Color Glo

What Color Glo does

Color Glo International (legally CGI Franchising Corp., DBA also CGI International, Inc.) is a private, Eden Prairie, Minnesota-headquartered franchise system that specializes in the on-site restoration and color repair of leather, vinyl, velour, cloth, hard plastics, carpet, and woodgrain surfaces. Founded in 1975 and franchising since 1982, the company has scaled to more than 1,500 service centers across 50+ countries by combining a mobile, on-site delivery model with a proprietary chemistry stack of over 100 water-based, ASTM-compliant formulations developed and manufactured in-house. The company holds the only ISO 9001 quality management certification in the leather/vinyl restoration industry and is the only FAA-certified repair station in the category, enabling both aviation vertical access and documented regulatory compliance for franchisees.

The business model is exclusively franchise-based. Franchisees pay a $40,000 upfront fee (total startup investment of $54,500–$68,375), 4% ongoing royalties (or a $300/month minimum), and a $2,500 annual license and product obligation, and they purchase proprietary products exclusively from the franchisor. Service revenue is distributed across six verticals — automotive (the largest), aviation, marine, residential, commercial (offices, hotels, restaurants), and recreational vehicles — with named enterprise reference customers including Walt Disney World, Hilton Hotels, Ford Motor Company, and American Airlines. Lead generation blends corporate national SEO and warranty network routing with franchisee-level B2B prospecting at dealerships, marinas, and commercial accounts.

In 2024, a new executive team was installed: James C. Miller as CEO, Mike Altamimi as President, and Anthony Verch as CFO, with the prior Smith-family leadership (Gary E. Smith, Scott L. Smith) transitioning to the board. Ownership remains concentrated within the founding family and the new leadership team; the company is not publicly traded and has no disclosed external investors. A sub-brand, Craftsman's Choice, extends the product portfolio into consumer cleaning SKUs.

Name

Color Glo

Legal name

CGI Franchising Corp.

Website

https://colorglo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Color Glo International is a private, Eden Prairie-based franchise system that delivers on-site color restoration and repair of leather, vinyl, fabric, plastic, and carpet for automotive, aviation, marine, residential, commercial, and RV customers via 1,500+ service centers in 50+ countries, monetizing through franchise fees, royalties, and proprietary product sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Restoration Services

NAICS

Other Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing (31699)

SIC

Leather & Leather Products (3100)

akta.pro primary industry

Fur Cleaning, Glazing & Conditioning (HSAJAHAC)

Keywords

• Leather restoration services
• Vinyl repair franchise
• Automotive interior restoration
• Aircraft interior repair
• Surface color restoration

Headquarters

HQ city

Wausau

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Franchise Licensing Fees (Upfront): Franchisees pay an upfront franchise fee to join the Color Glo network. The initial franchise fee is $40,000, with total startup investment ranging from approximately $54,500 to $68,375 inclusive of equipment, initial inventory, training travel, and business setup.
2. Franchise Royalties (Ongoing): Franchisees pay ongoing royalties of 4% of receipts (or a monthly minimum of $300). Additionally, franchisees have an annual license and product obligation of $2,500. Franchisees retain 75%–90% of their receipts after royalties, providing strong profit potential with low overhead.
3. Proprietary Product Sales to Franchisees: Color Glo formulates, manufactures, and packages its own proprietary restoration products at its Eden Prairie, Minnesota facility. Franchisees are required to purchase their product and equipment start-up package (approximately $21,500) and ongoing product supplies exclusively through Color Glo, generating product revenue to the franchisor.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Color Glo International is a mobile restoration services franchise that repairs and restores leather, vinyl, velour, cloth, hard plastics, carpet, and woodgrain surfaces across automotive, aircraft, marine, residential, and commercial markets. The franchisor also develops and manufactures a proprietary line of 100+ water-based restoration products at its Eden Prairie, Minnesota facility, which franchisees are required to purchase exclusively through the franchisor.

