Each year at our Gill company holiday party, we recognize folks on our team who have 5+ year work anniversaries. 2025 is a big year, so we had to share with you too. Help us wish Arnold, Stacy, Wyatt, DeAnna, and Debbie (pictured left to right) a Happy Gilliversary! We’re talking 10, 20, 30, and 40 years!
Wyatt Page – Garden Center Assistant Manager – 2015 – 10 years!
Wyatt started part-time at Gill’s back in 2015 in his early college days. He quickly developed a passion for gardening and worked his way up to Assistant Manager in 2018. Now he’s leading a whole new generation of garden center staff here at Gill’s and helping build a strong gardening community throughout our area. Just this year, he and Ori started our first ever plant growing greenhouse at Gill’s. Look for all kinds of unique plant varieties this coming spring that you won’t be able to find anywhere else. If you’ve worked with Wyatt, you know he’s the most positive guy ever. And he never stops! He’ll literally run 10 miles in the morning before work, then come in and keep running at Gill’s all day long. Thank you, Wyatt for 10 years at Gill’s!
Arnold Charles – Landscape Crew Leader – 2005 – 20 years!
Arnold began working on the landscape crew back in 2005 and eventually became James Gill’s crew leader. Arnold is a landscape construction expert. He’s got all kinds of tricks and techniques that he’s picked up over the years, and he’s one of our best heavy equipment operators. Arnold does absolutely beautiful work and he’s seen all kinds of projects over the years. He’s a hardworking, dependable, and likeable guy! Thank you, Arnold for 20 years at Gill’s!
Stacy Valdez – Office Administrator – 2005 – 20 years!
It’s difficult to give Stacy’s job an official title because she does so many different things. Office Administrator is appropriate because she truly keeps the office moving. If we wrote down all the individual things that Stacy does, the list would be a mile long – from handling all our accounts receivable to ordering supplies to tracking all our landscape leads that come in. Stacy is a huge part of one of our biggest strengths as a company: accuracy. She keeps us all in line! Thank you, Stacy for 20 years at Gill’s!
Debbie Pinkerton – Buyer – 1995 – 30 years!
Debbie Pinkerton truly might be the greatest plant buyer in the world! She’s passionate, tenacious, fair, she’s incredibly resourceful, and she absolutely loves a good deal on plants! She started her career in an arts and crafts retail store, but decided she’d rather work with plants – she’s an avid gardener too. Debbie oversees the procurement of everything we sell in the garden center, as well as all plants and materials that we use on big landscape construction projects. Getting the best of the best plants to Corpus Christi is not easy, but Debbie has built wonderful relationships with the growers and suppliers we can count on. Thank you, Debbie for 30 years at Gill’s!
DeAnna Baumgartner – Garden Center Manager – 1985 – 40 years!
Back in 1985, DeAnna started her career at Gill’s. Did y’all know she was a basketball star at Baylor before that? Maybe that’s why she knows how a team should operate. DeAnna is hugely responsible for why Gill’s has a reputation for 3 key things: being organized, having the best plants, and being highly knowledgeable about gardening. One of the most impressive things about DeAnna is that she knows so much about gardening, but she’s always seeking new information and knowledge. Think about all the things DeAnna’s taught to hundreds of employees at Gill’s and thousands of customers over the years. Mind boggling! Thank you, DeAnna for 40 years at Gill’s!
Phoebe McNeill says
Congratulations to all but especially Deanna! Being knowledgeable is an understatement. You can always trust her advice.