Enrique Chaidez
LaborerOperations Manager
Started through the East Bay Conservation Corps. Today he holds a Qualified Applicator License and is working toward his own C-27.
About Rubicon Landscape Group
A Landscape Company Built by the People Who Do the Work
For more than 30 years, we have cared for Bay Area parks, streets, campuses and federal sites. We are a licensed commercial landscape contractor first. In addition, every contract we carry helps open a door for someone in our community.
30+years caring for Bay Area landscapes
80+careers started through Treasure Island referrals
6 MonthsJob Readiness traineeship on Treasure Island
18 WeeksBeautify Richmond training program
Who We Are
Professional Landscape Care, Season After Season
Rubicon Landscape Group maintains, improves and restores commercial and public landscapes across the Bay Area. Our crews work from branches in Richmond, San Francisco, Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Livermore, with headquarters on Bissell Avenue in Richmond.
Because we hold three California C-27 landscape contractor licenses and have kept ReScape Qualified Professionals on staff since 2008, our clients get a team that knows both the horticulture and the documentation that public and commercial work requires.
C-27 LicensedReScape QualifiedQWEL CertifiedQualified Applicator LicenseCLCA MemberNALP Member
5Bay Area branches serving public and commercial properties
Our Story
Rooted in Richmond, Growing Across the Bay
From a Richmond nonprofit to a licensed landscape company serving cities, campuses and federal sites.
- 1973
Rubicon Programs Is Founded
Rubicon Programs opens in Richmond to help East Bay residents build stable, independent lives.
- 1995
A Landscape Business to Fund the Mission
Rubicon Programs establishes Rubicon Enterprises, its landscape business, to create jobs and training and to help fund its mission.
- 1997
Jobs and Training on Treasure Island
Our Treasure Island crews begin, creating jobs and training for island residents through One Treasure Island referrals.
- 2008
ReScape Qualified Professionals
Our team earns ReScape credentials, and we have kept qualified professionals on staff every year since.
- 2018
Rubicon Landscape Corporation
Rubicon Programs forms Rubicon Landscape Corporation, a company it wholly owns, so our profits keep funding the mission as our commercial work grows.
- 2023
Beautify Richmond
With the City of Richmond, we complete the first 18-week Beautify Richmond training program.
Our Team
Experienced People You Can Reach
Every account has a named account manager and an operations manager behind the crew, supported by an office team that keeps contracts, insurance and paperwork moving.
Leadership and Account Management
Nancy Emery
Vice President of Landscape
Former C-27 contractor who leads a team of more than 50.
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Eric Hage
Account Manager, VA, and Fleet Manager
With Rubicon since 2013, holds a C-27 license.
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Sergio Calvario
Account Manager, Treasure Island
More than 20 years in Bay Area landscape and nursery work.
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Jim Miranda
Account Manager, Richmond, and Safety Coordinator
Nearly 25 years with Rubicon; trains crews in Integrated Pest Management.
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Daniel Hart
Landscape Growth Manager
Construction, estimating and client partnerships, with a degree in Environmental Horticulture.
View ProfileOperations
Enrique Chaidez
Operations Manager
More than 17 years with Rubicon, from laborer to operations manager.
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Pedro Torrez
Operations Manager
More than 10 years in irrigation, with Rain Bird and Hunter factory training.
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Our Parent Company
Rubicon Programs, Our Parent Company
Founded in Richmond in 1973, Rubicon Programs works to break the cycle of poverty across the East Bay. It helps people in Alameda and Contra Costa counties build steady income, lasting financial stability and healthier lives, guided by the values of justice, hope and humility.
Rubicon Programs started its landscape business to help fund that mission. Today, our profits go to fund the work below.
Learn About Rubicon Programs
Income
Job training, employment services and career coaching that lead to real jobs with steady pay.
Assets
Financial coaching, credit repair, access to banking and free tax preparation to build lasting stability.
Wellness
Behavioral health support and short-term therapy, so people can handle what life brings and keep moving forward.
Connections
In-house legal help with record clearance and child support, fatherhood coaching and community partners who stay in people's corner.
Our People
Careers Grown From the Ground Up
Many of the people who lead our crews today started with a rake in their hands. We train, we promote from within, and we stay together for a long time.
Pedro Torrez
GardenerOperations Manager
Rose through foreman, irrigation technician and supervisor, earning ReScape and QWEL certifications along the way.
