YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Seamus Chrystal’s journey into entrepreneurship began with a simple, yet firm, directive from his parents: If he was going to stay home after high school, he had to do something productive.
At 19, the Ursuline High School graduate, who had once planned to play college golf, made a bold decision. Instead of pursuing higher education, Chrystal took a chance and launched Chrystal Clean Ground Management, a landscaping company that he started with little more than $2,500 from his graduation fund and a dream.
“My parents gave me $2,500, and $2,200 of that went to buying a trailer,” says Chrystal. “I paid for the mower with cash I earned the previous year pressure washing.”
With just a Chevy truck, a small used trailer, and a John Deere riding mower, Chrystal offered basic mowing and leaf services during the fall of 2020.
He was the sole employee, handling every aspect of the business himself. “I chose landscaping because I thought it would be the easiest business to get into with the least amount of cash,” he says.
What started as a modest venture has since evolved into a thriving enterprise. Today, Chrystal Clean Ground Management boasts a fleet of four trucks, employs eight workers and manages contracts totalling approximately $750,000 a year.
Chrystal credits his employees with playing a significant role in the company’s success.
“Some of the guys have been with me for four years now,” he says. “I have an awesome group of guys. Without them, I don’t know how we’d be able to piece it together.”
In four short years, Chrystal’s company has grown from mowing lawns to managing the landscaping for industrial parks, nursing homes and even Lake Milton State Park.
With clients like Youngstown City Schools, PI&I Motor Express, and Holiday Inn Hotels, Chrystal Clean Ground Management has become a key player in both commercial and residential landscape design and maintenance.
Joe Kerola, president of PI&I Motor Express, became one of Chrystal’s early clients, partly because of his relationship with Chrystal’s father, Jeffrey, who owns Jeffrey Chrystal Catering.
“Apples don’t fall far from the tree, good or bad,” Kerola says. “If his dad says he’s going to do something, he does it. His mother is the same way.”
Kerola was so impressed with Chrystal’s work that he hired him to handle the landscaping for his business and personal properties.
“He’s a hard worker. He cares about the customers, and he’s not afraid to work,” Kerola says. “It looks very nice. The customers are happy when they come in now. He did it quickly and efficiently. His service was very good.”
Chrystal’s work ethic was instilled in him from an early age. “It’s been instilled in me that nobody is going to do it for you,” Chrystal says. “I’m here 8 to 8, six days a week.”
That dedication extends to his employees as well. Chrystal takes pride in creating a work environment where employees feel valued and appreciated, a strategy he believes sets his company apart.
“We don’t lose guys,” he says, noting that some of his employees make up to $1,500 a week. “For a little four-year-old landscaping company, we have guys making $26 an hour. That, to me, means more than anything.”
Chrystal goes beyond paying competitive wages. He organizes annual trips for his employees, contractors and friends, who have helped grow the business. This year, he took 17 people to the Virgin Islands, and the year before, they traveled to the Tennessee mountains.
“It’s kind of a family trip. It’s all the guys associated with the business,” Chrystal says.
One of the keys to Chrystal’s success has been his marketing acumen. With a strong social media presence – 30,000 followers on TikTok and 10,000 on Instagram – Chrystal has used videos and word of mouth to grow his client base from 45 in his first year to about 280 today.
“We have a really good audience because we’ve created some good videos,” he says.
However, Chrystal is quick to acknowledge that his success would not have been possible without the foundation laid by his parents and their 40-year-old catering business.
“Without having my parents with a 40-year business, and being honest, hardworking people in the community, I don’t think I’d have what I have now,” Chrystal says. “The last name holds something.”
Looking ahead, Chrystal plans to keep scaling the business.
“By next season, we’re looking to have 12 employees and two additional trucks. That would add on four full-time guys,” he says.
In the next five years, he hopes to grow the business exponentially, with a goal of reaching between $2 million and $4 million in annual revenue. “To me, if I’m doing anything less than doubling the business every year, I’m just lazy,” Chrystal says.
Despite his ambitions, Chrystal remains grounded, driven by the principles his parents taught him: work hard, be honest, and give back to the community.
His company donates landscaping services, with $10,000 worth of work donated just this year.
“I think it’s awesome to be able to do this. But I think it’s really cool to have a team and a vision and a plan,” Chrystal says. “I think that’s the coolest aspect of the business.”
Chrystal also sees his role as a business owner as vital to the Youngstown community.
“We all want to improve the quality of life in Youngstown, but how are we going to change it without the business owners?” he asks. “I’m the person that’s paying you. I’m the person that’s controlling how much money you put back into the Youngstown economy. I would be a hypocrite to say, ‘let’s do this for Youngstown,’ if I’m not doing it the best I can.”
For now, Chrystal is focused on growing Chrystal Clean Ground Management to its fullest potential. “Right now, I love it, and I enjoy what I’m doing,” he says. “I’m blessed to have the guys that I have.”
Pictured at top: Seamus Chrystal credits his long-time employees with his company’s success. From left are Keith Stump, Cameron Sloan, Leif Walters, Brandyn Copenhaver, Zac Cunningham, Cole Saloom and Jeremy Kreuzwiser.