Asp - America’s Swimming Pool Company Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $84K – $210K
- Disclosed sales
- $852K
- gross sales, not profit
- SBA charge-off
- 27.8%
- on 44 loans
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
ASP - America's Swimming Pool Company is a home-services franchise providing pool cleaning, maintenance, and equipment repair for residential and commercial pools. Franchisees run a route-based service managing accounts, chemical balancing, and repairs in a protected territory.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A ASP - AMERICA’S SWIMMING POOL COMPANY franchise requires a total initial investment of $84K – $210K, including a $40K – $90K franchise fee and an ongoing 7.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average revenue per territory was $852K. This franchisor reports Item 19 per territory rather than per outlet, so the figure is not comparable with per-outlet averages[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 27.8% charge-off rate across 44 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: 2025 filing · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: medium - a newer filing may exist
Evidence: strong✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✓ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored8 of 8 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $84K – $210K
- 24th pct Home Services
- Avg gross sales
- $852K
- Per territory, not per outlet
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 48th pct Home Services
- Units
- 391
- 84th pct Home Services
- SBA charge-off
- 27.8%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Home Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Home Services median · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $84K – $210K including a $40K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage revenue per territory of $852K/year (median $573K). Note: this is gross profit, not take-home income. Averaged per territory, not per outlet - not comparable with per-outlet figures.
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 40/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 27.8% across 44 loans (well above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- GROWTHPositive: net +16 franchised outlets in the latest year (40 opened, 24 closed); 20 signed but not yet open (Item 20).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- ASP Franchising SPE LLC
- Parent company
- AB Assetco LLC
- FDD Item 1, page 6 of the 2025 FDD
- Ultimate parent
- Authority Brands, Inc.
- FDD Item 1, page 6 of the 2025 FDD
- Predecessor
- ASP Franchising, LLC (ASPF)
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Stewart C. Vernon
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 7120 Samuel Morse Drive, Suite 300, Columbia, MD 21046
- Auditor
- PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $226.4M
- vs $219.1M prior year
Independent franchisee associations
- Franchise Advisory Council (FAC)
Franchisee-led councils or alliances disclosed in Item 20. Indicates operator voice.
Same owner · FDD Item 1, page 6
14 other brands on this site name Authority Brands, Inc. as parent or ultimate parent in their own FDD.
- Benjamin Franklin PlumbingA
- COLOR WORLD PAINTINGD
- DRYMEDICA
- DoodyCallsA
- Homewatch CareGiversC
- LAWN SQUADB
- MISTER SPARKYA
- MONSTER TREE SERVICEB
- Mosquito SquadA
- ONE HOUR HEATING & AIR CONDITIONINGA
- SCREENMOBILEA
- THE JUNKLUGGERSC
- The Cleaning AuthorityB
- WOOFIE’SB
Portfolio: Authority Brands
Grouped by the owner's name as each filing prints it (this page: the 2025 FDD). Spelling variants of the same group may be listed apart; a brand is never grouped with an owner its filing does not name.
Overview
About
- CEO
- Stewart C. Vernon
- Headquarters
- MD
- Founded
- 2006
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 25
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 12% below the typical home services franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown14 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $40K | $90K | |
| Leasehold Improvements and Lease Deposits | — | — | |
| Vehicle Wrapnot refundable | $3K | $4K | |
| Business Outfitting Feenot refundable | $4K | $4K | |
| Operations Outfitting Feenot refundable | $4K | $11K | |
| Truck Outfitting Feenot refundable | $6K | $6K | |
| Vehicle | $0 | $3K | |
| Office Equipment and Supplies | $90 | $5K | |
| Initial Advertising Feenot refundable | $6K | $58K | |
| Insurance | $4K | $6K | |
| Professional Fees | $1K | $2K | |
| Initial Training Expense | $642 | $2K | |
| Licenses and/or Bonds | $0 | $1K | |
| Additional Funds | $16K | $16K | |
| Total initial investment | $84K | $210K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $84K – $210K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $16K – $16K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K – $90K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- Tiered by sales volume · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 7.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $250 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 45% above the home services norm.
Averaged per territory, not per outlet - not comparable with per-outlet figures
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
Single-unit · not modelled
Returns at a glance
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit, and the operating costs that turn one into the other are in no filing. We publish no modelled return for ASP - AMERICA’S SWIMMING POOL COMPANY until someone supplies them — yours, in the models below.
—
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
Total invested capital · disclosed
$163K
Item 7 initial investment plus working capital, as filed — the one figure here that needs no assumption.
