From the filings
Software purchasing at True Value Specialty Company is controlled at the HQ level, where executives like Vice President Eric Lane and President Jeffrey M. Olson oversee operations. The franchise mandates two core systems—Membersonline.com and Netwarehouse.com—and operates 200 franchised units, all of which represent addressable accounts for vendors. This page breaks down the tech stack, procurement signals, and decision-maker roles so you can qualify the opportunity before pitching.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Ongoing fee load
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.
1.5%+of gross sales (FY2022)
15% reference
Franchisor behaviours
20 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 6 explicit no's; 8 questions the text does not settle, which is not a no.
Accounting
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor shall have independent access to all of Franchisee’s point of sale and computer systems used in connection with the Franchised Business.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall provide to Franchisor such monthly and/or annual financial reports as Franchisor may specify, including, but not limited to, annual reviewed financial statements issued by a certified public accountant, and a return on investment report in the form required by Franchisor.
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesFranchise agreement
(iii) Franchisee acknowledges that, as of the date hereof, Franchisee is required to purchase solely from Franchisor or an affiliate, various products and equipment to be used by Franchisee in connection with its business.
Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?
YesItem 11
Although we do not currently have an advertising council, we do have a Rental Member Advisory Council that may advise us on advertising policies.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 8
We may modify any of the specifications at any time.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
26859904Item 8
In 2021, our affiliate’s revenues from purchases and leases of products and services by our franchisees was $26,859,904.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
We may receive rebates, other discounts or free services from suppliers.
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?
5Item 8
We estimate that the proportion of required purchases and leases to all purchases and leases will range from 10% to 50% in establishing your business and range from 5% to 10% in operating your business.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
A proposed supplier must fill out an application and other paperwork and provide a certificate of insurance.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor, and appoints Franchisor its attorney-in-fact, to direct the telephone company, domain name registrars, internet service providers, and all listing agencies to transfer telephone numbers, domain names, accounts and listings to Franchisor, as well as provide access to Franchisor to any such account or…
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor shall have the right to audit or cause to be audited the sales reports and financial statements delivered to Franchisor, and any other financial books or records and the sales and income tax returns of Franchisee
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesItem 17
We may change our manuals and standards.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 11
Approve the site you select.
Marketing
Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
YesFranchise agreement
At no time shall Franchisee be authorized to establish or maintain, or have established or maintained on its behalf, either alone or in concert with others, any other electronic medium or method of communication, including a website, home page, HTML document, Internet site, web page, or social media or social…
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee acknowledges that, as of the date hereof, Franchisee is required to purchase solely from Franchisor or an affiliate, various products and equipment to be used by Franchisee in connection with its business.
Payments
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall authorize Franchisor to initiate debit entries and/or credit correction entries to a designated checking or savings account for payments of Royalty Fees, Brand Fund Contributions, and any other amounts payable to Franchisor or its affiliates under this Agreement.
People
Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
All Franchisee’s personnel involved in the Franchised Business shall wear uniforms meeting Franchisor’s standards.
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
If you do not already have a point of sale system for your store that meets our specifications, you must purchase a point of sale system that meets our specifications before your store opens.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
We will have independent access to the information that will be generated or stored in your point of sale system and your computer.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor shall charge such training fees as it shall establish from time to time for such training and such fees must be paid prior to the time such training begins.
Who buys here
The decision-maker a vendor sells to at this scale, and the gaps they’re paid to close, derived from our data by segment and unit count, not a guess.
HQ leadership: CEO/President + VP Ops/Franchise + a first dedicated IT/systems owner.
True Value Specialty Company operates 200 franchised units, all of which are potential accounts for software vendors selling into home services franchises. The brand is part of True Value Company, L.L.C., and its most recent Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) is from 2022. Year-over-year unit growth was -7.407%, indicating a contracting footprint that may still present replacement or consolidation software opportunities. No average unit volume (AUV) is disclosed in the FDD. The royalty rate is 1.5% of gross revenue, and the initial franchise term is 5 years.
Software purchasing decisions are centralized at the HQ level. The 2022 FDD lists Jeffrey M. Olson as President and Manager, John C. Hammerle as Secretary and Manager, Eric Lane as Vice President, Brian Qualizza as Treasurer, and Jennifer Zerwer as Business Manager of Specialty Business. Among these, Eric Lane, as Vice President, is the most likely executive to influence or approve technology purchases. Vendors should direct initial outreach to this group, framing solutions around the mandated systems already in place.
The franchise mandates two specific technology platforms: Membersonline.com and Netwarehouse.com. These are the only named systems in the FDD, and no other operational, POS, or back-office software is disclosed. For vendors, this means any pitch must either integrate with or replace these mandated tools. The absence of additional named vendors suggests a lean tech stack, but also a potential gap that complementary software could fill if approved at HQ.
Item 8 of the 2022 FDD contains no extract regarding procurement restrictions or designated suppliers, so the procurement model remains unclear from the filing. However, Item 17 outlines renewal conditions: franchisees can renew for an additional 5-year term provided they give written notice, sign a release, upgrade the business (including inventory levels), and substantially comply with the Franchise Agreement. The franchisor must provide 30 days’ written notice if it does not intend to renew. Renewals require signing the then-current franchise agreement, which may contain materially different terms. With a 5-year term and negative unit growth, contract expirations and non-renewals may create windows for software displacement or new vendor entry.
The 2022 FDD is embedded below for full reference. It includes detailed disclosures on leadership, fees, territory, and franchisee obligations. Key sections for software vendors include Item 1 (executives), Item 11 (mandated systems), Item 8 (procurement), and Item 17 (renewal and termination). Use this document to verify the decision-maker names, tech mandates, and contract cycles before building your pitch. For a ranked target list of franchise brands matched to your software category, FranCloud can help.
Questions vendors ask
Every number on this page traces back to this document. Read it in full, page by page. Buy the original PDF to download, search, and annotate it.
View only A one-time purchase: the original filing, yours to keep.
FDD alert
We’ll email you the moment True Value Specialty Company files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
1 operators run 1 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Top states by locations
| WI | 1 |
|---|
Ownership
unknown of true value company l l c.
Related Home services brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.