By Jennifer Martin

Rocco Fiore, Sr. was only 17 years old when he emigrated from Italy to the United States, determined to make a success of his life. He didn’t waste any time getting started.
Fiore went to work for an uncle in the nursery business, and by his mid-20s, he had launched his own company. “My father not only enjoyed the planting and growing, he also enjoyed interacting with his customers,” said Rocco Fiore’s son, Stephen M. Fiore, who is now Vice President of the company (his brother, Rocco Fiore Jr., is the President). “Nothing pleased my dad more than making his clients happy. He would spend time coming up with new plant combinations and propagating plants to start his own nursery.”
Sixty years later, Rocco Fiore & Sons Inc. has maintained that tradition of excellence. With more than 1,000 clients, the company has developed a sterling reputation for design, creativity and service. All five of its 2006 entries won Gold Awards in the ILCA’s Excellence in Landscape Awards – the highest level of achievement in the industry statewide.
For the staff at Fiore & Sons, beautiful landscaping is a form of art and a reflection of the customer’s personality. For one client, the designers might celebrate the ancient elements of fire, water, wind, light, color and texture with features such as rustic torches, bluestone paving, terra cotta pots, a spa and elegant wood benches. For a client who wants a modernist environment ideal for casual evenings with friends and family, they might select a sleek stylized topiary garden with minimalist sculptures and an obsidian waterfall.
“Everything comes down to the customer,” said Rocco Fiore, Jr. “Our designers really get to know their clients’ tastes. Steve and I also make it a point to visit every project our team is working on, which is rare in this industry. But we make the time.”
Examples of the creativity and high standards of Fiore & Sons are abundant. At a recent Lake Forest home, where the client requested a blend of Asian and European styles, the Fiore team gracefully juxtaposed a bluestone gravel walkway, European flowers and foliage, and a circular pond with bluestone stepping stones that appeared to float magically on the water. A simple moss carpeting on the ground (known as sugi-koke in Asia) accented the Far Eastern theme while subtle woodland plantings reminiscent of English villages added a graceful Westernized touch. The effect was like walking into the garden of an old English explorer who had transplanted to Japan at the turn of the century.
Fiore & Sons has succeeded not just with its creative design but also with its strong understanding of the Chicago market. When Rocco and Steve Fiore took over the business several years ago, they quickly realized the market had changed.
“When we were kids, my dad would shut down the company at Thanksgiving and he would be off for a couple of months,” Rocco Jr. said. “Now, we’re open year-round. Our clients are savvy enough to contact us long before the spring rush, so we’re working on designs all winter long. In many cases, such as spring weddings, we even get started in the previous fall and set up warming tents to keep the ground thawed while we work our magic. By springtime you’ll have an idyllic setting for an outdoor wedding.”
Rocco Fiore, who attended business school, tends mostly to the administrative end of the business while Steve Fiore concentrates mostly on landscape design. Together, the two created explosive growth at the company – in time for their father to witness it before passing away in 2003. “We were really gratified that he was able to see his company grow and prosper before he died, and to benefit from that,” Steve Fiore said. “He had put so many long hours into it and really deserved to reap the reward.”
The Fiores’ mother – Rose, age 82 – still cheers them on and occasionally brings her smiling face to the office to say hello, as she commonly did when her husband was running the business. “This company has always been about family,” Rocco Jr. said. “We continually strive to treat our employees very well. That’s something else we learned from our dad.”
The Fiores’ believe their father would have been proud to see the company’s continued growth. “To him, that meant the customers were highly satisfied,” Steve Fiore said. “In his eyes, there was no higher compliment.”


Rocco Fiore & Sons, Inc.
28270 N. Bradley Road
Libertyville, IL 60048
(847) 680-1207
(847) 816-1137 (fax)
www.roccofiore.com
mailbox@roccofiore.com