Ware Landscaping was launched in 2000 by founder Mike Ware

To hear him tell the company’s history, it has essentially  been in existence since he was 14, mowing lawns in the neighborhood for money. Mike’s parents were an essential part of the business since day one, and are still full-time members of the organization to this day.

“We had a water problem in our basement that Mike Ware completely eliminated by removing both our sump pump water and downspout water away from the home. He was professional and highly motivated to solve the problem and do it the right way. I always felt like a priority and that my project mattered. I recommend him without any hesitation.”

Michael Swider

Football Paved The Way For Ware Landscaping And Mike's Future Family!

Play Video about Football Paved Cover video

Mikes hard work and resilience was the foundation of his football career, starting this business and having a family of 6. He was a preferred walk-on at the University of Illinois, earned a scholarship, and against all odds worked his way into the starting rotation. He was also a key contributor to the historic 2007 Illini season where they beat the #1 ranked Ohio state and play in the Rose Bowl! Go Illini!

Our Commitment To You

1

Your needs first

We promise to prioritize your unique needs. You will never see us trying  to force a one-size-fits-most solution onto a Ware Landscaping client!

2

We make it right

When you have a drainage or landscaping problem, we make it right. You don’t have to wonder if we’re really going to fix it.

3

Professional & friendly service

Our team is like a family, and we treat you like family, too! That means our landscapers are always professional, friendly, and transparent.

Our Core Values

Our services are timely and dependable, so you can rely on us, no matter what. We are dedicated to continuous improvement, ensuring that you receive the highest quality of workmanship.

We prioritize your satisfaction. We listen, respond, and adapt to your unique needs by providing personalized solutions that enhance your property.

We practice open communication and transparency in our communication with you. We keep you informed about the progress of your project, including timelines and any unforeseen challenges.

As caretakers of the environment, we commit to sustainable practices in our landscaping services, providing eco-friendly solutions whenever possible.

Our Culture

At Ware Landscaping, we make people’s lives better.

For our residential drainage customers, that means giving them peace of mind because we get the water out of their houses and yards. For our commercial snow removal clients, we provide safe, reliable access to their business all year long. When we complete a landscaping project, we give homeowners a beautiful, functional yard so that they can live an active outdoor lifestyle.

We also make our employees’ lives better. You can trust that we provide competitive wages and benefits, and we take care of everyone on our payroll. In fact, many of us work with our family members here at Ware. We know that today’s consumers want to work with a company that lives out its values, and you

Our Mission

As a company, we believe in treating our customers and our team like family. That’s why our team leads are compensated in a way that allows them to share in our success, and why you can trust that every person who wears the Ware Landscaping logo is committed to providing the highest-quality service possible.

We’re proud of our commitment to excellence, and we want to show you why so many people in Naperville, Chicago, and the surrounding areas have chosen us for their landscaping, snow removal, and drainage needs.

Our Journey So Far

As a kid in Illinois,
Mike Ware looked forward to when his dad would finally let him mow the lawn.

At 8 years old, he finally got his wish! He quickly went from push-mowing his family’s yard to mowing several neighbors’ lawns.

Mike also started his first drainage project at a young age.

In the 4th grade, he helped his dad bury a sump pump line to keep water out of the basement. By 14, he was running a real business.

In High School Mike always put his heart and soul into his football career and growing his landscaping business.

Mike was always the hardest worker in the room on and off the football field. He was worked with everything he had towards his childhood dream of playing college football and building a landscaping company. His parents saw this dedication and let him borrow money to buy his first trailer and commercial walk behind mower. He paid his parents back quickly and used additional profits to fund football training.

Mike built his first patio in high school.

He estimated that it was going to take 4 days and it ended up taking 4 weeks. Even though it took a long time the project turned out great. This was a similar pattern in the early days of the company. Saying yes, figuring it out and making it happen!

When Mike went to college Ware Landscaping continued to be a family business

Mike’s dad was a key influence, teaching him the significance of hard work and chasing dreams. After seeing his dad lose his job, Mike was motivated to start his own business. His dad humbly worked alongside Mike building the business, using the profits for Mike’s tuition at Wheaton College, football training, and helping with the mortgage, demonstrating their resilience and commitment to success.

Decided to take a huge chance and leave Wheaton college to pursue his dream of playing division 1 college football and transferred to University of Illinois

Mike literally hit the road and drove to all of the Big Ten colleges in the area selling himself. He knocked on doors and handed out highlight tapes and letters of recommendations. After a lot of hard work, He received invitations to be a preferred walk-on at Iowa State, Arizona, and Northern Illinois. After 6 months of persistent calls to his future defensive line coach, his dream came true with an invite to be preferred walk-on at University of Illinois. This experience not only fulfilled his athletic aspirations but also taught him resilience and laid the groundwork for his future in business and family life.

