Aire-MasterFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Aire-Master franchise requires a total initial investment of $50K – $171K, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $30K[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $50K – $171K
- 7th pct Home Services
- Avg gross sales
- $30K
- 0th pct Home Services
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 5th pct Home Services
- Units
- 124
- 57th pct Home Services
- SBA default
- 0.0%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Home Services · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Home Services avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
At 0.3x revenue per dollar invested, this system underperforms the typical 1.5-2.5x range.
Franchising since 1977. Systems this mature have refined operations and brand recognition.
Bottom line
- Total investment $50K – $171K including a $50K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $30K/year (median $20K).
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 37/100.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Aire-Master of America, Inc.
- Incorporated in
- MO
- HQ
- 1821 N. Hwy CC, Nixa, Missouri 65714
- Auditor
- Elliott, Robinson & Company, LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $13.5M
- vs $15.0M prior year
Overview
About
Aire-Master franchisees operate commercial odor control and air quality service businesses, servicing facilities such as restaurants, healthcare facilities, and industrial properties. Day-to-day operations typically involve equipment maintenance, chemical refill scheduling, customer service calls, and route management to maintain recurring revenue from installed odor-control systems.
- CEO
- Douglas D. McCauley
- Headquarters
- MO
- Founded
- 1976
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 40
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $50K | $50K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $2K | $7K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $0 | $115K |
| Total initial investment | $50K | $171K |
Source: Aire-Master 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$4K
13.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
3%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
29.7 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $50K – $171K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $2K – $7K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $30K – $100K
- Near category avg vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- Gross Service Billings · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 6.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $0 |
| Transfer fee | $11K |
| Renewal fee | $0 |
| Total fee load | 6.0% of rev |
A 6.0% total fee load is unusually lean. More of each revenue dollar stays with the franchisee.
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $30K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $20K
- Item 19 type
- historic
- Sample size
- 109 units
- vs category median 25 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $2K→$193K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 4 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · typical
Compared against 349 Home Services brands
Revenue is only 0.3x the investment. This means each unit may take 5+ years to recoup the initial outlay at typical margins.
vs Home Services averages
How Aire-Master Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 124
- Opened
- 2
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 7
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 94%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +1.7%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +0.9%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 16 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 5 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 5
- Loan volume
- $1.7M
- Median loan
- $329K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 0.0%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 100.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 5
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Aire-Master's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 5 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 4 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 4-year lending trend
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Aire-Master presents meaningful caution-level risk due to undisclosed profitability, near-flat unit growth, questionable average revenue figures, and a fee structure that appears misaligned with actual franchisee earnings potential.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Elliott, Robinson & Company, LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Score breakdown · what drove the 37 / 100 rating
- 01MEDNet income not disclosed in Item 19 — cannot validate profitability claims or ROI timeline
- 02MINORMinimal system growth (1.7% YoY) with only 124 units suggests stagnant or declining market demand
- 03MINORAverage revenue of $29,723 annually is extremely low — unclear if this is monthly or annual, raising disclosure concerns
- 04MINORHigh franchise fee ($50,000) relative to average reported revenue creates unfavorable payback ratio
- 05MINORRoyalty structure with $250 minimum monthly ($3,000 annually) represents 10%+ of average revenue for struggling units
- 06MINOR3-year term is shorter than industry standard (5-10 years), increasing renewal/replacement risk
- 07HIGHNo going concern statement but stagnant growth and undisclosed profitability warrant financial stability questions
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 3 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 3 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 5 |
| Territory type | Geographic area |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Not allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 3 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Missouri |
| Litigation count | 0 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 24 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 56 hrs
- POS system
- Route-Master
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Route-Master
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
83 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Aire-Master · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Aire-Master franchise?
The total investment to open a Aire-Master franchise ranges from $50K – $171K, with an initial franchise fee of $50K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Aire-Master franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Aire-Master FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $30K. The median is $20K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Aire-Master's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Aire-Master (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Aire-Master franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Aire-Master has 124 total units in the United States, including 109 franchised units and 7 company-owned units. 2 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Aire-Master a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Aire-Master as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 37 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.