(NewsNation) — When Christy Webber launched a lawn mowing business in the 1980s, she could never have imagined her small business would grow into a landscaping empire worth $42 million with hundreds of employees.
Her business has some of the biggest contracts in Chicago, including Millennium Park, the United Center and Navy Pier, and has given Webber a life of luxury.
“I never have enough toys, to be honest with you,” Webber said. “I always feel like my friends in the business have way more toys than me. So I’m always complaining.”
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That includes a collection of motorcycles along with a car and snow plow, an extensive shoe collection and art.
But while she can now afford to indulge her interests, Webber was in a far different spot when she began her business.
“I was practically homeless, to be honest,” she said. “I bought a truck and just started mowing grass. I was out in the suburbs like everybody trying to make money, in the high-end suburbs like Glencoe, Highland Park.”
Then she thought about the projects worked on in Chicago during that time.
“I just thought, well, I don’t really want to be traveling up and down this highway to make this living. So I just thought, I’m going to focus on Chicago,” she said.
Webber’s love of the outdoors is part of what led her to her career.
“I just love being outside,” she said. “I love that you can take just something that’s a piece of dirt and turn it into something so special.”
Webber faced challenges as a gay woman in a male-dominated field but she was able to find allies to help her.
Her business took off with the support of the mayor at the time, who was pushing green projects. Webber also took courses in landscaping to expand her work beyond mowing lawns.
“It was just me and my truck and it was growing so fast, by leaps and bounds,” Webber told NewsNation. “Once I took on the United Center, it opened every door, it gave me credibility.”
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Chicago’s mayor started other green projects, including adding trees to medians and parks.
“I always said he was my Oprah,” Webber said. “We just had to get our act together to be a part of that.”
The decision paid off, giving Webber a life she never dreamed of, including a large home, a lake house and a beautiful car. Hard work, she said, pays off.
“I’m from Michigan. Work hard, be honest with your customers,” she said. “Work your butt off and hire people smarter than you.”