Founder and Mechanical Engineer Robert Ghobrial never imagined he would be running a company designing products to help people easily grow abundant gardens, but life has a way of putting us where we’re supposed to be.

In 2021, Robert and his wife Gina, an OBGYN who is currently a stay-at-home mom, learned they were expecting their fourth child who was a girl with Down Syndrome.  They shared the news with their three daughters who couldn’t wait to meet their baby sister. To everyone’s surprise, little Emma arrived nearly three months early on Christmas day.

Emma was a joyful yet fragile gift weighing only two pounds with a hole in her heart and underdeveloped lungs, so she had to remain in hospital. Her survival was touch and go for several months, but Emma was a fighter and prevailed.

Robert, a seasoned gardener, kept seeing similarities between Emma’s perseverance and nature’s resilience. This connection inspired him to solve one of his gardening challenges by creating a product to help contain water at a plant’s root.

Four months later Robert’s mechanical engineering and gardening expertise led to the creation of the “GrowinRing” just in time for Emma’s homecoming. The house was buzzing with love and laughter and Emma was flourishing. The hole in her heart had closed, she was sitting up, and eating baby food. The GrowinRing was thriving as well on store shelves.

Then, almost a year after she was born, life turned upside down when Emma suddenly passed away.

The family was overwhelmed with grief but clung to their faith. Emma taught them several lessons notably that life is an opportunity to create, to nurture, and to love and that diversity is a strength. 

Robert and Gina promised to honor Emma’s legacy dedicating themselves to creating a company where individuals with Down Syndrome could work and have a chance to live a fulfilled life like everyone else. That’s when “Rooted Promise” was born.

Emma forever changed Gina and Robert’s world which now revolves around giving people opportunities and tools to thrive. The Ghobrials spend many hours in their backyard “Emma’s Garden” where they connect with nature and each other, learn how to nurture the earth, and grow healthy food which the girls gobble up.

Emma’s garden has motivated the family to create the “Down To Garden” program and plans are underway to create a community garden tended by individuals with Down Syndrome. A portion of Rooted Promise’s sales helps fund this endeavor and many others.

Life like nature brings us unpredictable challenges and profound gifts. With each plant nurtured and every garden cultivated, Robert, Gina, and their three daughters honor sweet Emma’s memory and embrace the beauty of life.