The Grounds Guys Awards First VetFran Agreement

WACO, Texas – (August 1, 2010) – The Grounds Guys, a commercial and high-end residential landscape management franchisor, has awarded its first VetFran agreement to Michael Bagley, who will open his own The Grounds Guys franchise this fall in Olathe, Kan.

The VetFran Program, supported by the International Franchise Association, gives U.S. military veterans a discount towards the purchase of a franchise and includes hundreds of franchise concepts, including The Grounds Guys, from which to choose.

As a VetFran recipient, Bagley joins more than 1,500 former military personnel across the United States who now own their own business. And his decades of training and service-related skills will be put to good use for his most exciting mission ever.

A former sergeant with the U.S. Army, Bagley served his country from 1987 to 1998. Then he served customers as the head of the customer service department for an independent telephone service company in Minnesota, where he worked for more than 10 years. That’s when he began researching franchise opportunities to take his talent to the next level and learned about VetFran and The Grounds Guys.

“I knew we were looking for a service-oriented company with recurring business potential that people wanted and needed,” Bagley said. He and his wife, Tara, were attracted to The Grounds Guys, which offers landscaping services and maintenance from a growing and trusted brand. The discounted franchise fee as a military veteran was an added incentive.

“We wanted to go into business for ourselves to create our own pathway to success. Trying to climb the corporate ladder today is extremely competitive, so we created our own ladder by joining The Grounds Guys,” Bagley said.

That ladder stretches all the way back home, too. The Bagleys and their three children have relocated back to their hometown to set up their new business in Olathe.

“I’m originally from this county,” Bagley shared. “Most of my family and friends are here.”

They may soon become his customers as well. Bagley completed franchise business training and plans to hire three people to form his first landscaping crew. His business is scheduled to open in the fall.

About The Grounds Guys:

The Grounds Guys is a landscape management service franchise opportunity with more than 20 years of landscaping franchise experience. Combining the strength of a local business with the benefits of a national brand name, The Grounds Guys is part of Neighborly. For more information, visit www.groundsguys.com

About Neighborly®:

Neighborly, formerly Dwyer Group, based in Waco, Texas, is a holding company of seven franchise businesses, each selling and supporting a different franchise under the following service marks: Aire Serv®, Glass Doctor®, The Grounds Guys®, Mr. Appliance®, Mr. Electric®, Mr. Rooter® (Drain Doctor in the UK and Portugal), and Rainbow International®. Collectively, these independent franchise concepts offer customers world-wide a broad base of residential and commercial services. Neighborly is a portfolio company of The Riverside Company, a private equity firm with offices in New York, Cleveland, Dallas and San Francisco. For more information on The Neighborly, or its franchise concepts, visit the company’s web site at www.dwyergroup.com.