Latina Grows Business in Male-Dominated Landscaping Industry
Ascend LA graduate Monica Reyes is the owner of CME Landscape Corp.
by Martha Flores Perez
Eight years ago, Monica Reyes rarely watered her lawn; fast forward to 2022, she is up at the crack of dawn mowing and edging large green spaces. Monica manages a team of six, recently passed the state contractor exam, and was approved for a loan to purchase new equipment for her company, CME Landscape Corp. She is on a roll! Prior to this, she has 25 years of experience in medical staffing.
Monica is one of a few Latinas who own landscaping enterprises in a $114.6BN industry with a projected annual growth of 2.4% (Diment, 2021). When asked why she chose to compete in this male-dominated industry, Monica responds, "I love being an entrepreneur; I love the creativity! Every day is something new and challenging. I do not like that I do not have ongoing reserves or people to support me, like in a corporation. And I know that it takes time to grow and develop. I see this as a legacy for my family!"
Last year was difficult yet brought many opportunities for Monica. Her husband, Clayton Etherredge, the company’s project manager, became bedridden because of Covid, and her load of responsibilities increased. Nevertheless, she sought out more resources. She applied to the Ascend LA program, which partners with the College of Business Administration at Loyola Marymount University. According to Monica, the professors were "very clear with regards to making sure that [the curriculum] was relative and relatable to our business, whether it was financial, marketing, banking and credit, and operations. They made sure that they covered all of it."
Monica graduated with a living document from the program that keeps her on track toward her business goals. Moreover, the most significant outcome of her participation in Ascend LA is her expanded network of peer entrepreneur CEOs, many of whom still communicate and collaborate in partnerships.
Monica Reyes (centered) at the Ascend LA graduation, Prof. David Choi (left) from Loyola Marymount College of Business Administration and Miranda Rodriguez (right) from LISC LA.
Learn more about Ascend LA's past and current program cohorts.
CME Landscape Corp. is based in South Gate, CA, and provides commercial landscaping in LA and Orange County; they specialize in property maintenance and water management. To inquire about their services, reach out to them! They have also recently received Office Depot's Elevate Together Small Business Grant.
