When Lucia Villavicencio joined ICL Specialty Fertilizers in late 2013, she brought a rare combination of training, hands-on experience, and enthusiasm to our team. Prior to joining us, she oversaw horticultural research for what became the largest commercial ornamental plant grower in the United States. Combined with an interest in plants dating back to childhood, that experience informs her work as Product Development Senior Research Scientist at our North Charleston, South Carolina, facility.

Growing up in Venezuela, Lucia’s family and teachers exposed her to gardening early in life. Her mother grew beautiful roses, but Lucia was always more interested in growing things to eat. Even so, she didn’t expect a career involving plants.

When she graduated from high school, Lucia told her father that she was not going to college. He told her that she was. Then he suggested that because she liked plants, she might want to consider that route. She agreed that sounded good—even though that science-based track was very uncommon for women.

Lucia earned a B.S. in Agronomy at Venezuela’s University of Zulia. Enjoying the path her father suggested, she came to the United States and earned her master’s in Horticulture at North Carolina State University. Next up was her Ph.D. in Plant Physiology, also at NCSU.

In 2008, Altman Specialty Plants launched its Center for Applied Horticultural Research with Lucia at its head. As the Center’s director, she oversaw applied research in all aspects of horticulture and nursery production, including pest and disease control, plant growth regulators, fertilizers, substrates, and more.

“That experience has been so useful,” she shares. “[Altman] grows thousands of ornamental plants, and I had access to all of that.” She learned highly specific protocols for growing many, many types of plants under commercial conditions. Now she applies that knowledge to her work at ICL. “I know how growers can use this product, so that’s helped me in truly understanding our products,” she shares.

Lucia’s initial role at ICL was as Quality Manager, which included a research component. But she seized the opportunity two years ago when our Research and Development Department had an opening. “Research has always been my first love. That has always been what really motivates me,” she says.

Lucia’s typical R&D workday balances some office work with time spent testing products in the lab or the greenhouse. Some days find her in the field with ICL research partners—companies and university researchers involved in ICL product research.

An ICL greenhouse is a new development. “We now have a fully operational greenhouse,” she shares. “If we have proof of concept or we want to check performance from a plant growth standpoint, then I can do that.” She has several trials underway, including some designed to evaluate plant performance.

On measurement days, she spends the day evaluating plant height, length, quality, color, flowering, and other measures. “Then I take, for example, a water sample and come back and analyze for nutrient content, for pH, for EC,” she says. “All of those are variables that are an indication of how fertilizers behave.”

The job pairs challenge with satisfaction. “I want to work on meaningful things, so the most challenging—but also the most rewarding—thing is bridging every department,” she says. Developing a truly useful product requires collaboration with everyone from marketing to technical services to territory managers in the field. Then she must coordinate those ideas within R&D and cover all the technical aspects and testing new products undergo.

“That’s the most challenging part, but when that process goes really well, it’s also the most satisfying, because you end up with a good product that is exactly what the market needed. That’s what gives you success and makes it successful,” she says.

In her time away from work, Lucia enjoys many hobbies. Now that she and her husband are “empty nesters” with two children in college, she’s found more time for crafts: “I always have something going on, and that’s been the case since I was a kid.” She crochets, knits, and does paper crafts, such as parchment cards and quilling.

Her homemade soaps, shampoos, creams, lotions, and scrubs also win rave reviews. “About 16 years ago, I discovered cosmetic chemistry, and that’s become my second love. I have a great time doing it,” she says. Though she hasn’t explored commercial opportunities, friends and family aren’t shy about requesting products for birthdays and holidays. She and her husband also have three pet birds—a macaw, a Panama Amazon, and a quaker parrot.

For young women considering horticulture careers, Lucia offers encouragement. “It’s extremely rewarding. … At the time I started in this career, there were many people that felt free to say, ‘This is really not for you. It’s not a typically female type of career.’ Well, don’t pay any attention!” she says.

“I say to those girls, if you have a dream, if you think this is what you would like to do, there will always be an area in horticulture that you can actually explore and develop—and don’t let anybody tell you it’s not quite for you.”

To her coworkers, Lucia says, “It’s been great to work at every step in this business. Everybody that I’ve come in contact with has the common denominator that they always try to do their best. That goes a long way in helping me do my job.” She also has a message for ICL customers: “We always have them in mind. The final goal is to make products and provide services that are going to help them.”

At ICL Specialty Fertilizers–Americas, we value your trust in our people and the products we develop and produce. Let us be your partners in growth. As Lucia said, we’re here for you.