Employee of the year

We've named this year's winners!

After receiving hundreds of nominations, Lawn & Landscape managed to catch up with the top three nominees for this year's Employee of the Year awards — Joxuan "Jay" Burgos, Isidoro Acedo and Tim Kent.

LEND A HAND: Helping Hand is more than a name for Joxuan “Jay” Burgos, manager of maintenance and enhancements with Helping Hand Lawn Care in Zellwood, Florida — it’s a mentality.

WISE AND WILLING: For a few months out of the year, Isidoro Acedo spends his days in Veracruz, Mexico, at home with his wife and daughter. The rest of the time, he’s working as the lead foreman for Cedar Ridge Landscape in Baltimore County, Maryland — over 2,300 miles away.

PUT IT TO PRACTICE: Tim Kent wasn’t looking for a career in landscaping. Before he became the maintenance manager at Blue Stone Gardens and Landscape in Oregon, he made sandwiches at his local Subway restaurant. Then he interviewed for the job that changed his life.