Fairco has appointed Robert Clinkenbeard as chief operating officer to lead the company’s strategic direction as the family-owned landscape development company expands its integrated approach to now include landscape management, water management, tree care and plant health care across the Southwest.
Clinkenbeard brings four decades of landscape contract management experience in the United States and United Kingdom to Fairco. He previously built and sold a landscape maintenance company with $21 million in annual revenue and 350 employees, served as president of the Arizona Landscape Contractors Association and most recently was CEO of a national landscape consulting firm.
His appointment is part of a broader leadership strategy designed to build on Fairco’s long-standing position in landscape development while expanding its capabilities in landscape management and related services.
“Fairco has an extraordinary foundation, a family-owned company with decades of relationships, deep technical expertise and a track record of building some of the most significant communities in the Valley,” Clinkenbeard said. “The opportunity now is to bring that experience together across development, maintenance, water and tree care so our clients can work with one team throughout the life of a landscape.”
Building the leadership bench behind Fairco’s maintenance expansion
The company’s growth strategy brings together leaders with experience spanning landscape construction, maintenance, water management, arboriculture and technology.
Frank Tunnell, president of Landscape Development, has been with Fairco since 2003 and brings more than two decades of experience building landscape programs for major master-planned communities. Before joining Fairco, Tunnell held leadership roles with ValleyCrest and Del Webb Anthem.
Tunnell has played a central role in Fairco’s landscape work in the West Valley, including the company’s long-term involvement in Verrado and other major developments. His experience provides continuity between Fairco’s landscape development operations and the company’s expanding management platform.
Nathaniel Archambeau, executive vice president, will lead Fairco’s water program. With more than 20 years in the green industry, Archambeau is an ISA Certified Arborist and holds ACLP/ACIT credentials. He has helped grow a landscape company from $2 million to a $36 million, multi-division operation.
At Fairco, Archambeau will focus on expanding the company’s water and irrigation capabilities, an area that has become increasingly important as communities across the Southwest face the operational and economic demands of managing water-intensive landscapes.
Jayson Gonzales, president of Fairco’s Landscape Management, will lead the company’s expansion into a fully integrated maintenance model for homeowners’ associations and commercial clients.
The new division will bring landscape maintenance, water management, irrigation, tree care and landscape enhancements together under a coordinated operating model. Gonzales spent the previous decade in global technology, bringing a technology-focused approach to the development of Fairco’s maintenance operations.
The strategy is designed to combine Fairco’s existing landscape development expertise with the ongoing management required to maintain the landscapes and infrastructure the company builds.
Founded in 1978, Fairco is a family-owned and operated landscape company with deep roots in the Phoenix West Valley and operations across Arizona, California and Nevada. The company will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2028.
For more than two decades, Fairco has played a significant role in the development of Verrado, building more than 80% of the community’s landscaping and central-control water systems, according to the company. They have also been deeply involved in the development of Morrison Ranch, Estrella and Terravalis — just to name a few master-planned communities in the Valley in its portfolio. That long-term involvement has created continuity in landscape knowledge, irrigation infrastructure and field operations, including second-generation family members working on Fairco crews.
That history is central to the company’s approach as it expands into landscape management.
“Developers and communities invest heavily in the landscapes we build,” said Gonzales. “The next step is to bring the same level of accountability and expertise to keeping those landscapes performing for the long term. We’re building a management operation around that idea, supported by water, irrigation, tree care, plant health care and enhancement capabilities.”
The company’s objective is to create continuity from the initial development of a landscape through its ongoing maintenance and management — combining institutional knowledge, water expertise, arboricultural services and modern operating technology under one organization.
“Fairco has spent nearly five decades building its reputation one project and one relationship at a time,” Clinkenbeard said. “This next chapter is about bringing the depth of the organization together in a way that creates more value and continuity for the communities and commercial properties we serve.”
