Cotton GDS

What Cotton GDS does

Cotton GDS (Cotton Global Disaster Solutions), founded in 1996 and operating as a subsidiary of Cotton Holdings, Inc., is a commercial disaster restoration, construction, and emergency response firm headquartered in Houston/Katy, Texas. The company maintains 24 field offices across the United States, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, employs between 101 and 250 staff, and serves Fortune Global 500 enterprises, government agencies, and commercial clients distributed across 12 or more industry verticals. Service delivery is typically governed by Master Service Agreements (MSAs) and supplemented by insurance carrier referrals, with project-based work spanning property damage restoration, reconstruction, and emergency mitigation.

The company's core proprietary technology is the Business Intelligence Center (BIC), a platform that integrates weather monitoring, customer property portfolio tracking, and geo-plotting to enable proactive incident dispatch. Layered on top of the BIC is FirstAlert!, a pre-incident monitoring product that provides clients with advance notice of weather threats affecting their property portfolios. Cotton GDS has also introduced specialized service lines including Cotton Healthcare (a dedicated healthcare-facility vertical) and COVID-19 Response Services (decontamination and facility readiness). The business model rests on emergency response and project-based contracts often billed through insurance carriers, supplemented by government procurement channels accessed through GSA/TCPN partnerships. Recurring MSA retainers with large enterprise clients provide a baseline of revenue alongside catastrophe-driven episodic project volume.

Name

Cotton GDS

Legal name

Cotton Commercial USA, Inc.

Website

https://cottongds.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Cotton GDS is a commercial disaster restoration, construction, and emergency response firm founded in 1996, serving Fortune Global 500 enterprises, government agencies, and commercial clients across 12+ verticals. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, the company operates 24 field offices across the US, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Disaster Restoration Services

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial & Institutional MSW Collection (BPALAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Laboratory Pack & Small-Quantity Generator (SQG) Services (EUAIAFAH)

Keywords

• Commercial disaster restoration
• Emergency response services
• Commercial construction services
• Environmental remediation services
• Commercial roofing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices24 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Commercial Disaster Restoration Services: Project-based professional services revenue from commercial disaster restoration including water damage mitigation, fire damage restoration, environmental services, and structural repairs. Services are typically billed on a per-project basis with costs often covered or partially covered by commercial insurance claims.
2. Commercial Construction Services: Revenue from reconstruction, capital improvement projects, and general construction services following disaster events. Includes both emergency structural repairs and planned renovation projects. Billed on a project basis with scope-of-work pricing.
3. Turnkey Solutions: Integrated disaster recovery solutions combining logistics, culinary support, and temporary facilities. Includes services from sister companies Cotton Logistics and Cotton Culinary, providing workforce housing, mobile kitchens, and logistical support during extended recovery operations.
4. Master Service Agreements (MSA): Pre-committed service agreements with enterprise clients ensuring priority response and expedited recovery during disasters. Paperwork minimized through MSA agreements enabling immediate deployment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cotton GDS is a commercial disaster restoration and reconstruction company providing emergency and non-emergency services including water and fire damage restoration, environmental remediation, emergency disaster response, commercial construction, and roofing. The company serves enterprise clients across healthcare, hospitality, retail, industrial, government, and other sectors in the United States, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, delivering turnkey solutions from mitigation through reconstruction.

Product overview

Cotton Global Disaster Solutions (Cotton GDS) is a commercial disaster restoration, construction, and emergency response company offering a comprehensive suite of services. The portfolio includes core restoration services (water damage, fire damage), emergency disaster response (hurricanes, storms, earthquakes), environmental remediation (mold, asbestos, biohazard), commercial construction and roofing, and specialty services. The company also operates the Business Intelligence Center as a proprietary technology platform for situational awareness and disaster monitoring. Turnkey Solutions integrate logistics, culinary, and international deployment. Cotton GDS serves diverse industries including healthcare, hospitality, retail, industrial, government, and financial services across the United States, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FirstAlert!: A 24/7 site monitoring and priority response program during disasters.
• Cotton University
• Cotton Relief
• Business Intelligence Center

Products and services

• Water Damage Restoration
• Fire & Smoke Damage Restoration
• Emergency Disaster Response
• Commercial Environmental Response Services
• Commercial Construction Services
• Commercial Specialty Services
• Turnkey Solutions
• Commercial Roofing
• COVID-19 Response Services
• Healthcare Services
• FirstAlert!

