Ziebart

The vendor opportunity at Ziebart

Ziebart operates 92 total locations in the US—80 franchised and 12 company-owned—generating an average unit volume of $1,509,191. The network is concentrated, with only nine mapped operators on file, all single-unit owners, and a geographic footprint that includes Texas, Illinois, Indiana, Florida, and Michigan. Year-over-year unit growth declined by 5.882%, so the near-term addressable market for new software deployments is stable rather than expanding. For a software vendor, the opportunity lies in displacing or integrating with mandated systems at the franchisor level, where purchasing control is centralized.

Who controls software purchasing

The 2026 FDD lists the executive team that governs Ziebart International Corporation and its affiliate ZC. Thomas E. Wolfe serves as Chairman of the Board, with Thomas A. Wolfe as President and Secretary. Brian Jackman holds the title of President of ZC, while Larisa C. Walega is Senior Vice President and Chief Growth Officer. Tray Doster, Director of Franchise Development, rounds out the named leadership. In a system this size, with mandated technology and no multi-unit operators on file, software purchasing authority almost certainly sits with these HQ executives rather than with individual franchisees. Vendors should direct outreach toward the Chief Growth Officer and the President of ZC, who are the most likely buyers or gatekeepers for operational and growth-related technology.

Mandated and current tech stack

Ziebart’s 2026 FDD explicitly mandates two systems: iBart© and the Ziebart Resource Center. The FDD does not describe the functionality of these platforms in detail, but their mandatory status means any software vendor must either integrate with them or demonstrate a compelling reason to replace them at the franchisor level. No other POS, CRM, or operational software vendors are named in the disclosure, leaving open the possibility that franchisees have discretion over ancillary tools—though the absence of an Item 8 procurement extract makes that unclear.

Procurement, renewals, and timing

Procurement rules are not disclosed in the 2026 FDD; Item 8 contains no extract, so vendors cannot determine whether Ziebart operates a designated-supplier program, an approved-vendor list, or an open procurement model. Franchise agreements carry an initial term of 10 years, and renewal is available for a term co-extensive with a new franchise agreement, provided the franchisee meets conditions in the then-current manual. With negative unit growth and a small operator base, the most likely software evaluation triggers are HQ-driven modernization efforts or renewal-cycle requirements rather than new-unit openings.

How to read the Ziebart FDD

The full 2026 Ziebart Franchise Disclosure Document is embedded below. It contains the legal and operational detail—executive names, unit counts, financial performance representations, and mandated technology—that software vendors need to qualify this account. Review Item 1 for the leadership team, Item 6 for fee structure, and Item 11 for the franchisor’s obligations around technology and support. If you need a ranked target list of franchise systems matched to your software category, FranCloud can build one from FDD data like this.