A Family-Friendly Business Model Gives Nashville Couple More Control of Their Time
The quest for a family-friendly lifestyle led Hal and Emilee Bruen to open their Granite Garage Floors Nashville franchise in June 2017. “I worked in the corporate restaurant industry for 11 years,” Hal says. “I was successful but needed a change from the demanding nights, weekends and holidays. I was in charge of about 70 team members and a high-revenue restaurant, and I couldn’t spend time with family or friends.” In particular, when the Bruens’ daughter, Hallie (now 12), was small, Hal regretted missing time with her.
He began investigating other career options during a vacation. “I had seen a LinkedIn ad for the Granite Garage Floors franchise, which interested me because I’ve always been a car guy. I attended an Atlanta Caffeine & Octane car show, where [founder] Alan Mishkoff and I talked about opening up Nashville. I visited headquarters in the Atlanta area several times to make sure it was the right fit, and the rest is history. I’ve never looked back and wish we’d done it sooner.” The early days had their ups and downs.
“The biggest challenge was the jump into business ownership,” Emilee says, but she trusted Hal’s judgment. “He really did his research into what we could build together. I’m not going to lie — taking a BIG jump from what you know is hard, but when Hal goes all in, he has every detail thought out. It was a no-brainer for me. We put all our cards in one basket, and it paid off and has given us a beautiful life that we have worked for, allowing both of us to be present for our family.” She had stayed in her job as a dental assistant and office manager until their son, McCoy, now 7, was born. At that point, Hal needed more help with day-to-day operations. Emilee emphasizes that working with a spouse requires trust, communication and a solid work ethic. They primarily split their duties based on their strengths.
A Typical Day
“We don’t have a sales team,” Hal says, “so I still meet every client face to face and do all estimates. A typical day involves me traveling for estimates, sending out proposals, following up with leads and previous proposals, and checking on certain installs. Emilee is in charge of accounting, payroll and invoicing. She has a lot of experience with that and is great at it.
“Emilee is as important to the business as I am but doesn’t get the recognition she deserves because she mostly works in the background. Emilee does a tremendous amount on the family side, too — like helping the kids make their sports practices and games — since I’m out in the field most of every day.”
Both can do installs of Granite Garage Floors epoxy coating system when necessary. If several installers are out, they will pitch in to keep their installation schedule on track. The Bruens praise their franchisor and Threshold Brands, which acquired Granite Garage Floors in 2022. “I talked to some other owners before joining, when the franchise was still small,” Hal says. “We wanted to be a part of a growing group that valued input from their owners and grew the correct way. The franchisor listens to our needs and opinions.” Emilee chips in that Granite Garage Floors Brand Leader Bryan McMurray “is there anytime I have a question or need help.”
Now that Granite Garage Floors Nashville is well established with an outstanding, hardworking crew, the Bruens plan to grow by hiring more installers and running multiple trucks. “We have a large market — all of Middle Tennessee. We want our installers to be fully developed and ready for growth,” Hal says. “What we don’t want is to bring in more sales and not have enough people to install our systems correctly.”
Threshold Brands
Granite Garage Floors is part of Threshold Brands, a home-services franchisor whose portfolio also includes Heating + Air Paramedics, MaidPro, Men In Kilts, Miracle Method, Mold Medics, PestMaster, Plumbing Paramedics, Sir Grout and USA Insulation. The brand operates in a growing market as more homeowners look for durable, attractive and easy-to-maintain garage spaces. The North American concrete floor coatings market, which includes garage flooring, is expected to grow from $453.4 million in 2024 to $602.4 million by 2030, according to Grand View Research.
For more information, visit Granite Garage Floors’ franchise website.
