{"id":148069,"date":"2026-04-20T12:26:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T15:26:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lawnstarter.com\/blog\/?p=148069"},"modified":"2026-04-20T15:50:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T18:50:06","slug":"lawnstarter-hires-first-chief-operating-officer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lawnstarter.com\/blog\/press-release\/lawnstarter-hires-first-chief-operating-officer\/","title":{"rendered":"LawnStarter Hires Blue Apron Exec as First COO\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Austin, TX <\/strong>\u2014 LawnStarter, the platform that connects homeowners with local lawn care professionals, today appointed Gary Kliegman as its first Chief Operating Officer. Kliegman brings more than 15 years of operational leadership at high-growth, venture-backed companies including pivotal roles at Blue Apron, Uncommon Goods, and Candid.<\/p>

“Gary is the right leader at the right time as LawnStarter is expanding its offering with multiple additional service categories inside and outside of the home as well as releasing its first standalone FSM software,” LawnStarter CEO and co-founder Steve Corcoran says. <\/p>

\u201cThis moment we are living in is relatively unprecedented and we intend to capitalize on it. Gary is a big addition that will propel us to new heights,\u201d Corcoran adds.<\/p>

From Meal Kits to Lawn Care<\/h2>

Kliegman joins LawnStarter having spent his career building the operational infrastructure behind some of America’s most recognized growth-stage companies. As an early executive at Blue Apron, he helped scale the meal kit pioneer from a $25 million startup through its 2017 NYSE listing.<\/p>

\"Gary
Gary Kliegman, COO LawnStarter<\/figcaption><\/figure>

At Candid, an oral health care company, he was the first executive hire, joining at the Series A and shepherding the company from 17 employees to more than 600 and $100 million in annual revenue \u2013 navigating two business pivots and a pandemic along the way.<\/p>

Most recently, Kliegman co-founded Onto Health, a Colorado-based fertility care company expanding access to IVF in underserved markets, where he led a full operational rebuild and grew the patient pipeline by 80% within two quarters of relaunch.<\/p>

What Drew Kliegman to LawnStarter? <\/h2>

\u201cI\u2019m an operator at heart. I’ve spent my career operating businesses across lots of different industries \u2013 from consumer goods, to food, health care, and more. My expertise lies in building processes and systems, leading teams, and solving complex problems,\u201d Kliegman says.<\/p>

\u201cSo when the opportunity came about to bring that to the lawn care and home services industry \u2013 which is new for me \u2013 I couldn’t help but get excited about that challenge. The LawnStarter team has built an incredible business. I see a huge opportunity to continue to amplify the mission by bringing the company to even further scale,\u201d he says.<\/p>

At LawnStarter, Kliegman will lead the company’s operational functions as it expands into more home service sectors. <\/p>

\u201cLawnStarter is growing so fast. I love the way the company is aggressively pursuing new verticals and bringing cutting-edge tech and AI to bear to maximize speed and impact,\u201d Kliegman says. <\/p>

Kliegman\u2019s appointment as the company’s first COO reflects LawnStarter’s commitment to building the systems and team needed to lead a fragmented industry through its next stage of consolidation and growth.<\/p>

About LawnStarter <\/h2>

LawnStarter makes lawn care easy, affordable, and reliable — connecting homeowners with background-checked local lawn care professionals across the United States. <\/p>

Timeline<\/strong><\/p>