Woman-owned Landscaping Franchise Thrives In Central Va.

Orange County native Doris Dollins has planted her lifelong passions for people and the outdoors into her new business.

Although it seems an unlikely turn from her 17-year tenure with the U.S. Postal Service as a mail carrier in Albemarle County, Dollins said she's found a natural fit in running The Grounds Guys, a Texas-based full service landscape franchise.

The business offers landscaping, pruning, turf fertilization, irrigation and snow removal. Dollins has about a half dozen residential and commercial customers right now.

"I think that anybody can put a lawnmower in the back of a truck and call themselves a lawn care [company], but you've got to have more than a truck and trailer. You've got to have a knowledge of the plants and trees that you're working on," Dollins said.

Dollins credits her parents for shaping her love of working with people and outdoors.

"I think that's where I got a lot of my skills � following my father around and learning what he had to offer," Dollins said.

After leaving the Postal Service, Dollins considered a food service franchise, but after visiting the headquarters of a Chicago-area sandwich company, she realized running an eatery wasn't for her.

After visiting the sub franchise in Illinois with friends and family, "a girlfriend of mine ... said, ‘Doris, are you really going to be happy standing there making sandwiches or subs or pizzas all day long?'" The answer, Dollins conceded, was no.

She learned about The Grounds Guys while watching an episode of "Undercover Boss" with her husband, David. The show featured Dina Dwyer-Owens, chairwoman and CEO of The Dwyer Group, parent company of The Grounds Guys.

A phone call and a couple weeks later, Dollins was in Texas, meeting the company leaders. She launched her franchise here last summer.

"I really liked that No. 1, they were a Christian organization and they believe in giving back to the community," Dollins said.

Based in Waco, Texas, The Grounds Guys began as a family company in 1987 as Sunshine Grounds Care, according to an online company profile. The Dwyer Group acquired Sunshine in 2010.

"Its so rewarding to me and our team when we hear people like Doris loving what they do," Dwyer-Owens said. The Dwyer Group has seven brands and more than 1,600 franchisees.

"People are passionate about landscaping," said Ron Madera, president of The Grounds Guys. "People don't really get passionate about plumbing or glass repair ... but landscaping, whether it's just mowing or pruning hedges, these guys have a love affair with their work." Of 110 franchisees, Madera said, about 10 percent are women and they are working to expand the ranks of female franchise owners and operators. Madera said a professional female perspective is essential and unique both in a business and hands-on sense.

"Women have a tendency to be a bit more meticulous ... and the ladies are more attentive to the customers' needs," Madera said.

An estimated 8.6 million women-owned businesses in the U.S. employ nearly 7.8 million people and generate $1.3 trillion in revenue, according to a report published last month by American Express and openforum.com. The report is based on data from 1997 through 2007.

Dollins has one truck and trailer and about six full- and part-time employees, including her two daughters, and would like to expand � but slowly.

"I would like to have at least another truck and trailer by the end of this coming year and hopefully have two to three more employees," Dollins said. "I don't want to get so big that I can't stay hands-on."

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