When was the last time you looked at Midway Airport?
Granted, the last time you saw it you were probably running late getting to your gate. However, you should take the time to admire
the scenery at Midway ... or at the United Center ... or at one of hundreds of spots throughout the city. That's because Christy Webber
Landscaping has revamped all of these places and they've been transformed from desolate areas to flourishing Edens.
Christy Webber has been landscaping commercial and residential properties since 1990. Webber's firm does everything from
trimming hedges to overseeing irrigation systems to installing fences. As confirmation of her firm's abilities, Webber has earned
several distinctions, including the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association's Excellence in Landscape award.
Windy City Times: How exactly did you start this business?
Christy Webber: Mowing grass. I bought an old truck, got some equipment, and just started mowing grass.
One of my former lovers and I started a business together called Tender Loving Care. We did everything from vacuuming hallways to
doing turnover to mowing grass. It turned out that I enjoyed cutting grass much more than vacuuming. When we broke up, [the former
lover] got the cleaning part of the business and I got the mowing part. So I just [took it from there].
WCT: Now you've expanded quite a bit. You have about 100 employees. That's great.
CW: It's unbelievable to me. I used to know all of their names but I don't now.
WCT: Well, that's a lot of people to keep track of.
CW: Right, but of course I say hello. At least now they have name tags on their shirts.
WCT: So you've always been interested in landscaping.
CW: Yeah. I've always hated being indoors for too long. I love being outdoors and being able to make a living at it.
WCT: Your company basically offers landscaping and maintenance services within the city of Chicago, correct?
CW: Yeah. We used to do a little work in the suburbs but there was so much competition there. I just decided to focus on the city.
WCT: Considering all the business you're doing you don't even need to go to the suburbs.
CW: Yeah. All the stuff that I do—like all that bidding—causes a lot of stress. When you want to win these jobs, you have to be the
low bidder.
WCT: Speaking of bidding, you've secured some major government contracts, haven't you?
CW: We do the North Side Median Maintenance. That was our first very large contract that we won. That was one of the turning
points for my company because I knew that, if I won this contract, I'd be able to do other work. I'd have a reputation for accomplishing
something.
WCT: I've seen some of the places you've done on your Web site [www.christywebber.com]. You've landscaped places like
Midway Airport and E-port [at 600 W. Chicago Ave.] ...
CW: E-port is that Montgomery Ward redux. Montgomery Ward sold out and they're making condos. [E-port] was a great job to
have. I didn't realize the scope of that job until we really starting doing [one of the] courtyards. That was a private job and we had the
low bid. When it comes to bidding, you can't go too low or people will think you don't know what you're doing. It's basically a numbers
game. You work for days putting numbers together and you can miss out by a couple of thousand dollars on a million-dollar job.
WCT: Now what's been your most challenging job?
CW: Millennium Park. I was constantly under a microscope there on Michigan Avenue. It was a high-profile, controversial project.
WCT: You answered that without hesitation, which tells me something.
CW: (Laughs) Well, there were union problems and it was just one of those projects. It was wonderful [in the sense that] people
knew that I could do a project like that. It gave me credibility.
WCT: It should have given you some confidence, too, I imagine.
CW: Oh yeah. I learned so much down there. It's such a man's world down there and I got to learn about myself. Once the guys
got over the fact that there was a girl there, it was OK. Men would ask, 'Why did your boss send you down here?' when I fact I was the
boss. Ha!
vWCT: So how bad was it being in such a male-dominated business?
CW: [Being female] actually worked for me because most of my customers were housewives and they felt more comfortable with
me. I was never condescending toward them, saying things like 'Well, baby, you didn't know what you were doing.' I came in and
tried to be open-minded and not critical.
When I moved into the construction end, it was a little more difficult. But I'm kind of gruff and rough. After a few talks, the guys
knew that I knew what I was talking about. Then when the men found out that I'm a lesbian, they got curious.
WCT: And a bit flirtatious?
CW: Oh my God, yes. Guys think they can change you.
WCT: What's your take on the whole Gov. Blagojevich situation? [When he was running for governor, Rod Blagojevich was
criticized for hiring non-union workers to renovate his Northwest Chicago home even though he pushed himself as a champion of
unionized labor.]
CW: We were union. In that whole situation, I ended up being outed. Politicians do what they can do to protect themselves. In that
case, [Blagojevich] wanted everyone to know that he had even hired a lesbian. He didn't [explicitly] say the landscaper was a lesbian
but he did say that one of the people he hired was.
I was never ashamed or did anything wrong. I've been cutting his grass ever since I was doing it by myself. I didn't really know
who he was. One day I saw a sign that read 'Blagojevich for Governor' and that name seemed familiar. I usually interacted with [his
wife] Patti. But his outing me didn't really bother me. Then I thought about it when a reporter asked me if I [were the lesbian]: 40 years
old, unmarried, drives a Harley, former gym teacher ... I didn't think it'd be that big of a deal. It was just [a little jarring] saying it out
loud.
WCT: Now you've also designed floats for the Gay Pride Parade?
CW: Oh yeah, we already try to put in a big [float]. We've won a couple times, actually.
WCT: But you weren't in this year's parade.
CW: No, we weren't.
WCT: Do you have any idea why?
CW: I got in a fight before the parade last year. We were misbehaving a bit. [The organizers] said that we were lucky to get in the
parade. We brought our display down and I guess it didn't fit in with what we had paid for. Plus, I had just dropped off our truck (which
turned out to be in the wrong spot) which screwed everyone up [in terms of float position].
They were really mad at us even though we moved and accommodated everyone [as best we could]. I got into an argument and
said that [considering] how he was talking to me, I wasn't sure I would ever want to be in this parade. He said, 'Don't worry. We'll
never invite you again, anyway.' So, this year, we never got our invitation and I watched the parade for the first time in five years and
realized that it was just [becoming] more corporate.
[Not being in the parade] was very disappointing to me. There are a lot of gay people who worked for our company and I am just
very proud of us. But I noticed [other businesses] weren't there, either.
WCT: So if [the parade organizers] invited you back, would you go?
CW: I would. It's just fun. It was nice to take a break for a year but I'm ready to be in it again. I love the Gay Pride Parade and I love
participating in it.
WCT: Now how has technology helped you?
CW: We're completely e-mail happy here. We have a Web site. Digital [items] have helped us tremendously with bidding and
being able to show people how their yards look. That whole scene has been great as a sales tool. We also use computers for
invoicing and estimating. We're completely computer-[dependent].
WCT: Do you have any tips for the landscaping beginner?
CW: If you don't want to hire someone, just try something. There's so much material out there on landscaping. The beginner
should make a few beds, find your sun, and start a garden. Take $300, go to the garden center, and just try it. All of the [books] out
there can overwhelm a gardener. You can always get someone to help you.
WCT: Sort of like Nike: Just do it.
CW: Exactly. Just do it.
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Christy Webber Landscaping is at 230 N. Western Avenue in Chicago. The phone number is (312) 829-2926 and the Web site is
www.christywebber.com .
I'm at westelm406@yahoo.com .