Jaime Hernandez
Job PlacementCrew Leader
Came to Rubicon through a job placement program and grew into a Crew Leader who now trains others.
Jessica Lopez Morales
TraineeNative Habitat Crew
Began as a trainee and now cares for native plant sites, including the hillsides of Yerba Buena Island.
Now I see Rubicon as my second home.
Opportunity
More Than 80 Careers Started on the Island
Through One Treasure Island referrals, more than 80 people have joined our Treasure Island crews. Some have been promoted to supervisor. Others have gone on to work for San Francisco Recreation and Parks and the San Francisco Conservation Corps.
- Referrals through One Treasure Island open the door
- On-the-job training builds real skills and certifications
- Crew members grow into supervisors, and some move on to public agency careers
Training
Where Good Landscapers Get Their Start
We build our own talent, and we share what we know with people who are ready for a fresh start.
Job Readiness Program
A six-month traineeship on Treasure Island covering irrigation, pesticide safety, equipment, native plant identification and life skills, with OSHA 10 and ReScape training available.
Beautify Richmond
An 18-week program with the City of Richmond and the Reentry Success Center. Participants train beside our crews, and graduates have been hired at the Richmond Civic Center.
Learning on the Job
Crew members grow into foremen, irrigation technicians, supervisors and managers, with support for certifications such as QWEL, ReScape and the Qualified Applicator License.
Done Together
What We've Built Side by Side
Graduations, training cohorts and real hires: a few of the moments when our landscape work and Rubicon Programs' mission met in the same place.
March 2026
Treasure Island Graduation
Trainees from our Treasure Island Landscape Training program received their certificates of completion, with the Bay Bridge behind them.
Rubicon LandscapeRubicon Programs
August 2023
Beautify Richmond Graduates Its First Cohort
Sixteen Richmond residents enrolled in an 18-week paid landscape training program for justice-impacted people. By graduation, one participant had already secured a union position.
City of RichmondRubicon Programs
2026
Hands-On Training
Equipment and safety lessons happen on real job sites, so trainees learn the work the way it is actually done.
Rubicon LandscapeJob Readiness Program
January 2024
A Second Cohort and a First Hire
The second Beautify Richmond cohort trained two days a week at the Richmond Civic Center, where a graduate of the first cohort was hired.
City of RichmondReentry Success Center
November 2025
Another Class Completes Training
Another Treasure Island cohort finished training, part of a partnership with One Treasure Island that Rubicon also supported as a Gold Sponsor of its 2023 Gala.
One Treasure IslandRubicon Programs
February 2024
In the News: EdSource
EdSource profiled our Richmond crew and the second-chance careers it creates. One crew member called Rubicon "a safe haven for me."
Youth Jobs CorpsReentry Success Center
How We Work
We Leave Every Landscape Healthier Than We Found It
Sustainability is at the core of everything we do. Healthy soil grows healthy landscapes, and healthy landscapes cost less to care for.
- Natural pruning that reduces waste and improves plant health
- Compost and mulch instead of synthetic fertilizers
- Integrated Pest Management, with chemicals as a last resort
- All green waste recycled, much of it reused on site
Why We Exist
Every Contract Does Two Jobs
We were started to help fund the mission of our parent company, Rubicon Programs. Our crew is the workforce development program, so every contract we win does two things at once.
First, the Landscape
- Professional care clients need. Maintenance, irrigation and enhancements held to the same standard as any contractor.
- Quality that funds the mission. A landscape business that could not compete on quality would not generate anything to give.
- Spaces people enjoy. Well-kept grounds for the employees, visitors and neighbors who use them every day.
Then, the Revenue Does Its Second Job
- Job training on real sites. Crew members build marketable landscape and irrigation skills on active commercial and federal sites.
- Entry-level jobs on Treasure Island. Since 1997, a partnership with One Treasure Island has opened jobs for San Francisco residents, and trainees graduate ready to work across the industry.
- Second chances. Workforce programs for justice-impacted people and their families, built around stable jobs and real career paths.
- Lasting stability. Rubicon Programs services that help people plan careers and build long-term financial security.
Root cause over quick fix. Patience over shortcuts.
What This Means for Your Property
A contractor held to the same standard as any other on maintenance quality, irrigation efficiency, communication and reliability. In addition, your contract funds real job training and employment, not as a donation, but as a direct result of the work being done well. The landscape benefits, the property benefits and the community benefits.
Let's Care for Your Property Together
Free site assessment and a written recommendation from our team.