Tekmetric
Mandatoryons (that is, for which suppliers must be approved by us, or which must meet our standards or specifications). With the exception of Mr. Sunil Patel, who is the founder and CEO of Tekmetric, no office
From the filings
HQ-led decisions
Christian Brothers Automotive
Automotive servicesChristian Brothers Automotive (CBA) centralizes software purchasing at its Houston headquarters, where the executive team—led by President and CEO Don Carr and COO Michael Allnutt—controls technology decisions for all 326 franchised locations. The franchise already mandates Epicor Kinetic for ERP and Tekmetric for shop management, creating a defined tech landscape for vendors to navigate. With no company-owned units, the entire 326-unit footprint represents an addressable market for software providers targeting automotive service franchises.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
326
326 franchised
Unit growth YoY
—
vs prior filing
AUV
$2.87M
Item 19, 2026
Royalty
—
of gross sales
Ad fund
3%
national + local
Initial fee
$85K
per unit
Investment range
$515K–$650K
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Approved supplier
from the filing
Non-compete
3 years
from the filing
Item 19
Claims
from the filing
Ongoing fee load
What the operator pays every month
The recurring percentage of gross sales named in this filing. It is a floor, not a total — the filing discloses one of the two headline fees.
3%+of gross sales (FY2026)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
1 of these are mandated in the franchise agreement. Each is named in Item 11 of the filing, the incumbents a challenger must displace or integrate with.
Epicor
Christian Brothers Automotive-2026v1 15 will be provided by CBAC and used to operate your CBA franchise include a shop management system (Tekmetric), an accounting software suite (Epicor Kinetic), ass
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
17 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 7 explicit no's; 10 questions the text does not settle, which is not a no.
Accounting
Must the franchisee use an accounting or bookkeeping system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
CBAC requires that you purchase the following computer and networking equipment: shop management and payment software suite, accounting software suite (designated by CBAC)
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee must comply with all accounting, financial and reporting requirements set out in the Confidential Operations Manual or other similar correspondence.
How the franchisor buys
Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?
YesItem 11
As of the date of this Disclosure Document, there is a MEC in place.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 8
We have the right to disapprove or withdraw our approval of any supplier at any time by providing you with written notice of our disapproval or withdrawal of approval.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
365659Item 8
We also received a total of $365,659 from franchisees or required vendors as a result of purchases of equipment and related products directly from us.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
CBAC received rebates from approved vendors in the amount of $1,101,792 during the year ending December 31, 2025.
Item 8 gives this proportion in one of two shapes: separate percentages for establishing the business and for operating it, or one figure covering "establishing and operating" together. Where they are separate, answer with the operating percentage; where the passage gives only the combined figure, answer with that. What percentage of the franchisee's purchases must come from designated or approved suppliers?
2Item 8
We estimate that approximately 95% of your expenditures for leases and purchases of equipment and supplies in establishing your automotive repair facility and approximately 2% of your expenditures for leases and purchases of supplies on an ongoing basis will be for goods and services which are subject to sourcing…
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If you wish to procure any items from a supplier other than us or a supplier we designate, you must obtain our approval in the manner set forth in Section 9.07 of the Franchise Agreement which basically requires that you identify the proposed supplier, its name and address, and the items you desire to purchase from…
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee agrees that promptly after the expiration or termination of this Agreement for any reason, Franchisee will immediately cease using such telephone number or numbers, and/or, upon demand by the Franchisor, Franchisee will direct the telephone company servicing the Franchised Business to transfer the Listing…
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor may during regular business hours enter Franchisee’s premises to inspect, audit and make copies of books of account, bank statements, documents, records, sales tax returns, papers, and files of Franchisee relating to the business transacted by Franchisee
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 11
CBAC will select a site for your franchise business and present it to you for your approval.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 8
All services, furniture, fixtures, equipment, inventory, supplies and other materials required to develop and operate your automotive repair facility must be procured from us, or from suppliers that we designate or approve.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
All services, furniture, fixtures, equipment, inventory, supplies and other materials required to develop and operate your automotive repair facility must be procured from us, or from suppliers that we designate or approve.
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee acknowledges, affirms, warrants and understands that, subject to any Shared Expense guidelines or requirements in the Confidential Operations Manual or otherwise issued by Franchisor, Franchisee may staff the Franchised Business with as many employees as Franchisee desires at any time so long as…
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
CBAC requires that you purchase the following computer and networking equipment: shop management and payment software suite, accounting software suite (designated by CBAC) and approximately eight (8) personal computers, four (4) tablet computers, two (2) multi-function printers, one (1) router, two (2) network…
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
We will have the right to access all information and financial data recorded by the system for audit and sales verification purposes.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor may establish such fees for the additional training, as Franchisor in its sole discretion deems appropriate.
