??,,??but we eventually worked our way out .?EUR??,,??
One of the keys to success, Gates feels, is that they added services on throughout the years. In 1996 Odyssey introduced, Odyssey Environmental Services, Inc., an environmental division, specializing in erosion and sediment control and hydro-seeding applications. They?EUR??,,??ve added a sweeping business as well, providing municipal and private sweeping of commercial and residential streets. As Gates points out, ?EUR??,,??Having more than one division is a wonderful thing because when one is not firing, another one is.?EUR??,,??
Company wide, they have approximately 100 vehicles of various types and sizes, which include pick up trucks, hydro-seeders, end dumps, excavators, trenchers, loaders, mowers and all the usual maintenance equipment. The branding on all the vehicles has the same logo and the same motto: ?EUR??,,??Working Towards Excellence.?EUR??,,??
They try to control their rentals. ?EUR??,,??If a piece of machinery is being rented excessively that means it?EUR??,,??s time to buy one and add another piece of equipment to the fleet?EUR??,,?? says Gates. As far as maintenance of vehicles is concerned, they have four mechanics in house that do equipment and vehicle repair. They may have to do field repair.
?EUR??,,??We now have two separate branch offices with a total of 330 employees who are full time,?EUR??,,?? explains Gates. ?EUR??,,??Stockton is the northern office and they cover installation and maintenance in a 100 miles radius of the Stockton office from Yuba City to Baker?EUR??,,??s Field. The other office is 100 miles south in Chowchilla. Both branches offer the same array of services.?EUR??,,??
To date, Gates and members of his firm have the following California Licenses: Class A, B, & C27, #424613 and #774370. They also have a Registered Landscape Architect, RLA #4567, four people with Qualified Applicator Certificates for pesticide application, two licensed arborists, a certificate in Bonded Fiber Matrix Application, and certified Landscape Technicians.
The landscape architects in the design division actually create designs more often for municipalities. Josh Nash is their senior landscape architect. Odyssey bids on the plans the design group generates, and if they get the contract Odyssey does the installation. Sometimes it?EUR??,,??s a design build project, sometimes not. This division operates year round. The design group has computers, CAD systems, plotters, which print out the plans, and big copying machines. One plotter is color. They used to do a lot of hand renderings but now it?EUR??,,??s almost all CAD.
They were involved with a difficult project in the redwood area, Discovery Bay. The soil was high in boron. The marsh area was a sink where all these minerals had developed over the years. They had to find plants that would thrive in that environment which they were able to do by going around the area and finding out what was actually living. Ultimately, the problem would affect what homeowners could plant, but it was not a question of toxicity.
Gates?EUR??,,?? partner, Frank Adams, came on board four years ago from the building industry. Frank Adams, Owner / President ?EUR??,,?? joined Odyssey in 2001 bringing with him more than 23 years of construction experience. He brought another set of skills and insights into the company. He worked with DH Horton, one of the largest builders in the US, and he was able to help them expand their capabilities and manage the company better. After that they expanded by another 50 percent simply by being able to put systems and controls in place that monitor progress and control the groups.
?EUR??,,??It?EUR??,,??s been very hard to find good landscape architects, but now there are more good ones available since the building industry has started to slow down,?EUR??,,?? says Gates. The fact that housing is slowing down, has been a sign to the company. A good part of their business is in subdivisions, but they?EUR??,,??ve seen an 80 percent decline in the last six months. So they started shifting their focus a year ago. They?EUR??,,??ve gotten more involved with community shopping centers and all the infrastructure that goes along with the subdivisions. Their backlog is now larger than it?EUR??,,??s ever been.
They are now in the process of building a new facility, which will substantially increase their space. They purchased a seven-acre site with new shops and offices and the site will be all Odyssey. They break ground shortly, and of course they?EUR??,,??ll do their own landscaping. Gates hopes to move in within a year.
There have, of course, been ups and downs. During 1990/1991 recession and again earlier in 1986 when building was down, their business was also slowing down. But they?EUR??,,??ve never faced another situation as dire as the initial one?EUR??,,?(R)and with good reason. As Gates says, ?EUR??,,??When you realize how quickly a business can get upside down, you keep a better eye on it.?EUR??,,??
It is abundantly clear that Martin Gates has a very good eye, indeed!
Francisco Uviña, University of New Mexico
Hardscape Oasis in Litchfield Park
Ash Nochian, Ph.D. Landscape Architect
November 12th, 2025
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