On Solid Ground

In 2018, Nathaniel and Alexis Allured were ready for a career change. After working in corporate sales and health care jobs for nearly 20 years, they were burned out. While dreaming of what their next move should be, their conversations kept turning to landscaping.

“We both loved the idea of beautifying our community,” says Nathaniel. “As a pharmacist, Alexis has a science background and has always been interested in botany. And I’m driven by an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for the outdoors, as well as construction.”

After a lot of research, the couple ended up purchasing a franchise of The Grounds Guys, a Neighborly Company headquartered in Waco, Texas. With 170 locations in the United States and Canada, The Grounds Guys allows its owners flexibility within the various landscaping specialties, which was a draw for the Allureds.

Like most new businesses, they started off small, launching in their hometown of Lake Charles, Louisiana, in October of 2018 with mostly lawn maintenance service. Then, just before their two-year anniversary, Mother Nature changed everything. Hurricane Laura, a catastrophic, category 4 storm, was heading straight for them. They jumped into survival mode.

“I evacuated to New Orleans with our one-year-old while Nathaniel worked to secure everything at home,” says Alexis. “He ended up making a last-minute decision to meet us in New Orleanswith two work trucks and two trailersof our equipment.”

“I left Lake Charles just six hours beforeLaura made landfall,” says Nathaniel. “It was close.”

The storm hit the coast of southwest Louisiana just after 1 a.m. and by 1 p.m., Nathaniel and his crew were already back in Lake Charles ready to assist in cleanup efforts. While Alexis stayed in New Orleans with their son, Nathaniel set up a generator in their Lake Charles home, where he and his crew stayed for weeks before power was restored. Each day, they cut fallen limbs with chainsaws, cleared and hauled off debris and lended a hand wherever they could.

“There was a tremendous amount of work that needed to be done, and we went in there and did it,” says Nathaniel.

says Alexis. “And, as a result, The Grounds Guys got a lot of visibility. We created new client relationships, and it ended up being a turning point for our business.”

As the business continued to grow, so did the Allureds knowledge and expertise. The Grounds Guys expanded from lawn maintenance to residential and commercial installation and, due to the unique challenges of Lake Charles, they added drainage and irrigation to the mix. Soaking up as much information as she could, Alexis became a licensed landscape horticulturist and an irrigation contractor (as well as received her chemical applicators license).

Nathaniel says that increasing the level of professionalism in the industry is a big opportunity.

“There are literally guys with push lawnmowers hanging out of the trunk of a Buick calling themselves landscapers,” he says. “We need to educate our clients so they understand that you get what you pay for. You wouldn’t hire an unlicensed plumber to make a mess of your house. The same goes for landscaping. We’re going to work harder to stay on top of new technologies, certifications and construction trends.”

So far, their business strategies are paying off. In just a few years, they’ve tripled their crew, going from two trucks to six. Revenue in 2021 was just short of $1 million, and they hope to reach their $2 million goal by 2023. A big commercial job at McNeese State University has also increased the company’s visibility and prestige. The campus recently completed a major $7 million infrastructure project surrounding Contraband Bayou. The Ground Guys of Lake Charles won the bid for landscaping work in the new plaza areas, including the installation of 8,000 plants to help with drainage and beautification.

The Grounds Guys of Lake Charles are also seeing growth in the residential sector. Nathaniel and Alexis note that unlike the baby boomer generation who typically cares for their own lawns, many young professionals today don’t even own a lawnmower.

“Lawn care and landscaping is another service they’re willing to pay for,” says Nathaniel. “And this means that as more clients appreciate and see thevalue in what we do, the margins willincrease. Better margins means higherpay and more career opportunities foryoung people to come in and stay inthe industry.”

To get to where they want to be, Nathanieland Alexis say they will continue topromote their core values and strengthentheir company culture, always puttinghard work, professionalism and customerservice first.

The Grounds Guys of Lake Charles

Phone: (337) 242–3903

www.groundsguys.com/lake-charles/