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
What one unit earns on your invested capital
Model A · Single-Unit Return
Computes unlevered return on invested capital (ROIC) for a single franchise unit, read against the 30–60% reference band · Yale SOM, Post-MBA Path Exhibit 2 (2023). Below that band a passive index fund likely outperforms; above it the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses, and it is the top line only — gross sales are not profit. No FDD discloses the operating costs that turn one into the other, so those fields start empty and nothing is modelled until you supply them from your own lease quote, labor market and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one ASP - AMERICA’S SWIMMING POOL COMPANY unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
What 25 units return when you use SBA financing
Model B · Return on Equity: Debt-Financed Acquisition
Models a 25-unit portfolio acquisition financed with an SBA 7(a) loan. Shows equity IRR (your return on cash invested), DSCR (how safely the cash flow covers debt service), and the capital stack (SBA + seller + equity breakdown).
This is the “search fund” or “entrepreneurship through acquisition” scenario: you buy an existing multi-unit operator, use leverage to amplify returns, and either operate or hire management. The 25-unit size is the typical minimum for an SBA-backed franchise portfolio acquisition to pencil as a full-time income.
What “return on equity” means here: if you put in $500K of your own cash and the business generates enough EBITDA to pay down debt and grow, your equity IRR is the annual return on that $500K, including the value created when you eventually sell. Target IRR for a search fund is typically 25–35%.
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
A 25-unit return is built on a per-unit EBITDA. Fill in the operating costs in Model A above and this model runs on that figure, or take the whole scenario to the full ROI workbench, where the portfolio and LBO models accept your own per-unit economics directly.
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
Averaged per territory, not per outlet - not comparable with per-outlet figures
- Avg gross sales
- $852K
- Per territory, per year — not per outlet
- Median gross sales
- $573K
- Per territory, not per outlet
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- gross revenue and net profit
- Sample size
- 124 territories
- vs category median 32 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $39K→$3.9MCited, not corroborated — printed on page 74 of the 2025 FDD. Nothing else in our record independently restates or re-derives it.
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $178K→$2.0M
- Bottom 25% → top 25%, per territory
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 10 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · above
Compared against 319 Home Services brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
The average territory generates $852K/year in gross sales. Median is $573K — top performers pull the average up, so a typical unit earns less.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 8.0% (near the Home Services median).
Disclosure
Transparency score 10/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Operator retention
System expanding at 7.4% CAGR over 3 years across 391 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Home Services medians
How Asp - America’s Swimming Pool Company Compares
Per territory, not per outlet - the category median is per-outlet only, so no comparison is shown
Category median of published Home Services brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 391
- Opened
- 40
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 24
- Terminated
- 7
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 6.1%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +7.4%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +7.4%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 7
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 13
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 20
- 0.05 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 20
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Termination rate
- 1.0%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 0.4%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 24 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.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- California
- Illinois
- Indiana
- New York
- Virginia
- Wisconsin
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
131 current owners across 24 states.
- FL 23
- TX 23
- GA 16
- AZ 10
- SC 7
- NC 6
- TN 6
- AL 5
- NY 4
- OK 4
- VA 4
- IN 3
- +12 more states
Counts only, from the list the franchisor prints in Item 20. Names and phone numbers are for your own due diligence and are not shown here.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 44
- Loan volume
- $9.2M
- Median loan
- $209K
- average
- Charge-off rate
- 27.8%
- on 44 loans · 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)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 17
- Defaults
- 5
Vintage analysis
Asp - America’s Swimming Pool Company charge-off rate by loan vintage
Top lenders financing Asp - America’s Swimming Pool Company franchisees
Showing 3 of 17 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Lender network · 7(a) + 504
SBA Lending Report
Full lending analysis for Asp - America’s Swimming Pool Company from SBA 7(a) FOIA data.
