Often, when owners step away from the business, what they’ve built fades away after being acquired. Legacy Lawns, based in Gainesville, Georgia, was formed to preserve and strengthen the heritage of lawn care companies that join them.
“For years we’ve seen incredible independent operators building great businesses, but we’ve also seen the increasing complexity of running those businesses — technology, recruiting, marketing, compliance and everything else that comes with growth,” says Jennifer Jorge, co-founder and CEO of Legacy Lawns. “Legacy Lawns came out of the idea that strong operators could be even stronger together.”
Jorge says she, along with her father and sister, discussed what a partnership would look like and the opportunities it would provide for them and their team members.
“Ensuring we grow Legacy Lawns successfully, and surround everyone with successful leaders, is essential to people’s next chapters in this industry,” Jorge says.
Choosing Partners
Legacy Lawns is currently comprised of five lawn care companies: King Green, based in Gainesville, Georgia; Georgia Lawngrowers, based in Suwanee, Georgia; Purple Care, based in Fort Worth, Texas; Coastal Turf, based in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and Perm-O-Green, based in Wichita Falls, Texas.
Jorge says their selection of these first partnerships was incredibly intentional. They looked beyond financial profiles to find organizations with strong teams and strong customer relationships.
“When you bring companies together under one umbrella, culture matters just as much as numbers,” Jorge says. “The owners we partnered with shared a similar mindset — they care deeply about their employees, their customers and the communities they serve.”
Jorge adds that when they have a shared foundation, these companies become a network of operators who are able to learn from one another and feel a part of the growth and success of Legacy Lawns.
While their current companies are based in the Southeast, Jorge says they’re focused on building a strong network of companies in markets where they believe the partnership model works well. She explains they’re being thoughtful about where they grow so each partnership receives the attention and resources they deserve.
“The goal is to partner with companies that want to continue building something meaningful while benefiting from the scale and shared expertise of the platform,” Jorge says.
For the time being, Jorge says they are looking to partner with solid operating companies that bring leadership and infrastructure to the platform, but in the future, there may be opportunities for tuck-in acquisitions as well.
Preserving Legacies
Each brand with Legacy Lawns retains their name, leadership and local reputation. Jorge stresses that honoring a company’s legacy isn’t just about preserving a name or a brand. She says what matters more is continuing the culture and leadership that helped build the company in the first place.
“Culture is incredibly important to us, and it’s something we think about carefully when considering new partnerships,” Jorge says. “At Legacy Lawns, we want to build a unified culture across the organization — one that reflects how we lead, how we support our people and how we serve our customers.”
Rather than trying to change what makes a company unique, Legacy Lawns focuses on alignment. Jorge says they work to ensure that each company joining the platform shares the same core values and approach to leadership.
“When that foundation is in place, each company can maintain the character that makes them special while still being part of a larger culture that guides how we move forward together,” Jorge says.
Whether a former owner stays on with Legacy Lawns varies case-by-case, as some wish to continue leading within the platform and others are looking for a succession plan.
“We structure partnerships in ways that allow owners to choose the path that fits them best while ensuring their companies continue to thrive,” Jorge says. “We don’t approach owners with a box and ask them to step inside it when it comes to structuring a partnership. We have the privilege to approach each owner in a way that meets their needs. This has been a big alignment with our equity partners and is already yielding a high level of success.”
Jorge says one of the most rewarding parts of the process is when an owner is ready to step away, as it creates an opportunity for team members who have helped build the business to step into the next chapter of leadership.
“Our goal at Legacy Lawns is to support that transition in a way that respects what the owner built while also empowering the next generation of leaders inside those companies,” Jorge says.
What Changes
While partner companies’ cultures and leadership don’t change, Legacy Lawns does provide owners with the support systems that allow the business to grow sustainably.
“What we’re building at Legacy Lawns is a strong group of industry leaders who can support those functions across the platform,” Jorge says. “By providing that support — whether it’s marketing strategy, sales development or financial infrastructure — we allow our partner companies to focus more of their energy where they create the most impact: their teams, their customers and their communities.”
Jorges says these changes won’t remove people, but create an environment where they have more opportunities to grow within the organization.
“In many cases, shared resources actually allow people to focus more deeply on the areas where they add the most value,” Jorge says. “As the platform grows, there are also new opportunities for employees to expand their roles and careers.”
Private equity firm Plexus has been key in providing Legacy Lawns the capital, strategic support and access to resources needed to grow.
“It was an incredibly important decision in which partner we chose in this next chapter for us,” Jorge says. “You typically only get to sell your business one time. No do-overs. Choosing the right partner is essential to driving success.”
Jorge acknowledges that many in the industry have become wary when it comes to private equity-backed acquisitions.
“The skepticism exists for a reason, and I think it’s healthy that owners ask hard questions,” Jorge says.
Rather than focusing on messaging, Legacy Lawns earns owners’ and team members’ trust by keeping their promises during the integration process.
“We focus on long-term relationships, preserving local leadership and investing in the people who built these companies,” Jorge says. “If the employees and customers in those businesses feel supported and see new opportunities, that speaks louder than anything we could say. It’s all about turning your words into actions and following through on what you said you would do.”
Jorge says their goal as a company isn’t to be the largest platform or to grow the fastest. Instead, they’re looking to build a strong network of high-quality companies that perform well and create long-term value for employees, customers and owners.
“When you focus on building great businesses, growth tends to follow naturally,” Jorge says.
Lessons Learned
For other companies considering going the private equity route, Jorge stresses the importance of asking the right questions during the initial meetings so you understand how they’re going to support your team and how involved they will be in the strategic decision-making process.
“Business owners run into problems when they don’t know the right questions to ask,” Jorge says.
She recommends creating a personal board of directors who have participated in a private-equity backed experience and ask questions like ‘What questions do you wish you had asked prior to your partnership?’ ‘What was your biggest surprise post close?’ ‘How do you ensure you and your partners are aligned in the vision of what it takes to grow a company?’ and ‘How do you ensure you are choosing the right partner that will fit your needs as you scale?’
With this transition to Legacy Lawns, Jorge says one of the biggest lessons she’s learned is the importance of communication and pacing.
“As owners, we had been working through this partnership for quite some time before it became public,” Jorge says. “By the time we shared the news with our teams, we had already processed it, understood it and were ready to move forward. Our team members, however, were hearing it for the first time and then immediately stepping into the reality of integration.”
In response to this, Legacy Lawns makes a point to meet teams where they are and give them space to process changes at a pace that is comfortable for them. She adds that transparency is incredibly important as team members need to understand why the partnership exists, what it means for them and how it benefits customers.
“Making sure people feel informed, supported and included in the journey is something I’ve become even more intentional about as we continue building Legacy Lawns,” Jorge says.
Over time, Jorge anticipates they will have an internal team that focuses on M&A and integration.
“We’ve learned very quickly that what happens after a partnership closes is just as important as the transaction itself,” Jorge says. “Successful integration — making sure teams feel supported, systems come together smoothly, and owners feel confident in the transition — is incredibly important to everyone involved.”
This article was published in the June/July/August issue of the magazine. To read more stories from The Edge magazine, click here to subscribe to the digital edition.
