The house that Barbara built

Headnote

Over 20 years, Fred Barbara's one-truck hauling operation has blossomed into a family of companies primed to compete with Chicago's power players.

Wouldn't you love to own a company whose workers were so dedicated to their jobs, that when they took ill, rather than leave the company without manpower, they send a relative to work in their place instead? How about a 99 percent showup rate by truck drivers when the temperatures are -10 degrees?

Incredulous as this may sound, this is commonplace at the Fred B. Barbara Family of Companies, headquartered in the heart of Chicago.

Without my employees, I couldn't have done what I was able to do, said Fred B. Barbara, president and chief operating officer. Employees take pride in their work and this pride is directly reflected in service to our customers."

Having such dedicated employees has allowed Barbara to build a successful, full-service disposal and recycling operation in an area of the country wrought with heavy hitters such as WMX Technologies Inc.; Browning-Ferris Industries Inc (BFI); USA Waste Services Inc.; and Allied Waste Industries Inc.

A native Chicagoan, Barbara was born into a family with a track record in the trucking business. Barbara's grandfather left Italy in the early 1900s and operated five trucks, alternating transportation of ice in the summer and coal in the winter. His father owns A. Barbara Trucking, a dump truck operation also based in Chicago.

Barbara joined his father's company in high school as a mechanic's assistant. After high school graduation, he became a driver, and in 1976, struck out on his own, buying his first truck and made a living by hauling asphalt and gravel for construction customers.

Since then, the Barbara Family of Companies has grown to include: Fred B. Barbara Trucking, Shred-All Recycling Systems and Environtech Landfill, which collectively generate annual revenues of approximately $36 million and employ more than 150 people. Barbara's 30,000-squarefoot, multi-purpose transfer station, built on five acres, is the hub of Shred-All's operations.

Built in 1991, the facility services both Barbara's trucks and other Chicago solid waste disposal companies. It accepts 2,000 tons per day (tpd) of municipal garbage, recyclable materials, old tires, wood and construction and demolition (C&D) debris.

The city of Chicago, its largest...