jobs & money

Man of the Month

NEAL ZUCKER

By Deborah L. Cohen • Stuart-Rodgers Photography

Neal S. Zucker wakes at 4:30am to watch TiVo, reads at least three newspapers a day, eats all 21 meals out a week and exercises constantly. The 42-year-old president and CEO of Corporate Cleaning Services Inc. talks a mile a minute and can hardly sit still.

It seems that no less than this level of boundless energy is required to build a window-washing empire serving more than 800 residential and corporate Chicago buildings, while at the same time helping to raise millions over the past two decades for groups such as Inner City Teaching Corp., Chicago Botanic Garden and Children's Memorial Hospital, to name just a few.

Neal, who was named to the prestigious "Forty Under Forty" list by Crain's Chicago Business in 1999 for his untiring philanthropic efforts, attributes much of his success to well-honed organizational skills and a commitment to technology that makes his business hum like a well-oiled machine. He also believes in constant communication with customers and staff; his entire crew – down to the last man on the scaffold – is armed with a BlackBerry.

An admirer of Mayor Richard Daley's efforts to transform Chicago into a world-class destination, Neal gleans civic inspiration from the city's long line of business leaders. "All the great business leaders of Chicago really emphasized civic involvement," says Neal, a Gold Coast resident who grew up in Winnetka. "So many people want to participate in the city, want to raise families in the city. We've seen vast change."

A fair amount of that change is due to Neal's efforts. He took his early philanthropic cues from his parents, who were ardent supporters of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. The son of sports agent Steve Zucker, Neal began his charitable work at age 22 with the founding of JDF's Junior Board.

"I walk around the city looking up all the time because of all the opportunities for business," he says. "I love the local aspect of Chicago, of being part of the fabric of Chicago." Neal shares some of his views in a recent TCW interview:

His "Seven P's"…Prior proper planning prevents piss poor performance. It's something I very much live by and think about all the time in various aspects of my life.

From the outside, window washing looks like a very dangerous business. It's not, because we run a very stringent safety protocol on every level, every aspect. We're on top of the John Hancock, but it's very controlled, very safe.

On how philanthropy impacts business…You take that knowledge and bring it back and apply it to your daily life. I listen to what people say and how they organize. It's osmosis. You come back and say, 'I should try that.'

I guess I don't know how to cook. I'm always looking at the Internet for new ideas for restaurants. I really combine a lot of my business, a lot of my personal, my social life around meals.

My friends would describe me as…Neal lives in black and white; there's not a lot of gray. Ultimately, there is no room for operating anything less than 100 percent.

I don't take a lot of big trips. I take a lot of recharge weekends. I like looking at restaurants. I like the investigation. My mind is very curious, so my friends tend to know if we're going on vacation, I'll outline a fun itinerary.

I find it very challenging (to relinquish control). I empower the people who work for me. I'm not telling them what to do, but I have to see the result.

I'm lucky to have a very good group of core friends who share a lot of the same values. We travel together; we support each other.

I wear a sport coat, tie and slacks every day. I never know where my day is going to take me.