Chem-Dry Carpet Drapery & Upholstery Cleaning

Founded: 1977 Franchising since: 1978
Robert Harris worked as a carpet cleaner to pay for his law school tuition. He found the cleaning methods being used were not getting the job done and set about developing new solutions to get carpets cleaner. Harris started using his new solution to clean carpets for family and friends, and demand for his services quickly grew. In 1977, Harris founded Chem-Dry to bring his new cleaning methods to more customers.

Chem-Dry began franchising in 1978 and now has locations in the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia and the United Kingdom. In 2006, Chem-Dry was acquired by The Home Depot.

Address: 1530 N. 1000 West Logan, Utah 84321

Phone: (877)307-8233

Franchisor is a privately-held company with 75 employee(s)

Franchise Units

Year	U.S. Franchises	Canadian Franchises	Foreign Franchises	Company Owned
2009	2,309	95	1,600	0
2008	2,531	100	1,500	0
2007	2,679	106	1,500	0
2006	2,547	119	1,531	0

Where Seeking Franchisees
Nationwide
Worldwide

Total investment: $25,600 - $121,450
Franchise fee: $12,950
Ongoing royalty fee: $350/mo.
Term of agreement: 5 years, renewable


Type of Financing Available

	In-House	Third Party
Franchise Fee	Yes	No
Startup Costs	No	No
Equipment	Yes	No
Inventory	Yes	No
Accounts Receivable	No	No
Payroll	No	No

Qualifications
Net worth requirement: $75,000
Cash liquidity requirement: $4,000

Operations

• Franchise can be run from home
• 35% of all franchisees own more than one unit
• Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

Training

• Available at headquarters: 5 days
• Video training

Ongoing Support

• Newsletter
• Meetings
• Toll-free phone line
• Internet
• Security/safety procedures
• Field operations/evaluations

Marketing Support

• Co-op advertising
• Ad slicks
• National media
• Regional advertising

Other marketing support

• Video/radio commercials

Franchise 500® rank:
#59 (2010); #54 (2009); #29 (2008); #27 (2007); #27 (2006);

Fastest-Growing Franchises:
#34 (2008);

Low-Cost Franchises:
#15 (2010); #14 (2009); #8 (2008); #9 (2007); #10 (2006);

Top Homebased Franchises:
#15 (2010); #11 (2009); #5 (2008); #5 (2007); #5 (2006);

America's Top Global Franchises:
#51 (2010); #47 (2009); #35 (2008); #18 (2007); #23 (2006);