When people think of Amlings, they naturally picture designers, horticulturists, and lush plant installations—not necessarily the person making sure everything behind the scenes adds up.
But every successful company needs someone who loves solving puzzles, spotting patterns, and bringing order to complexity.
Meet Sal Plascencia, Amlings’ Head of Accounting.
Before joining Amlings, Sal spent years in property management and later worked in pest management, building strong customer service and administrative skills along the way. He has also had a lifelong passion for music. Today, he helps keep Amlings running smoothly while proving that accountants can be every bit as creative as designers.
We sat down to learn more about his journey, what surprised him the most about the plant industry, and why he’ll never stop playing music.
Q: How did you find your way to Amlings?
Sal: I actually came from the property management world, where I worked as a community association manager, before moving into customer service for a pest management company. Both roles helped me build strong customer service and administrative skills.
When COVID hit, I decided I wanted a career change, a drastically different one. I wanted to find a role that could use the customer service and administrative skills I had developed, but with less direct customer interaction. That is how I found the bookkeeping opportunity at Amlings.
It’s been the perfect fit. It’s by far the best job I’ve ever had.
Q: Working for a company surrounded by plants every day—has that changed your perspective?
Sal: At first, I didn’t know much about the interiorscape industry. To be honest, I never even noticed plants in general, not really anyway.
Now I notice them everywhere I go. I’ll walk into a hotel, restaurant, or office lobby and immediately start looking at the plants, how they’re maintained, and how they fit into the overall design. I appreciate them and how much they influence how a space feels.
You definitely can’t unsee it once you’ve worked here.
Q: What does your average day look like?
Sal: I oversee accounting for the company, which means keeping everything organized, accurate, and moving in the right direction.
I handle the day to day bookkeeping for the company, including processing payments, sending invoices, managing accounts receivable and accounts payable, and helping with budgeting. The nature of the position also allows me to work closely with our operations, service, and design teams, so I am involved in many different areas of the business. Billing can be very dry, but I feel as though my background helps me bring a warmer, more personal approach to the role.
Q: We hear music has always been a big part of your life.
Sal: Absolutely. Music has really been a fundamental part of my life for as long as I can remember. When I was five, I would put on concerts in my bedroom using the TV remote as a microphone, and by fifth grade, I wanted to be a DJ.
I started playing guitar when I was 15 and later studied jazz guitar extensively. Over the years, I also taught myself how to produce and mix music, wrote and released a lot of my own work, and toured with bands including American Wolf. My most recent project is called Spirit Pure.
Q: Do you see a connection between the way you approach music and the way you approach your work at Amlings?
Sal: Definitely. Music has always made me curious about how things work. I taught myself jazz guitar before taking lessons and joining a jazz lab, and I have also studied audio engineering, production, mixing, and programs like Ableton. I listen to music throughout the day, save songs that stand out to me, and go back to analyze how they were written and produced.
That same curiosity carries into my work at Amlings. When I run into a problem, I want to understand what is causing it and find a practical solution. Music has taught me to be resourceful, experiment with different approaches, and become comfortable using technology. It has also taught me that there is not always just one way to do something. Music, work, and life can all be multifaceted, and that has helped me look at problems from different perspectives. You might not expect that in a field as straightforward as accounting, but the work often requires more creativity and flexibility than people realize.
Q: What stands out most about the culture at Amlings?
Sal: The trust.
No one is constantly looking over your shoulder or micromanaging how you do your job. You are given the space to take ownership of your work, ask questions, learn, and figure things out.
That freedom also comes with accountability. When someone consistently does good work, stays positive, and makes an effort to improve, it gets noticed. There are so many people here willing to help, and if you take advantage of those resources, you can really grow.
That starts with Chris Pearson. He is straightforward, logical, and never makes you feel foolish for asking a question. He makes people feel valued, and that kind of leadership carries throughout the company.