Jimmie Williams – Urban Roots, Inc.

Jimmie Williams, Entrepreneurs of Color Fund loan recipient and owner of Urban Roots, Inc., a landscaping, snow removal, and janitorial service that serves residential, commercial and industrial properties.   

Not long ago, Jimmie Williams wanted to jumpstart his business, Urban Roots, to reach the next level. The Chicago company had already spent five or so years carving out a niche in landscaping, lawn care, parking lot maintenance, and snow removal. At this point, however, having the operation based out of Williams’ home was slowing things down, and certainly keeping Urban Roots from kicking into higher gear. 

The solution for Williams was finding a place for the business to call home - a property where he could bring office space, operations, and storage under one roof. There was a big advantage to this, too: Not only would it boost efficiency, it would make it easier to keep  thousands of dollars of equipment and the company truck secure. The problem was Williams did not quite have the savings to make a downpayment on a property he had in mind.  

The EOCF was able to step in to help Williams’ aspirations come to fruition. First, it provided a grant that helped Williams build more equity in Urban Roots’ new headquarters building. That, in turn, lowered the risk linked to Urban Roots as a borrower. LISC was then able to step up with a loan for over $440,000 for the property.  

Williams’s grand plan yielded dividends in short order. Urban Roots has grown its customer base from two initial clients to a range of residential, commercial, and industrial properties. Williams has hired three new employees and looks to bring on more. Williams is also now working on a re-entry training program to provide new team members not only field training, but also teach managerial and entrepreneurship skills. 

“My wife and I were talking one day - and I said I was going to go down to city hall and apply for a business license and it took off from there,” recalls Williams. “It was easier to get my business license than it was to get a job.” 

Now that Urban Roots has reached its 10-year milestone, Jimmie and his wife Tiffany have made it a point to give back to the community. They regularly volunteer to lead beautification drives at local schools where they teach students basics in plant care and landscaping.