SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · TENNESSEE
The Grounds Guys franchise in Tennessee: what the public record shows
Franchisees of The Grounds Guys in Tennessee have taken 8 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $162,062). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. The Grounds Guys's national ratio is 4.4×.
Loans in TN
8
Charged off (all years)
3 of 4
Loss ratio in TN
—
Loss ratio nationally
4.4×
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = TN. Loss ratio = charge-offs among loans approved through FY2020 ÷ the charge-offs expected if each had defaulted at the national rate for franchise loans approved the same year; 1.0× is the same. Only charged-off and paid-in-full loans count. A ratio is shown at 30+ such loans; “not clear” marks a ratio chance alone could produce. The all-years count mixes every era and is evidence, not a rate to compare. Borrowers are matched to the brand by name and SBA franchise code; some matches may be wrong or missing.
Businesses in this industry
1,638
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
22.7
national 39.6
Versus the country
-43%
thinner
Every business in The Grounds Guys's industry operating in Tennessee — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across the brand-state cells in the loan data, denser markets have historically charged off less often than the thinnest (see the research page). A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.
Avg weekly wage, this industry
$1,306
Tennessee, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$1,252
same industry, all states
Versus the country
+4%
costlier to staff
What The Grounds Guys's industry actually pays workers in Tennessee, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2025), employment-weighted across counties. This cost signal is independent of the FDD: a market can look demand-rich above and still carry a margin headwind here if local wages run hot for the sector.
| System | Loans in TN | Charged off (all years) | Loss ratio in TN | Units in TN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CERTA PROPAINTERS | 6 | 0 of 2 | — | 7 |
| FIBRENEW | 6 | 0 of 2 | — | — |
| MIGHTY DOG ROOFING | 6 | 0 of 2 | — | — |
| Mr. Handyman | 6 | 0 of 3 | — | — |
| Five Star Painting | 5 | 2 of 2 | — | — |
| IFOAM | 5 | 0 of 1 | — | 3 |
| SAM THE CONCRETE MAN | 5 | 1 of 1 | — | — |
Other systems in The Grounds Guys's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Tennessee. A loss ratio appears only where at least 30 loans approved through FY2020 have resolved; “—” means too few.
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