Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue II, 2012 | Page 64

Best in Brand
By Eddy Goldberg

Recognizing Franchisee of the Year winners

F

ranchisors recognize the best performers in their system
with a Franchisee of the Year award (or equivalent). For
the winning franchisees, outstanding financial performance, adherence to system and operational standards,
and a passion for their business, their brand, and their
people are a given. What elevates them is their community involvement, their contributions to the system, and,
for the more experienced operators, their desire to mentor
their younger counterparts, just as they were mentored early
in their own careers as franchisees.

Steven Keys
U.S. Lawns
Sharp as a Blade

In October 1998, Steven Keys converted his residential lawn
care business to a U.S. Lawns franchise. He was 25 and had a
child on the way. “I wanted to have a sustainable business, be
out in the field, and know that if something happened to me
the business would go on,” he says. Today he operates eight
U.S. Lawns franchises: seven in South Carolina, and one in
Augusta, Ga.
Keys is the 2011 winner of the company’s President’s Award,
given to an owner-operator who not only “consistently meets

Steven Keys (left) receiving the President’s Award,
with Regional Franchise Advisor Bill Turley.

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Multi-Unit Franchisee Is s ue II, 2012

or exceeds all U.S. Lawns standards for customer satisfaction
and revenue,” but who also spends time “mentoring and leading other franchisees in the system to success.” Keys also is
a U.S. Lawns Hall of Fame member, sits on the company’s
Franchise Advisory Council, and is a member of the brand’s
Million Dollar Club.
“The reason I believe we’ve done so well is that while we
basically cut grass for a living (that’s how the outside world
looks at it), for us in the service industry we’re basically problem-solvers for people who don’t have the time.” There’s also
the small matter of getting your name out there and grabbing
market share from the competition—skills Keys had to learn
when he started as a franchisee.
“While there are many tools to help you sell, there’s nothing more important than the cold call, in asking somebody for
their business,” he says. “While it can be the most uncomfortable way to sell because of rejection and time consumption,
somebody’s got to do it. You