Entrepreneur: Start & Grow Your Business

Chem-Dry Carpet Drapery & Upholstery Cleaning

Carpet cleaning service

Year began: 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.

1530 N. 1000 West
Logan, UT 84321

Phone: (877)307-8233
Fax: (435)890-1091

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

Franchise Growth

Year

2008
2007
2006
2005
2004

U.S. Franchises

2,679
2,679
2,547
2,523
2,502

Canadian Franchises

106
106
119
120
117

Foreign Franchises

1,500
1,500
1,531
1,359
1,296

Company
Owned

0
0
0
0
0

Where Seeking Franchisees

Nationwide

Worldwide

Costs & Fees

Total investment: $25.3K-213.6K
Franchise fee: $12.95K-34.9K
Ongoing royalty fee: $350/mo.
Term of agreement: 5 years, renewable
Renewal fee: $750

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

Qualifications

Net worth requirement: $75K
Cash liquidity requirement: $4K

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 & Support

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

Rankings in Entrepreneur magazine 2004-2008

Franchise 500® rank:
#29 (2008); #27 (2007); #27 (2006); #18 (2005); #17 (2004);

Ranked #1 in category in:
2008; 2007; 2006; 2005; 2004;

Fastest-Growing Franchises:
#34 (2008); #79 (2005);

Top home based franchises:
#5 (2008); #5 (2007); #5 (2006); #3 (2005); #2 (2004);

Low-Cost Franchises:
#8 (2008); #9 (2007); #10 (2006); #8 (2005); #6 (2004);

America's Top Global Franchises:
#35 (2008); #18 (2007); #23 (2006); #24 (2005); #12 (2004);

Last Updated: 5/22/2008 12:00:00 AM