Mulch Men Take Over Ballantyne, One Yard at a Time
by Nell Thomas | April 13, 2025 | Strolling Ballantyne Contributor, The Charlotte Mercury
Ballantyne is used to premium service. Golf lessons, custom closets, and contractors who charge like they’re quoting the Pentagon. But this summer, a new kind of operation is cutting through the noise—and the overgrown yards.
Charlotte Mulch Men and More is the brainchild of Ryan George Merritt and a fellow college student who are doing what most local contractors can’t seem to manage: showing up, doing the work, and charging fair prices. From early May to mid/late August, these two run a full-throttle home services business out of Ballantyne Country Club, and it’s changing how people around here think about “small” jobs.
📞 704-989-1554
🌐 charlottemulchguys.com
They handle mulching, power washing, car detailing, junk hauling, and light landscaping—the exact kinds of tasks that usually result in ghosted appointments or gouged prices. But here’s the twist: they’re not doing this to scale into the next ServiceMaster. They’re just two students who spotted a gap—and filled it with sweat, reliability, and a pickup truck.
“We saw a need,” Merritt says, “and decided to actually do something about it.”
Two Students, One Summer, and a Whole Lot of Mulch
Ryan’s roots run deep in Ballantyne. His family moved from Indian Land when he was in fourth grade, and he’s lived at 15118 Ballantyne Country Club Drive ever since. His father, Ron Merritt, serves as CRO for Hearst Media, while his mother, Kim, runs a successful interior design business. His sister, Alex, is a junior at Ardrey Kell—and the family dogs, Snoopy and Philly, are reportedly terrible at yard work but great morale boosters.
Charlotte Mulch Men and More is built on the kind of hard-won trust few teens can boast: a reputation for follow-through. While others post flashy Instagram reels and then forget the appointment, these two show up and get it done. Every time.
Forget Contractors—Ballantyne’s Got the Mulch Men Now
These guys don’t pretend to be a jack-of-all-trades. They’re very clear about what they offer—and what they don’t. Their sweet spot is the work you can’t do yourself and can’t get anyone else to take seriously. That includes:
- 🌿 Mulching & Landscaping
- 💦 Power Washing
- 🧼 Car Detailing
- 🗑 Trash/Junk Removal
- 📋 “And More,” with fair warning and honest labor
No fluff, no excuses. Just solid work from college students who hustle harder than most adults with trucks and a license.
And if they’re not exactly posting time-lapse reels just yet? Don’t worry—it’s coming. Merritt says social media is on the way, though between jobs, customer service, and actual manual labor, the marketing plan is still on the “to mulch” list.
☕️ Until My Next Cup Cools…
— Nell Thomas
Senior Writer, The Charlotte Mercury | Contributor, Strolling Ballantyne
📍 cltmercury.com | 🌐 strollingballantyne.com
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