TruGreen Moves Executives From Memphis to Franklin

Call it a Tennessee waltz, with one of the largest private companies in Memphis stepping into 37,000 square feet of office space for its top executives in Nashville but declining to engage in any public unpleasantries with its old dance partner.

That seems to be the situation with TruGreen, which will set its C-suite team up in the Highlands Office Park in suburban Franklin, giving landlord Highwoods Properties the largest provider of lawn services as a tenant, the Nashville Business Journal reported.

The 265,000-square-foot building, at 701 Cool Springs Boulevard, was constructed in 2007 and is one of five buildings that make up Highwoods Office Park.

The first wave of employees is expected to make the shift to Nashville in January, with top executives joined by staffers in the sales, marketing and human resources units, TruGreen spokesperson Shannon Lopez told the outlet, which pegs TruGreen as one of the top 10 private companies in Memphis, with $1.5 billion in annual revenue as recently as 2022. It had about 300 employees as of last year, and it plans to move about half to Franklin, with about 100 support staff staying in Memphis, which will remain the company’s listed headquarters even with top executives ensconced in Music City.

“Memphis has been great to, and for, our organization,” Kurt Kane, president and CEO of TruGreen, said in a news release. “We hold a deep affection for our home state and view Nashville as an excellent opportunity to amplify our presence in Tennessee.”

TruGreen named Kane, a former executive with the Wendy’s fast-food chain, its president and CEO in November. He bought a $3.75 million home near Belle Meade Country club in Nashville in May.

The move offers a reminder that the Nashville market makes the top five of U.S. metro areas for corporate relocations, according to CBRE. The Nashville metro is now home to headquarters operations of more than 40 major corporations, ranging from Mitsubishi Motors to Mars Petcare.