Top SBA lenders
| # | Lender | Loans | Volume | Default % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Midwest Savings Bank National Association | 22 | $3.3M | 33.3% |
| 2 | Celtic Bank Corporation | 4 | $475K | 25.0% |
| 3 | Stearns Bank National Association | 2 | $240K | 0.0% |
| 4 | BayFirst National Bank | 2 | $1.5M | 0.0% |
| 5 | First Bank of the Lake | 2 | $142K | N/A |
| 6 | TD Bank, National Association | 1 | $25K | 100.0% |
| 7 | Wells Fargo Bank National Association | 1 | $105K | N/A |
| 8 | U.S. Bank, National Association | 1 | $800K | 0.0% |
| 9 | Cadence Bank | 1 | $514K | N/A |
| 10 | Readycap Lending, LLC | 1 | $400K | N/A |
Geographic failure vector
| State | Loans | Defaults | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| TXTexas | 16 | 1 | 16.7% |
| FLFlorida | 14 | 2 | 28.6% |
| SCSouth Carolina | 3 | 1 | 50.0% |
| INIndiana | 2 | 0 | -- |
| MDMaryland | 2 | 1 | 50.0% |
| TNTennessee | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| AZArizona | 1 | 0 | -- |
| NCNorth Carolina | 1 | 0 | -- |
| NYNew York | 1 | 0 | -- |
| OKOklahoma | 1 | 0 | -- |
Source: SBA 7(a) + 504 FOIA loan-level data, matched by FranchiseVerdict
A 27.8% charge-off rate means roughly 1 in 4 franchisees failed to repay their SBA loan. Investigate what changed.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 27.8% — 74% above the 16.0% national norm, i.e. higher lender-observed risk.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: the franchisor is a named party (plaintiff).
1 pending arbitration: ASP Franchising SPE LLC v. PSL Pools LLC and Brandon Lee Grigsby, AAA Case No. 01-24-0004-6142, filed April 4, 2024 (franchisor as plaintiff, breach of contract/post-termination enforcement)
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Consolidated financial statements of AB Assetco LLC and Subsidiaries (the franchisor's parent), in thousands, years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, audited by PwC. Total revenues comprise franchise service fees, franchise sales fees, and other revenues for the entire securitization pool of Authority Brands, not ASP alone.
ⓘ These are the parent company's consolidated financials (the parent guarantees the franchisor), not this brand's standalone results — the figure reflects the whole corporate group, not this brand alone.
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 40 / 100 verdict
- 01HIGHActive litigation (April 2024) involving breach of contract and post-termination obligations suggests franchisor enforcement issues or franchisee disputes
- 02MINORSlow unit growth of 4.3% YoY in a mature 391-unit system indicates market saturation or franchisee underperformance
- 03MINORTiered royalty structure creates misalignment: franchisees earning $100k+ pay lower rates, suggesting franchisor may struggle at lower revenue tiers
- 04MINORHigh initial investment ($84k-$210k) relative to median net income ($146k) means 7-14 month payback period with zero margin for error
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Protected territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 40 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 15 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 1 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Columbia, Maryland |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | MD |
| Litigation count | 1 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
1 pending arbitration: ASP Franchising SPE LLC v. PSL Pools LLC and Brandon Lee Grigsby, AAA Case No. 01-24-0004-6142, filed April 4, 2024 (franchisor as plaintiff, breach of contract/post-termination enforcement)
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 32 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 64 hrs
- Training location
- Macon, Georgia
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 9 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Pool Ops
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Pool Ops
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
131 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a ASP - AMERICA’S SWIMMING POOL COMPANY franchise?
The total investment to open a ASP - AMERICA’S SWIMMING POOL COMPANY franchise ranges from $84K – $210K, with an initial franchise fee of $40K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do ASP - AMERICA’S SWIMMING POOL COMPANY franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the ASP - AMERICA’S SWIMMING POOL COMPANY FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $852K. The median is $573K. Important context: Averaged per territory, not per outlet - not comparable with per-outlet figures. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
Who owns ASP - AMERICA’S SWIMMING POOL COMPANY?
ASP - AMERICA’S SWIMMING POOL COMPANY is franchised by ASP Franchising SPE LLC. Its parent company is AB Assetco LLC. The ultimate parent named in the FDD is Authority Brands, Inc.. Source: FDD Item 1, 2025 filing.
What is Item 19 in the ASP - AMERICA’S SWIMMING POOL COMPANY FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the ASP - AMERICA’S SWIMMING POOL COMPANY FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is ASP - AMERICA’S SWIMMING POOL COMPANY's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, ASP - AMERICA’S SWIMMING POOL COMPANY has a charge-off rate of 27.8% across 44 loans, meaning 27.8% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many ASP - AMERICA’S SWIMMING POOL COMPANY franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, ASP - AMERICA’S SWIMMING POOL COMPANY has 391 total units in the United States, including 391 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 40 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is ASP - AMERICA’S SWIMMING POOL COMPANY a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates ASP - AMERICA’S SWIMMING POOL COMPANY as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 40 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. 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.
For franchisors
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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.