In 1997, having just graduated from Cambridge Rindge and Latin, 17-year old Jason MacKay’s sights were set on the city of Savannah where he would attend college in the fall to study architecture. Needing a summer job, his grandfather, FMO Custodial Crew Chief Lloyd MacKay, suggested he contact Harvard’s groundskeepers. Jason was hired part-time and discovered that he absolutely loved landscaping. “By late August I thought, I’ll just take a semester off and stay at Harvard a little longer,” Jason said. “Then January came and I thought, maybe I’ll just take a full year off.” That brief hiatus lasted longer than anticipated. He’s about to celebrate his 25th anniversary at the University and was recently promoted to associate manager of Landscape Services.
Strong Role Model
Jason was fortunate enough to find a job he really enjoyed and one in which he was able to excel. He attributes part of his success to the people he’s worked alongside. His new position as associate manager was previously held by Paul Smith who recently retired. To Jason, Paul was very much someone he looked up to and was able to learn from. “Paul’s background is horticulture but that wasn’t my strong suit. Just working with Paul, listening to him work with customers, and coming up with solutions was fascinating. It provided me a whole new chapter of things to learn.” While Jason steadily moved up through the ranks of Landscape Services, he always tried to pay that back to those around him. “Whether I was a foreman or supervisor and now a manager, I try and help the guys coming up to better themselves so that they can succeed.”
A Changing Industry
Over the past few years, the landscaping industry has had to adjust to a slew of new rules and regulations on the equipment workers use to perform their jobs. Historically, leaf blowers, trimmers, and mowers burned gasoline but the transition to electric power tools has been underway for many years. Jason says he’s been quite surprised how eager employees have been to make the switch. “There are some challenges to going electric, but lots of employees really embraced the technology. Many of the newer electric tools are lighter and a lot quieter, which for people who use this equipment all day, was a welcome change.”
A Sense of Pride
While Jason has clearly been successful at Harvard, it’s the institution itself that gives him a lot of satisfaction. “When you say you work at Harvard, one of the most famous universities in the world, people think, ‘wow, you work at Harvard.’ Just the reputation Harvard carries and to be able to say we play a role in making the campus beautiful gives me a tremendous amount of pride.”
Photo: Associate Manager Jason MacKay (right) with Landscaper Victor Gomez Restrepo