The Epic Story
Mike was sporting New Balances and plain white T-shirts, and rolling up to properties giving people estimates before they even knew what hit ‘em.
Before his clients could even stop to think, they were suddenly enjoying their incredible new property! All the way back in the ‘70s, people started to realize that Mike Baron was the person to call if you wanted to upgrade your property.
A long time ago in a yard not so far, far away…
Up until he began his journey into the world of landscaping, his true passion was Karate! He is a 6th degree black belt!
He simply wanted his clients to receive the same service that he would want if he was a client, and he was sculpting their properties into the nature-paintings of their dreams.
Mike always wanted to give his clients everything they wanted.
Quite the funny guy… He had so many clients because he’s always been such a happy and easy-going guy. Here’s a video of him singing and being silly:
Mike built Western Pacific Landscaping (now Droughtscape) with his wife, Kay. She ran the administration of the company in the background while he was going to assessments and ensuring that his projects got done to his specifications. These two were a solid team, and because of all their hard work, they had many happy customers who’ve been thrilled with their yards and properties for decades!
Here’s a success letter from 2004 from a happy client. People were more than pleased with Mike’s work for a long time.
Many years later, Mike’s son, Tracy, entered the scene…
Tracy started working with his dad at a fairly young age, but then he was offered a job at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Working for the city was something that was always stable and guaranteed at that time, and it got him loads of experience in construction.
Tracy got involved with MASSIVE projects.
Working with power lines and other dangerous materials that could easily kill you, Tracy became very confident with large equipment, huge projects, and impossible odds and deadlines. Here’s a time-lapse video of a project he worked on:
Shortly after joining DWP, Ashton, Tracy’s first son, was born:
Here’s Tracy showing Ashton the ropes (Ashton now works for us!):
The family grew and grew over the 45 years that Mike’s company had been operating. Tracy’s brother, Chris, also had two children:
Mike’s daughter, Stacy, had two kids as well:
Now, many years later, Tracy recently had another son with his beautiful wife!
The Baron family has grown even more with the recent, adorable addition of Jesse. Tracy realized that working for the city was terribly time-consuming and he’s been looking for a way to spend more time with his family…
Sadly, even the most incredible adventures can have an abrupt ending.
After battling health complications for a long period of time, Mike’s wife, Kay, passed away in February, 2021, after they were together for 45 years. Mike soon after decided to retire, and this ended up being the ultimate catalyst to Tracy taking over the company. Kay was a major part in building the company and we wanted this video on the website as a tribute to her hard work and help throughout the years. Without her being the second half of our team that started it all, this company never would’ve survived for so long, and it never would’ve continued to exist for as long as it will. Thanks, Kay!
The Barons
Mike has officially retired and is on call for any help we need. Luckily, Tracy is already well-equipped to handle jobs of any complexity. The family has united to ensure that the torch of this great company, even with all the difficulties it’s faced, stays ablaze despite it all… We will remain a family business that is as strong and vibrant as the Baron family name. We’re ready to take on challenges with any project that’s presented to us, and we’re excited to make it better than you ever imagined. That’s our way.
The story of our company is a story of life. It’s a story that shows the tenacity of the human spirit and the power of family. Nothing is stronger than those. You might fight, argue or complain, but when you truly need someone, your family should have your back. At the end of the day, that’s all that truly matters.