January 23, 2025
After more than 30 years of TERRA NOVA® Nurseries being in business, we’ve been fortunate to have some truly remarkable people join our team along the way. These individuals have played a pivotal role in shaping TERRA NOVA® into the thriving company it is today. Their dedication, talent, and shared vision for growth have been the cornerstone of our success.
Without the years of commitment and collaboration from our incredible team, we wouldn’t have achieved the milestones we celebrate today. Thanks to our long-standing employees’ dependable and passionate contributions, we’ve become a leader in our industry.
Today, we’re thrilled to kick off our Spotlight Series, celebrating the tenured stars who have been with us for 20 years or more. These team members are more than just colleagues, they’re mentors, innovators, and the heart of TERRA NOVA® and we thank them for their efforts.
Felipe Castellanos
Position: Maintenance
Tenure: 27 years
Q: What has kept you passionate about your work at TERRA NOVA® after all these years?
A: What I have enjoyed the most is being able to do a lot of different things and the chance to continue to learn. No day ever looks the same. Being able to work independently and ability to organize my time has also been great.
Harini Korlipara
Position: General Manager
Tenure: 26 years
Q: What has kept you passionate about your work at TERRA NOVA® after all these years?
A: Always enjoyed encouragement, open discussions at every level (top tier to employees on floor), flexibility, and welcoming nature from top management.
Yadira Gamez
Position: ST3 Coordinator
Tenure: 25 years
Q: What has kept you passionate about your work at TERRA NOVA® after all these years?
A: They trusted me and gave me the opportunity to learn many things over time and get to where I am now. I like my job although sometimes it is a little stressful.
Vicenta Herrera (Rufi)
Position: Lab Research
Tenure: 25 years
Q: What has kept you passionate about your work at TERRA NOVA® after all these years?
A: During these 25 years in TERRA NOVA® it is like a school, every year that I complete is one more grade. The day I stop working will be the day of my graduation.
Estela Baca
Position: Planter
Tenure: 24 years
Q: What has kept you passionate about your work at TERRA NOVA® after all these years?
A: I like working at TERRA NOVA® because I like taking care of the plants, learning their characteristics, and speaking to them.
Graciela Hernández Esquivel
Position: Claims and Receiving
Tenure: 23 years
Q: What has kept you passionate about your work at TERRA NOVA® after all these years?
A: What has kept me so happy throughout my 22 years in this company TERRA NOVA® Nursery is the opportunity to have a job and the good treatment I have received from all my supervisors. I am very grateful for all the opportunities they have given me to work in all the departments and for all the new projects they have taught me. Thank you very much for everything.
Eva Mendoza
Position: Motherblock Lab Lead
Tenure: 22 years
Q: What has kept you passionate about your work at TERRA NOVA® after all these years?
A: Thank you for opening the doors to me and allowing me to be part of the TERRA NOVA® family. What has kept me here for many years is my passion for plants in my area. I can take care of the plants while they sleep and wake them up when they need new food.
Larry Finley
Position: Sales Manager
Tenure: 22 years
Q: What has kept you passionate about your work at TERRA NOVA® after all these years?
A: Larry Finley has been hanging around TERRA NOVA® Nurseries, Inc. for over 22 years—and no, they still haven’t kicked him out! As the Sales Manager, Larry’s mission is to charm clients, keep the sales team humming, and make sure TERRA NOVA®’s plants are flying off the shelves (or at least being lovingly adopted by nurseries around the world). You ask what has kept Larry at TERRA NOVA® Nurseries for 22 years, it is the ability to grow plants, sale plants and be creative all in one place.
Over the years, Larry has dabbled in a bit of everything. He’s been a Sales Representative, where he perfected the art of the pitch, and a trade booth designer, crafting eye-catching displays that had people stopping mid-aisle to say, “Wow, nice plants!” Whether he’s juggling spreadsheets or setting up a booth, Larry’s creativity and can-do attitude have made him a crowd favorite—both at TERRA NOVA® and in the industry.
Larry’s plant knowledge runs deep—seriously, ask him anything—and his passion for horticulture is downright contagious. When he’s not busy working, you’ll probably find him building a western town around his greenhouse or a new landscape design. If plants had a fan club, Larry would be the president (and probably the guy designing the club’s t-shirts).
Nora Morales
Position: Inventory Control
Tenure: 21 years
Q: What has kept you passionate about your work at TERRA NOVA® after all these years?
A: First thing I would like to say is thank you to this company for giving me the opportunity to start to learn the basic things like starting to use a computer, because when I started to work here, I didn’t have any idea how to use a computer and then started to learn about all the types the plants, disease, insects but I have more to learn because every day we learn something new.
It is almost 21 years working here and I felt like is just 1 year, but the time doesn’t stop but I love this place to work, because we have here the opportunity to learn different things if we want to learn.
Thank you to the owners Ken and Dan.
Cristina Garcia
Position: R&D Research Lead
Tenure: 21 years
Q: What has kept you passionate about your work at TERRA NOVA® after all these years?
A: In these 20 years, what has truly impassionate me is everything in general, but especially the pollination and the entire process until achieving the desired result. That is number one.
Number two, I am happy with the area where I get to work and the environment.
Josh Blair
Position: Multimedia Guru
Tenure: 21 years
Q: What has kept you passionate about your work at TERRA NOVA® after all these years?
A: Being part of a team that brings groundbreaking plant varieties to the world has been an amazing experience. It’s so rewarding to see how our marketing efforts, whether through emails, catalogs, or social media is able to connect and inspire customers. Working with the sales and marketing teams has given me the chance to tap into my creativity and try out new ideas. Over the past 20+ years, contributing to the company’s growth and success has been incredibly fulfilling, and I’m proud to know my work has played a role in shaping TERRA NOVA®’s evolution and reputation.
Aaron Heims
Position: IT Manager/Lead Developer
Tenure: 21 years
Q: What has kept you passionate about your work at TERRA NOVA® after all these years?
A: What’s kept me passionate about my work is that every day I come in there’s almost always something new, some new challenge, some new way of looking at our data, or new technology we’re working on implementing. On top of that, being able to teach and instruct those that request support gives a real sense of purpose and watching them succeed using the new tools is incredibly rewarding.
