Our Story

Turfscapes was established by owner Mikael Rappazzo and his brother Seth. The company has been blessed to become the leading landscape business in East Texas known for setting standards in service and craftsmanship.

The Rappazzo family is from Longview, TX. The Rappazzo family roots come from great-grandparents who immigrated from Russia and Italy. Mikael, also know as “Mike,” has been a natural entrepreneur since a young age. His first business was selling Christmas lights from decorative shotgun shells at age 9. In his teens he ventured into growing and selling bee hives. At age 16 he established lawn accounts while convincing his dad to drive him to jobs before he received his license. By 18 years old, he phased out of beekeeping and began to focus on the outdoor industry. Starting an official business as a “kid” is difficult, but Mike persisted and it grew as he took on more accounts and larger projects. As one thing leads to another, he expanded into different types of work in the outdoor industry such as landscaping, irrigation and drainage to meet the needs and requests of his customers. Mike educated himself in business and learned his technical skills through trial and error while remaining dedicated to providing quality work and solutions for his community. He continues to expand his business knowledge through a national industry peer group led through McFarlin Stanford.

If you have seen Mike, you have seen his brother Seth. They look similar and occasionally kid customers that they are twins. Seth has supported Mike with his ventures from childhood till today. He started working full time with Mike at age 17 as a foreman on a lawn crew. Seth continued to expand his knowledge of the industry as he grew with the company and played a critical role in developing the landscaping side of the business. Seth now focuses on business management, technical support for the crews, maintaining a plant nursery for the company and developing a line of succulent/desert type plants for the southern climate.

What started out as teenagers trying to find their place in the world has grown into a company supporting 25+ hard working employees and their families. Mike and Seth find satisfaction making a tangible difference in the lives of their coworkers and community.