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% business continuity maintained during restoration of 500,000 sq ft distribution center
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments12 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• The Cooperative Purchasing Network (TCPN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCotton GDS is an awarded contract holder with TCPN, providing procurement solutions through federal supply schedules with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). This enables government entities and public organizations to procure Cotton's disaster recovery and construction services through established contracting vehicles.
• U.S. General Services Administration (GSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCotton GDS offers procurement solutions through federal supply schedules with GSA, enabling federal agencies and government entities to access Cotton's disaster recovery services through established government procurement channels.
• Cotton LogisticscoreOthersCotton Logistics, part of Cotton Holdings, provides deployable support facilities including workforce housing, mobile crew camps, restroom trailers, mobile laundry and kitchen units. Integrated turnkey solution partner for Cotton GDS disaster recovery operations.
• Cotton CulinarycoreOthersCotton Culinary provides emergency food services, catering, mobile kitchen units, and food transport vehicles. Integrated culinary partner supporting Cotton GDS disaster recovery and logistical support services.
• Cotton InternationalcoreOthersCotton International provides international disaster recovery and logistical support services for clients with overseas interests, extending Cotton GDS capabilities globally through strategic partner network.
• Insurance PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCotton GDS maintains strategic relationships with insurance companies to provide direct referral pathways for commercial property owners needing restoration services. Works with insurance adjusters and third parties throughout the claims process.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Interstate Restoration: Commercial-only restoration and reconstruction firm serving enterprise clients. Direct competitor with similar commercial-focused positioning, emergency response model, and large-loss restoration capabilities.
• DKI (Disaster Kleenup International): Network of independent restoration contractors offering commercial restoration services. Direct competitor in commercial mitigation, reconstruction, and disaster response serving enterprise and insurance-channel clients.
• FirstOnsite Property Restoration: National commercial restoration firm offering emergency response, mitigation, and reconstruction. Direct competitor with comparable enterprise-focused commercial restoration services across multiple geographies.
• Paul Davis Restoration: National restoration and reconstruction franchise serving commercial and residential customers. Closest direct competitor to Cotton GDS on full-service mitigation, reconstruction, and emergency response for commercial property.
• CRDN (Catastrophe Restoration & Damage Network): Commercial-focused restoration contractor network serving property managers, government, and institutional clients. Similar commercial scope and multi-vertical expertise as Cotton GDS.

Broad incumbents

• Servpro Industries: Large franchise-based restoration network serving both commercial and residential clients. Comparable restoration services (water, fire, mold); competes with Cotton GDS especially in the commercial property and insurance channel.
• BELFOR Property Restoration: Global leader in commercial and residential disaster restoration. Directly comparable to Cotton GDS on water/fire/storm restoration services; differs in multinational scale, larger franchise network, and broader geographic density.
• ServiceMaster Restore: Commercial restoration brand of ServiceMaster. Comparable fire/water restoration services for commercial and institutional clients, with similar FirstCall 24/7 response model competing against Cotton GDS's FirstAlert!

Emerging players

• Restoration 1: National restoration franchise network with growing commercial footprint. Comparable water/fire/mold restoration services, with less commercial-only specialization than Cotton GDS.
• PuroClean: Restoration franchise serving both commercial and residential clients. Competitor in water/fire/mold/environmental remediation, though smaller commercial scale and less hurricane-response specialization than Cotton GDS.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cotton_gds
• Facebookfacebook.com/CottonGDS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cotton-gds

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cotton GDS