SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · UTAH
The Grounds Guys franchise in Utah: what the public record shows
Franchisees of The Grounds Guys in Utah have taken 5 SBA loans since 1991 (average $150,000)— too few resolved loans in-state to publish a local failure rate (we require a resolved cohort, never extrapolate), so the brand's national rate of 40.4% is the better guide.
Loans in UT
5
Resolved
0
Local charge-off
thin
National charge-off
40.4%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = UT. Charge-off rate = charged-off ÷ (charged-off + paid-in-full); open loans excluded. A local rate is published only when the resolved cohort clears our floor of 30 loans.
Businesses in this industry
1,141
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
32.6
national 26.7
Versus the country
+22%
denser
Every business in The Grounds Guys's industry operating in Utah — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across 198 brand-state cells in our loan data, the densest quartile charges off at 5.6% versus 18.1% in the thinnest. A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.
Avg weekly wage, this industry
$567
Utah, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$659
same industry, all states
Versus the country
-14%
cheaper to staff
What The Grounds Guys's industry actually pays workers in Utah, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2025), employment-weighted across counties. This is a real cost signal 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 UT | Local charge-off | Units in UT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chem-Dry | 14 | 41.7% | — |
| SERVPRO | 10 | thin | 24 |
| PAUL DAVIS RESTORATION | 6 | thin | 3 |
| MOLLY MAID | 5 | thin | 5 |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how The Grounds Guys compares to the systems a buyer in Utah would actually be choosing between. Local rates under 10 resolved loans are marked thin, not hidden.
A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing The Grounds Guys's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.