Snapshot
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Current role | CEO, Groundworks |
| Became CEO | Early 2026 (founder Matt Malone moved to Executive Chairman) |
| Background | 38 years in grocery: CEO of Sprouts, Cardenas, Heritage Grocers |
| Scale | 90+ offices, 7,500+ employees, 1M+ homeowners served (2026) |
| Based | Virginia Beach, Virginia |
| Ownership | KKR and Cortec Group backed |
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Book a demoWho is Doug Sanders?
Doug Sanders is the CEO of Groundworks, North America's largest foundation-repair and water-management company, with more than 90 offices and roughly 7,500 employees. He is an unusual choice for the seat: a 38-year grocery-industry veteran who previously ran private-equity-owned grocers Sprouts Farmers Market, Cardenas Markets, and Heritage Grocers Group. He took command of Groundworks in early 2026, when founder Matt Malone, who built the platform, moved up to Executive Chairman.
A roll-up operator, from groceries to foundations
Sanders spent his career consolidating fragmented retail. He led Sprouts Farmers Market to its 2013 IPO after integrating a string of grocery acquisitions, then ran Cardenas and Heritage Grocers Group. That buy-and-build skill is exactly what Groundworks needs: founder Matt Malone assembled the company since 2016 through roughly 44 acquisitions of local foundation-repair brands, backed first by Cortec Group and then, from 2023, by KKR.
The move fits a pattern in home services: once a founder-built platform reaches national scale, a specialist operator is brought in to run it. Sanders is that operator, and Malone's shift to Executive Chairman is the handoff.
Why Doug Sanders matters
Sanders is a clear signal of where the home-services roll-up is heading. Private-equity owners are increasingly recruiting proven multi-unit operators from adjacent industries to professionalize the platforms founders built. Watching how a grocery consolidator runs a 7,500-person foundation-repair company is a preview of how these businesses get managed at scale.