Rising from the Ashes

Rising

Ashes from the

Tami Thomas-Leonatti of LaSalle, a successful businesswoman in the Illinois Valley, shared the ups and downs of owning her own business.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

Tami Thomas-Leonatti went through a personal crisis while learning how to become a top-notch businesswoman

Story by Shannon Serpette

Tami Thomas-Leonatti of LaSalle is living proof that it’s possible to make lemonade from lemons. This businesswoman faced a crippling personal loss but refused to give up. She dug her heels in, put in the work, and emerged as a true inspiration.

Thomas-Leonatti took a break from her busy schedule to share her story with Illinois Valley Woman in the hopes of inspiring other female business owners who are facing obstacles and doubting their next move.

A DEVASTATING LOSS

Quality Care Cleaning, Thomas-Leonatti’s full-line janitorial service business in Ottawa, opened in 1996 when she and her husband, Tom Thomas, took a gamble on themselves.

“My friend and I were working together and thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to work for ourselves and not punch a time clock anymore?’ We worked together in an office setting.

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?Q. WHAT BUSINESSES DO YOU OWN? A. Thomas-Leonatti: “Quality Care Cleaning, a full-line janitorial service taking care of all cleaning needs for commercial clients only. T&L Janitorial Supply, a janitorial supply company that o ers a full array of cleaning chemicals, paper products, trash liners, and about anything you could need for your supply needs. We sell to commercial clients as well as to the public. Illinois Valley Radon Mitigation, we install mitigation systems to rid your home of radon to bring it to a safe level below 4.0.”

Q. DO YOU ALSO VOLUNTEER IN THE COMMUNITY?

A. Thomas-Leonatti: “I have served on the Board of Directors for The Ottawa Chamber of Commerce, served as President and Vice President for The Illinois Valley Area Chamber of Commerce, served as President and Vice President on the Board of Directors for Easter Seals of LaSalle County (now referred to as Starved Rock Center for Children), served on the Foundation Board for the Youth Service Bureau, served on the Perfectly Flawed Board of Directors, and nally one of my most proud accomplishments, co-founding The Black and White Ball for Easter Seals. I believe in giving back to the community that supports you ten-fold.”

Q. HOW LONG IS YOUR TYPICAL WORKDAY?

A. Thomas-Leonatti: “Ha! All day. Seriously, 6 a.m.-?”

Q. WITH MORE THAN ONE BUSINESS, HOW DO YOU FIND TIME TO FIT IN EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO DO IN ONE DAY?

A. Thomas-Leonatti: “You don’t and can’t t it all in, and you learn after time, that’s okay. There is always tomorrow. I have amazing support sta that helps me, and they keep me on track when needed.”

Q. WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU FEEL OVERWHELMED?

A. Thomas-Leonatti: “I usually talk my problems or my overwhelming pressures out to someone. I talk to my husband, o ce manager, Dad, my son, and a friend. Once you verbalize it, you will nd that it’s not as overwhelming as you felt.”

Q. HOW DO YOU STAY ORGANIZED – WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE ORGANIZATIONAL METHODS AND TIPS?

A. Thomas-Leonatti: “A good old-fashioned paper calendar, none of this iPhone calendar for me. However, I have started to nd the need to have Alexa remind me to leave for certain appointments.”

Q. WHAT DO YOU MOST LIKE ABOUT BEING YOUR OWN BOSS?

A. Thomas-Leonatti: “I get to decide where my time and energy go every single day. I meet amazing people every single day, and there is NEVER one day the same. It’s a blessing.”

By Shannon Serpette

Do you ever dream about starting a business but think you don’t have the time to dedicate to it? Tami Thomas-Leonatti is an example that women bosses can have it all if they have proper time management and are in touch with their priorities. She has a successful career, gives back to her community, and still has time for family and friends. She has answered our questions about everything she packs into her schedule and how she does it.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/ANNETTE BARR Tami Thomas-Leonatti (center, back row) is surrounded by her family, which includes her husband Greg (second from left), Greg’s daughter Jane, whom Tami has adopted (far left), her son Tommy (far right), Tommy’s ancé Desiree (second from right), her bonus granddaughter Cierra (front left), and her grandson Lyle (front right). The whole family got together to celebrate Lyle’s rst birthday in August.