Earned a Scholorship, starting rotation at Defensive Tackle and Beat the #1 ranked Ohio State

Mike continued to outwork everyone and refused to give up after not playing much his redshirt year and junior year. His perseverance was recognized when he was named the 2005 scout team player of the year. This set the stage for a remarkable senior year, where Mike was honored as the team’s most improved player in both spring ball and the 2007 season. His efforts culminated in earning a scholarship and securing a spot in the starting rotation as defensive tackle. Mike played a vital role in one of the University of Illinois’s most successful teams in recent history, contributing to a historic victory over the #1 ranked Ohio State.

Played in the Rose Bowl

Played in the Rose Bowl against USC. Growing up this was always one of the biggest games of the year. Even though they didn’t win the game, It was a dream come to play in the Rose Bowl.

Went to mini camp with the Chicago Bears

After the Rose bowl, Mike was invited to go to mini camp with the Chicago Bears. Even though he never made the team in the fall it was a dream come true to just be there for mini camp in the spring.

Moved into first Office

Mike’s parent’s garage.

Moved the business out of Mikes parents garage and into Ware Landscaping’s first office in Naperville

Started becoming know as "The Landscape Drainage Experts"

We started to become know for helping customers solve serious drainage problems, such as impossible ponding water in yards or water flooding basements. Began to brand as the landscape drainage experts.

24"+ Blizzard Mike worked 48 hours straight.

During this point Mike was still doing the labor and doing everything possible to keep our customers happy. We had snowmagedon this year 24″+ snow. Mike worked 48 hours straight to do a good job for our customers with a limited staff, and every piece of equipment breaking down, this was adversity. This hardwork and resilience is something that became a core belief in our company.

Opened our second office in Chicago for Snow Removal

We started taking on snow accounts downtown Chicago. Mike had a lot of University of Illinois relationships that were in real estate and that opened the door for expanding to downtown Chicago for snow removal.

In a period of exciting growth, Mike Ware and Ware Landscaping both thrived in downtown Chicago and Naperville, IL.

It was in downtown Chicago that Mike met his wife-to-be, Ashley. He and Ashley would marry and start a family. At the same time, he was running multiple crews in both Chicago and Naperville. The company was acquiring more high-end equipment and hiring full-time employees. In 2012, Ware Landscaping became a 7-figure business. It hasn’t stopped growing.

Mike knows how important it is to take care of the people in your life.

That knowledge is what prompted Mike to implement profit sharing at his business. His employees aren’t just workers; they’re family! Profit sharing and competitive wages are a part of the Ware Landscaping story because they show that Mike lives out his values. When you work
for Ware Landscaping, you are part of the family, and you can trust that you’ll be taken care of like family!

Mike and Ashley get Married at the Trump in Chicago

Mike marries the love of his life Ashley in February of 2015. He openly talks about how this was the greatest day of his life. Soon after Ware Landscaping really starts to grow and have a much bigger impact on helping solve customers impossible drainage problems. Mike always says that Ashley and his family are a huge part of his why and are his X factor.

Ware Landscaping continued to grow, and Mike discovered some important voices that shaped the company’s core values.

Although Mike would be the first to tell you that he wasn’t much of a reader in college, he realized while running Ware Landscaping that he needed to learn from the experts. In 2015, Mike read Dave Ramsey’s guide to business growth and ethics, EntreLeadership. In 2016, he read Money: Master the Game by Tony Robbins. These books inspired him to live a life of excellence and calling in both his personal life and professional life. Due to our growth, Ware Landscaping expanded their office and shop to the neighboring properties in 2016, where we tripled our space.

Hired our first head of administration and customer support staff

Mike’s mom had taken care of the phones and appointments since high school but with all of the growth it became too much for just one person. We hired our first head of administration to help keep everything organized and giving our customers an even better experience. This was the start of building our customer support team.

Hired our first operations manager

We welcomed our first operations manager, marking a significant step towards enhancing customer experiences. With Mike leading the charge in expanding our company, our focus shifted towards reaching and exceeding the drainage and snow removal needs of more customers.

Mike attended his first Business Mastery workshop

Hosted by Tony Robbins. His first time was in-person in 2020 and it was destiny-changing for both Mike and the company. Since then, he has attended 10 times virtually, with no plans to stop.

Hired another Head of Operations for Naperville

We brought onboard another Head of Operations for Naperville. As our presence expands across the Chicagoland area, this strategic addition enables us to scale our team in tandem with our growing customer base. Recognizing the importance of valuing our team as much as our customers, we’ve learned the significance of fostering strong internal relationships.

Hired our first Head of Sales

This was a major turning point for the company, especially challenging for Mike to delegate as sales and customer interactions were his baby. It was exciting because all our leaders, including the Head of Operations and Head of Sales, started from the ground up, mirroring Mike’s journey of literally digging ditches. Our pride swells knowing our hard work has been instrumental in our growth.

Grew our team to 47 employees, hired first VP of Finance, and opened office in Barrington

Grew our team to 47 employees with 15 crews for drainage and snow. With this growth we were able to hire a VP of Finance to help with the expansion and also opened another office in Barrington. With the growth in our team we also hit record goals we had in the business and were able to service the most customers in the history of the company.

