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Richard Sponzilli ’71: Landscape Designer To the Stars

By Christine S. Diehl

Forty years ago, Richard Sponzilli ‘71 launched a small landscaping business with a total of $450.

“I started out with a $150 pick-up truck, a $100 trailer, and $200 for lawn mowers,” says Sponzilli, who today is the chairman and CEO of one of the industry’s premier landscape design firms, the Fairfield-based Sponzilli Landscape Group, Inc.
A Certified Master Gardener who is widely regarded as a creative genius in the landscape industry, Sponzilli’s clients include Donald Trump, Calvin Klein, New Jersey State Senator Richard Codey, and the New York Giants’ Kareem McKenzie, among many other recording stars, professional athletes, and celebrities. His distinctive designs grace such landmark buildings as Trump Plaza and rooftop gardens at Yankee Stadium and Giants Stadium. He also oversees a successful hydroseeding business that operates nationally.

Raised in Paterson, Sponzilli—known to friends and clients as Richie or Sponz—attended St. Bonaventure High School (now Paterson Catholic) and was drafted to Vietnam at eighteen. Upon his return, he enrolled at Pace University for two years, and then transferred to William Paterson to complete his degree in elementary education.

While attending college, Sponzilli worked part-time cutting grass for a local company to earn extra money. His senior year, he decided to try drumming up some landscape business on his own by distributing flyers to local homes.

After graduation, he continued cutting lawns while working as a substitute teacher. He also enrolled in a master’s degree program at William Paterson with intentions of becoming a guidance counselor, or, ultimately, a principal.

Though his landscaping account base continued to expand, Sponzilli was still unsure what career he truly wanted to pursue, and he even considered switching gears and becoming a lawyer.

He credits a conversation with a friend and client, the prominent attorney Bruno Leopizzi, with steering him in the right direction. “I told Bruno I was thinking of going to law school, and he said to me, ‘Richie, you just did a beautiful job on my house down the shore. Stick to what you’re doing and you’ll be fine.’ So at that point I just focused on my landscape business. I put the blinders on and I worked hard.”

He started a flower and garden shop, and by age twenty-eight, he had saved enough to purchase his first office building on Union Boulevard in Totowa. Today, Sponzilli Landscape Group offers a full range of landscape services and has received national and international awards.

Sponzilli has been married to his wife, Christine, for thirty-nine years, and their three sons also participate in the business. The eldest, Dan, runs the hydroseeding company and the commercial landscaping department. His middle son, Jason, is in charge of the lawn maintenance, lighting, and snow removal departments. The youngest, Anthony, is involved in residential and commercial design. In addition, Sponzilli’s cousin, Ron Conforth, has served as operations manager for thirty-nine years. They have become an integral part of the business.

As chief designer, Sponzilli is known for his signature style, which was inspired by landscaping he observed at tropical resort hotels. His designs feature vibrant colors and often include such elements as boulders, rock formations, and waterfalls.

“I’d go to Puerto Rico or the Bahamas and I’d look at the landscaping—all the coral, driftwood, boulders, rocks. Then I’d come home and experiment. I’d buy two rocks, put a little circle of fence posts around, and then get some colorful shrubs,” he explains. “People liked it so I continued and started doing more color, more rocks, more boulders. There are always flowering pieces; the shrubs themselves have different colors in them—reds, blues, greens, yellows. I think my style was created by people being happy with the look, and I just elaborated on it.”

With thousands of clients and a business that shows no signs of slowing down, Sponzilli attributes his success to pleasing his customers. “It’s not how smart you are, or how creative or intelligent or cool you think you are. The bottom line is making somebody happy. You don’t come first, your customers come first.”

Sponzilli’s satisfied customers, and the referrals they generate, have earned him such notable projects as Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster and Colt’s Neck and a rooftop garden at Yankee Stadium. While the bulk of his business is residential, his clients include major businesses and organizations ranging from the Metropolitan Museum of Art and A&P Stores to Macy’s and Ethan Allen. He has also worked with numerous schools, churches, and synagogues, as well as several universities, including William Paterson University, New York University, Kean University, Montclair State University, and Seton Hall University.

Sponzilli’s colorful designs and dynamic personality have also drawn the attention of a TV producer client who, for years, has been urging him to star in a reality show—so far, unsuccessfully.

“The TV producer tells me, ‘We could have a hit. Look how you act—you get crazy on jobs. You’re running around laughing, jumping off piles of mulch. Nobody on HGTV is like that,’” says Sponzilli. “But I’m kind of hesitant. I’ve always kept this [business] low key. So if I were to go on TV, it has to be the right thing. Plus it has to be the right house, because I’m going to make it fun. There wouldn’t be any arguing and yelling; I’d just be doing the nutty things I normally do.”

Despite his clear success and celebrity clientele, Sponzilli remains modest. “When you’re in business you need to take your ego and put it in your pocket. I want someone to look at me and see an aura around me of niceness and positivity. That carries you further and people can look at you and know you’re telling the truth. And the biggest thing in telling the truth is to give people what you tell them. That’s what we’ve done all these years—we’ve given our customers everything we’ve told them, and then some. You have to stand behind what you say.”

He adds, “There’s so much gratification in finishing a job and the client is hugging you and thanking you. That’s the nicest feeling in the world, because you’ve made somebody happy. That’s the key.” WP