Our Team
Cody Simpson - Chief Consultant
Cody is our Chief Landscape Consultant and has over 8 years of experience consulting for and designing large and elaborate drought and fire-resistant projects all over Los Angeles on the many motorcycles he’s owned, where he’s gained vast knowledge in all areas of outdoor construction projects.
Cody is the star in our educational videos, where he goes in depth about many different kinds of materials and the how-tos involved in landscaping and hardscape. He also runs our marketing and takes all our photos and videos. He’s the person you’ll work with from the very start of your project, and he takes every possible measure to ensure that the entire process runs smoothly. Cody puts plenty of landscape architects to shame, and we’re grateful to have him on our team.
Anthony Mora - Chief of Production
Anthony is our Chief of Production. After regularly hearing about the difficulties that usually come along with hiring construction “professionals”, we quickly realized we needed someone specifically to be the central point of contact for all our projects, clients and crews.
Once you work out your scope and budget with Cody, Anthony takes your project over and assigns you a team. We all coordinate together from that point on, and off we go!
Anthony moves projects along with the strength of Atlas, and we’re lucky to have him with us. Our team is an interwoven web of collaboration and competence, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. We are all so meticulous on our posts, and we pride ourselves on performing beyond expectations.
Tracy Baron - Owner
Son of Mike (Chief of Production), Tracy has over 20 years of experience working in this field with his dad, and also working with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Many of the jobs he’s performed at DWP were 100x more dangerous and complex than most landscaping projects, so his experience spans far beyond any landscaper. He is well-versed, not only in getting projects done perfectly, but also in ensuring that timelines are met as best they can, being the Senior Executive for all Production and Finance.
Tracy ensures, when hiring, that he finds team members who are honest and who have high standards. As an ever-expanding company, we’re extremely picky with our crew and we don’t hire too many people too fast (like many other companies do). We groom each and every new member with massive amounts of training and hatting, and we pay close attention to ensure they truly are one of us; and that they are willing to put out the effort to keep up with our extremely high standards and morality.
Jess & Jesse Baron - Receptionists
Jess takes calls and helps clients fill out our Contact Form when they need it, but Jesse might also chime in with ideas or feedback about your project. Jesse is fairly new to the industry (and this world), but don’t underestimate how much knowledge has already been passed down by grandpa Mike.
Jess’s first job as a teenager involved cleaning up graffiti and helping the homeless in the streets of Los Angeles. She then spent 13 years working at In-N-Out, during which time she moved up into a management position. Tracy and her actually met on a blind date that was set up by a mutual friend; what a great friend! In her spare time, Jess helps needy children receive nutritious food - setting up drops at schools, packaging, distribution, etc.
Every cog in our system makes for fast-flowing project turnover and happy clients. Without even one of the pieces, we wouldn’t be as successful as we are, and we wouldn’t be able to help as many people as we do.
Miguel - Head Foreman
With his unshakeable poise and confidence, head foreman Miguel is ready for anything. There’s almost nothing Miguel hasn’t seen in over 3 decades in this industry. He’s not just a landscaper… he’s an engineer of nature itself.
As head foreman for Mike and Kay Baron for 27 years, and remaining so for Tracy today, Miguel is an honorary Baron and part of the family. He’s an extremely valued employee and always offers instruction and solutions for any and all complex problems throughout projects.
Raul - Secondary Foreman
Raul, as secondary foreman, is the right-hand-man for Miguel, and he’s always friendly with his moustache-filled smile. With decades of experience and practice in all fields of landscaping, Raul is yet another team member that essentially makes us an unstoppable force.
It’s very difficult to imagine where we would be without these hard-working, attention-to-detail professionals on our team. A team with one good leader is hard to find, and we have 6 of them. We are so proud to be able to trust each other to get the job done right in all cases.
BamBam & Bazel - “Human” Resources
After a series of interviews for HR Manager with several individuals, we finally came across BamBam (right) and Bazel (left). The main concern we had about hiring canines was, obviously, “How could we hire people to manage humans who weren’t, themselves, human?” While slurping up expensive fondue at the company's expense, Bam and Baz simply looked up during their interview and blurted out, with their mouths full, “Sometimes, the best person to spearhead an area is someone less emotionally involved.” We realized they were right… so we hired them on the spot.
Some positive points of having these two around: they ensure the office floors stay clear of any dropped food particles (they are vacuums), and they simply keep spirits high overall with their cute faces and wiggling tails.
BamBam and Bazel are fans of coagulated milk (cheese) and snacks. They mostly do their HR work from home, but are out in the field from time to time digging holes for footings, hauling away debris (sticks), and even installing rocks (if they’re enticed by cheesy rewards).
Happy Team!
Droughtscape is here to make your dream landscape come true!