Jimmie Williams, owner of social enterprise landscaping and snow removal firm Urban Roots, had his most successful year ever last year. He used that success to hire additional employees and to increase the company’s wages from minimum wage to prevailing wages.
“It was really, really humbling to be able to offer our employees – mostly people from underserved communities – a livable wage,” he said.
It’s not the first time Williams and his wife Tiffany have used their South Side business to give back to the community. The pair, who have participated in the Polsky Center’s Small Business Growth Program, have a mission to mentor youth and returning citizens – those re-entering society after incarceration – in underserved communities and provide them with steady employment. They have organized Earth Day events at local schools and have helped employees with everything from opening a bank account to learning how to read.
“Our brand promise is that we’re committed to improving the economic landscape in underserved communities,” Tiffany Williams said. “We employ, educate and empower our employees.”
This dedication is personal for the childhood sweethearts. The pair grew up in some of Chicago’s rough neighborhoods and Jimmie was in and out of jail in his youth.
“When you have adverse experiences in childhood, it really changes the trajectory of your life at an early age,” said Jimmie, who received a community impact award from Chicago Urban League in partnership with CIBC Bank in 2017 and a community service award from the Transforming Reentry Services/Men and Women in Prison Ministries in 2022. “If those issues aren’t addressed, you end up with a grown man who never really grew up. That’s why we offer these guys more than a job, we really try to build a whole-life experience.”
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This story was first published by the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