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I was doing payroll/HR, and she was doing accounts receivable. So, we thought, let’s go for it,” Thomas-Leonatti said.

“We came up with a name, placed an ad in the newspaper, because that’s what you did back then, with my home phone number. I’m pretty sure the ad read ‘Residential or Commercial.’ Well, our first call was Value City in Ottawa, a commercial job,” she said. “It required equipment and a loan, so this was when my girlfriend decided she was going to bow out, and my husband and I ran with the ball.”

With a loan for $1,800 from the First National Bank of Ottawa, the couple started their venture. Things went well with their business, and Thomas-Leonatti’s husband, Tom Thomas, handled much of the operations while she helped with the books. Then in 2003, Tom, who had cancer, went into the hospital for a stem cell procedure.

“Everyone thought he was coming back,” she said. “Then he took a turn for the worse.”

In a shocking turn of events, he ended up dying of sepsis in the hospital. Reeling from the emotional trauma of losing her beloved husband and having an 11-year-old son to tend to and help through his loss, Thomas-Leonatti quickly realized just how dire her situation was.

“I knew nothing about the business,” she said. “And we didn’t have a lot of life insurance.”

To add to her heartbreak, her son wanted to know if they would have to move out of their house. That’s something she’ll never forget because it was one of her lowest moments – having to tell her son, who had already had his world turned upside down, that he would probably have to leave his home as well.

Without knowing how to bid a job or handle many of the ins and outs of the business, Thomas-Leonatti had to figure things out – and fast.

“We had a really big contract kicking off,” she said.

Her husband had died on Dec. 18, and the new contract with the National Guard in Marseilles was supposed to start on Jan. 1. She had to call the client and explain that she’d be unable to honor that contract as she tried to get up to speed on things and handle her husband’s affairs. Her client, whose kindness and understanding she still remembers and is grateful for, asked if she’d be ready if he gave her some extra time. She agreed, still not quite sure how she’d pull it off, but knowing she had to try.

“My goal was to keep my son in our family home,” she said. “And I did it.”

HITTING HER STRIDE

When she took the reins of the company, Quality Care Cleaning had 12 employees. Today, it has more than 80.

But in those early years after her husband died, Thomas-Leonatti had no idea she’d be successful. To get started, she remembers she tore her husband’s briefcase apart, looking for any scrap of paper or scribbled note that she could use to help figure out the business. By reading all of his papers and notes, she was able to get a clearer picture of the way he ran the business.

“I taught myself how he thought,” she said.

But it wasn’t easy, especially since she had her son to raise on her own.

“There’s so much guilt being a single parent,” she said. “At first, it was very rough. There is no comfort zone when you own your own business.”

She spent a lot of time and energy on generating income, ensuring all costs were covered, and handling challenges as they arose. Slowly but surely, she figured the business out, and, more than that, she made it grow.

Despite her setbacks, she’s managed to create and open two additional companies as well – T&L Janitorial Supply, which she opened in 2014, and Illinois Valley Radon Mitigation, which she started in 2017 and now has her son running.

Thomas-Leonatti’s close friend Ashley McGrath, an Illinois Valley businesswoman who owns Essential Massage in Ottawa, admires her for everything she’s been able to accomplish.

“Tami is a one-of-a-kind businesswoman. Her work ethic and attention to detail are huge in owning three successful companies,” McGrath said. “She cares about her employees and her accounts to the point of going out of her way at any time of the day and night to do whatever she needs to do. She is so hands-on and bids all her accounts still to this day personally after 25 years. That shows a lot right there.”

Thomas-Leonatti said it’s a great feeling to know she fulfilled her desire to give her son a good life after his father died.

“My son has a company that he can run that I created for him,” she said.

McGrath said she knows how much it means to Thomas-Leonatti to have her son by her side, working in their family business.

“I love the fact that Tommy runs the Radon Mitigation Company because they get to work hand-in-hand together on something that his mom and dad started when he was so young. Tommy does a great job and is following in Tami’s footsteps for sure,” McGrath said.

Despite all she’s been through, Thomas-Leonatti has managed to thrive, both professionally and personally.

“Now, after going through all that, I don’t think there’s much that can scare me,” she said. “I wouldn’t change a thing about my life now.”