LOCAL LANDSCAPE ARTISAN DISCOVERED AND HONORED
MONTROSE, California – June 3, 2009 – Lex Putpraw, who oversees the Facilities at Montrose Travel, is a recipient of a 2009 award from Glendale Beautiful, a non-profit organization that inspires people to keep the city beautiful. It is his "Montrose Travel Garden," in homage to the company for which he works, and his landscaping flair around Montrose Travel’s four buildings, that makes him an award winner for his aesthetic contribution to the community.
Since the mid-1960s, Glendale Beautiful hosts an annual Award Day, an event where property owners are recognized for doing an exemplary job of maintaining attractive industrial, commercial, residential income, or public properties. Recipients are residents of Glendale, La Crescenta and Montrose that are first nominated by members of Glendale Beautiful, and then ultimately decided upon by the executive board.
The 2009 Award Day luncheon was held on April 14 at Joe Bridges Clubhouse in Glenoaks Park. Owners of Montrose Travel Joe McClure and Andi McClure-Mysza, with others, attended to honor Putpraw. Presentations including photos of the property were shown to attendees, which included the Mayor and local newspapers.
McClure says, "We not only congratulate Lex on this wonderful honor, but also thank him for making our grounds and working environment a most beautiful place to work."
The recognition came about on a routine shopping spree where Linda Berns, a Glendale Beautiful member, serendipitously came across this "truly different and carefully sculpted landscaping feature" on the far end of Montrose Travel’s Honolulu parking lot. She immediately called Awards Day Chairman Bob Getts for a recommendation. When Getts and his wife visited the garden, Marketing Coordinator Julia Hogg happened to walk by and took them on a tour of all the gems of Putpraw’s work. Upon completion of the tour, Getts deemed the landscaping a "diamond in the rough."
For 11 years, Putpraw has worked his artistry throughout the grounds of Montrose Travel. Five years ago is when he wanted to transform what was an ordinary flowerbed, full of dirt, into something out of Disneyland Park. He succeeded by shaping small bushes into a living logo, a cursive "M," which was the first logo of Montrose Travel. He also pruned the lower-laying bushes to spell out "Montrose Travel." It took approximately 3 years to grow to what it is today.
Additionally, Putpraw prunes the trees on the property like oversized bonsai plants and brings in landscaping rocks, plants and flowers. His current plan is to tie four architecturally different buildings together to show some continuity along Honolulu Ave.
"We are so proud of Lex. He continues to do an absolutely beautiful job. The recognition took him, and us, by surprise, and we believe it’s well deserved," says McClure-Mysza.
ABOUT MONTROSE TRAVEL
Celebrating 52 years in business, Montrose Travel, a family owned travel management company, has grown from 14 employees in 1990 to more than 150 today and is now firmly established as a Top 50 Travel Management Company and a Top 5 Host Agency nationwide at $110 million. Montrose Travel strives to provide the highest quality services and most complete leisure, corporate and group travel management solutions for its customers and home-based travel agents. Growth has been solely out of the reinvestment of profit and positive cash flow. Montrose Travel "will be here tomorrow to back up our promises of today!" Montrose Travel can be reached at 1-800-MONTROSE (666-8767) or by visiting www.montrosetravel.com. Visit Montrose Travel’s Corporate Division at www.montrosecorporatetravel.com or call 1-(800) 766-4687. Home-based independent agents may visit www.MTravel.com, email andi@montrosetravel.com, or call 1-(800) 870-5799. |