The filing answers no to 7 questions
- Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?Item 8
- Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?Item 8
- Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?Franchise agreement
- Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?Franchise agreement
- Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?Item 11
- Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?Item 11
- Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?Franchise agreement
The vendor opportunity at Christian Brothers Automotive
Christian Brothers Automotive operates 326 franchised locations across the United States, with no company-owned units disclosed in the 2026 FDD. The entire system is franchised, meaning every location falls under the technology mandates set by the franchisor. For software vendors, this creates a single buying center at the Houston, Texas headquarters. The addressable market is the full 326-unit footprint—no split between corporate and franchisee-controlled purchasing.
Year-over-year unit growth is not disclosed in the most recent FDD. Average unit volume and royalty rates are also not publicly reported in the FDD extract. The initial franchise term runs 15 years, with three optional 5-year renewal terms available. Renewal terms come with a materially different franchise agreement, which can open windows for technology stack changes.
Who controls software purchasing
Software purchasing authority sits at the corporate level. The FDD lists Don Carr as President and Chief Executive Officer and Michael Allnutt as Chief Operating Officer. These are the senior executives most likely involved in enterprise technology decisions. The board includes Chris Chesney, Art Coley, and Sunil Patel as directors. No dedicated CIO or CTO is named in the FDD extract, but the centralized mandate structure confirms that franchisees do not independently select core operational software.
Vendors pitching Christian Brothers Automotive should target the Houston headquarters and prepare for a top-down sales process. The franchisor designates the systems franchisees must use, which means winning a corporate deal unlocks the entire network.
Mandated and current tech stack
Christian Brothers Automotive mandates four categories of technology. Epicor Kinetic serves as the ERP system. Tekmetric is the mandated shop management platform. The FDD also references a designated accounting software suite and a payment software suite, though the specific vendors for those two categories are not named in the FDD extract. All four categories are described as mandated, not merely recommended.
This stack gives incumbent vendors a strong defensive position. For competitors, displacing Epicor Kinetic or Tekmetric requires demonstrating clear ROI at the franchisor level. The accounting and payment suites represent potential openings if the current designations are approaching end-of-life or if the franchisor is open to re-evaluation during renewal cycles.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
The FDD extract does not include Item 8 procurement language, so the formal supplier designation process—whether designated, approved, or open—is not confirmed in our corpus. The presence of multiple mandated systems strongly suggests a designated-supplier model, but vendors should verify this directly in the full FDD.
Timing a pitch around renewal cycles is possible but imprecise. The initial 15-year term and three 5-year renewal options mean franchisees periodically sign new agreements. The FDD explicitly states that renewal agreements contain materially different terms, which may include updated technology requirements. This creates natural inflection points where the franchisor might evaluate new software. However, specific contract windows or upcoming renewal waves are not disclosed.
How to read the Christian Brothers Automotive FDD
The 2026 Christian Brothers Automotive FDD is embedded below. It contains the full legal and operational disclosures filed with state franchise regulators. Review Item 11 for the complete franchisor obligations around technology, Item 8 for procurement rules, and Item 17 for renewal and termination terms. These sections contain the details that determine whether your software fits their compliance and operational requirements.
For a ranked target list of franchise systems matched to your software category, FranCloud maps mandated tech stacks, decision-maker contact signals, and unit growth trends across the entire US franchise market.
Questions vendors ask
Christian Brothers Automotive, answered from the filing
President and CEO Don Carr and COO Michael Allnutt are the top executives listed in the FDD. Technology procurement decisions are made at the corporate level, with franchisor mandates dictating the systems all franchisees must use.
The FDD mandates Epicor Kinetic for ERP, Tekmetric for shop management, a designated accounting software suite, and a payment software suite. Specific vendors for accounting and payments are not named in the FDD extract.
The 2026 FDD reports 326 total units, all of which are franchised. No company-owned locations are disclosed. This places CBA in the mid-sized automotive services franchise segment.
Item 8 procurement details are not extracted in our corpus. The presence of multiple mandated software systems suggests a designated-supplier or approved-supplier model controlled by the franchisor, but confirm directly with the FDD.
The initial franchise term is 15 years, with three 5-year renewal options. Renewal terms require signing a materially different agreement, which may trigger technology re-evaluation periods. Specific contract windows are not disclosed.
The 2026 FDD is filed with state franchise regulators. You can view the full document in the embedded PDF viewer below to verify all details cited on this page.
Source
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FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment Christian Brothers Automotive files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
547 operators run 547 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit547
Top states by locations
| TX | 147 |
|---|---|
| CO | 48 |
| FL | 42 |
| GA | 32 |
| AZ | 26 |
Related Automotive services brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.