Ware Landscaping hit 150,000 views on YouTube

further solidifying our position as a leader in drainage, snow removal, and landscaping here in Northeastern Illinois.

Ware Landscaping has emerged as the leader in drainage, snow removal, and landscaping in Northeastern Illinois.

Under Mike’s leadership at Ware Landscaping, our team believes that our work allows us to bless people – and treat them the way that they deserve to be treated! Because Ware Landscaping values everyone on the team, we can give all of our customers the amazing experience they deserve.

WARE LANDSCAPING:

Transforming Landscapes, Enriching Lives

When you choose to work with Ware Landscaping for your drainage, snow removal, or landscaping needs, you are choosing excellence, transparency, sustainability, and professionalism! Our commitment to our clients has propelled us to our positions as the premiere landscaping company in Naperville and Chicago. We can’t wait to show you what we can do for your home or business!

What people are saying

Ware Landscaping & Snow Removal

They did a great job and we are very pleased!

“I contacted Mike at Ware Landscaping for help with fixing my flooded backyard and garage. Mike gave me an honest assessment of my situation and recommended the right system to fix my problems (a lot of issues). Ware Landscaping installed drainage, underground downspouts, underground sump pump lines, driveway drains and surface drains in the yard to fix all my problems.. The team was very professional and always asked for my approval on work being done before it was completed. They did a great job and we are very pleased!”

Jim Kristof

I recommend him without any hesitation.

Michael Swider

FANTASTIC JOB!!!

Ware Landscaping did a FANTASTIC JOB!!! I needed my entire backyard regraded and they filled it in with more than 2 truck loads, installed a French drain and put new beautiful green sod on top. They also power washed and reset my front retaining wall. Communication from the beginning was always very good. We always knew when they were coming out. The project was completed on time as well. They also called on their own a month after the project to check on the sod and were willing to replace some spots due to the June heat wave. Would recommend Ware Landscaping to all!!!”

Dan Malloy

The entire crew were incredible, so friendly, knowledgeable, and paid attention to every detail.

“Mike, Greg and the rest of the crew made our back yard dream a reality with a drainage system to remove the stream that flowed through the middle of the yard, which flooded every rainstorm and stuck around for weeks. To complete the look in came a perfectly designed beautiful hardscape patio that we can’t wait to use this summer. The entire crew were incredible, so friendly, knowledgeable, and paid attention to every detail. Highly recommend!”

Katie Jankowski

The crew was fast, friendly, and tidy.

“We had a wooden deck for a front porch that was starting to age. When we removed it we saw that there was a concrete slab underneath it that was pitched toward our house, creating an issue with standing water up against our foundation. We had Mike come by to advise us on the best solution, and he suggested permeable pavers. We were able to come up with a custom design with him that day. The crew was fast, friendly, and tidy. I’m sure they do much bigger jobs than our little patio, but this project made a huge difference for our home.

Cecily Ivey

Ware Landscaping was launched in 2000 by founder Mike Ware

Football Paved The Way For Ware Landscaping And Mike's Future Family!

Our Commitment To You

1

2

3

Our Core Values

Our Culture

Our Mission

Our Journey So Far

As a kid in Illinois, Mike Ware looked forward to when his dad would finally let him mow the lawn.

Mike also started his first drainage project at a young age.

In High School Mike always put his heart and soul into his football career and growing his landscaping business.

Mike built his first patio in high school.

When Mike went to college Ware Landscaping continued to be a family business

Decided to take a huge chance and leave Wheaton college to pursue his dream of playing division 1 college football and transferred to University of Illinois

Earned a Scholorship, starting rotation at Defensive Tackle and Beat the #1 ranked Ohio State

Played in the Rose Bowl

Went to mini camp with the Chicago Bears

Moved into first Office

Started becoming know as "The Landscape Drainage Experts"

24"+ Blizzard Mike worked 48 hours straight.

Opened our second office in Chicago for Snow Removal

In a period of exciting growth, Mike Ware and Ware Landscaping both thrived in downtown Chicago and Naperville, IL.

Mike knows how important it is to take care of the people in your life.

Mike and Ashley get Married at the Trump in Chicago

Ware Landscaping continued to grow, and Mike discovered some important voices that shaped the company’s core values.

Hired our first head of administration and customer support staff

Hired our first operations manager

Mike attended his first Business Mastery workshop

Hired another Head of Operations for Naperville

Hired our first Head of Sales

Grew our team to 47 employees, hired first VP of Finance, and opened office in Barrington

Ware Landscaping hit 150,000 views on YouTube

Ware Landscaping has emerged as the leader in drainage, snow removal, and landscaping in Northeastern Illinois.

Transforming Landscapes, Enriching Lives

What people are saying

As a kid in Illinois,
Mike Ware looked forward to when his dad would finally let him mow the lawn.