Product overview

Color Glo International operates as a restoration services franchise offering a portfolio of specialized surface repair and color restoration services. The core offerings include leather repair and restoration, vinyl surface restoration, fabric repair, carpet repair, hard plastic repair, woodgrain repair, and deodorizing services. These services are delivered across multiple market segments: automotive (vehicle interiors), aircraft (FAA-approved restoration), marine (boats and recreational vehicles), and residential/commercial furniture. The company complements its service business with a proprietary line of over 100 restoration and repair products (Color Glo Product Line) manufactured in-house, and an affiliated consumer cleaning products brand called Craftsman's Choice. The franchise business model provides turnkey mobile business opportunities with exclusive territories, training, and ongoing support. The services are delivered on-site (mobile) to customer locations, making this a services-plus-products company rather than a software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Craftsman's Choice: Environmentally friendly cleaning solution products sold by Color Glo, described as responsibly sourced, ethically created, and never tested on animals.

Products and services

• Leather Repair and Restoration On-site repair and color restoration of leather surfaces addressing color loss, fading, scratches, scuffs, cuts, rips, tears, burns, and pet damage. Covers leather furniture, automotive seats, aircraft seats, marine seating, and accessories including boots, shoes, handbags, briefcases, luggage, and suede/nubuck materials.
• Vinyl Surface Restoration and Repair Mobile repair and color restoration of vinyl surfaces including fading, cracks, scuffs, rips, tears, burns, and stains. Services cover automotive vinyl, marine vinyl, furniture vinyl, and convertible top repair and cleaning.
• Fabric Repair and Restoration Fabric repair services including rips, tears, burns, velour and cloth seat restoration, carpet repair, stain removal, and headliner restoration across automotive, residential, marine, and aviation applications.
• Carpet Repair, Cleaning and Restoration Carpet repair services including hole, rip, and burn repair, re-dyeing, deep cleaning, stain removal, and protective heel pad installation across automotive, residential, and commercial spaces.
• Hard Plastic Repair and Restoration Repair and restoration of hard plastics using proprietary water-based products, addressing faded or discolored surfaces, cracks, chips, scuffs, and vandalism damage in automotive, marine, aircraft, and residential settings.
• Woodgrain Repair and Restoration Repair of woodgrain surfaces in vehicles, boats, and residential/commercial settings, addressing scratches, scuffs, cracks, chips, and fading on dashboards, consoles, door panels, steering wheels, and furniture.
• Deodorizing Services Odor neutralization and elimination using environmentally friendly, biodegradable, low-scent products targeting smoke, pet odors, musty smells, food and beverage odors, mildew, and spills in vehicles, homes, boats, and commercial spaces.
• Automotive Interior Restoration Comprehensive automotive interior restoration for dealerships, fleet operators, and individual car owners, covering leather seat repair, vinyl repair, dashboard and panel restoration, carpet cleaning, convertible top services, and headlight restoration.
• Aircraft Interior Restoration FAA and EASA-approved aircraft interior restoration for leather, vinyl, plastic, and fabric surfaces, including armrest and bolster repair, seat restoration, sidewall and window reveal work, tray table and drink rail restoration, headliner service, and cockpit panel restoration.
• Marine and Recreational Vehicle Restoration Restoration services for boats, jet skis, ATVs, RVs, and campers, including vinyl seat repair, carpet restoration, hard plastic repair, and interior refurbishment for marine craft and recreational vehicles.
• Furniture Repair and Restoration Residential and commercial furniture restoration for leather, vinyl, and fabric, including sofa reconditioning, color restoration, office furniture refurbishment, and commercial seating repair.
• Color Glo Proprietary Product Line Over 100 proprietary water-based, eco-friendly restoration and repair products formulated in-house for leather, vinyl, fabric, plastic, carpet, and woodgrain applications. Manufactured exclusively for Color Glo franchisees at the Eden Prairie, Minnesota facility and compliant with ASTM standards.
• Craftsman's Choice Cleaning Products Sub-brand retail cleaning products line manufactured responsibly with ethical sourcing and no animal testing, sold direct to consumers as a complement to Color Glo restoration services.
• Color Glo Mobile Franchise Business Turnkey mobile franchise opportunity offering exclusive territories, two-week technique and marketing training, in-territory training, a full product and equipment startup package, customized website, sales and marketing materials, certification, and ongoing technical support. Initial franchise fee is $40,000 with total startup investment of $54,500 to $68,375.

Quantifiable outcome

• Restoration costs 50–70% less than full replacement of leather, vinyl, and plastic items
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Franchise Brokers and AdvisorscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorColor Glo works with franchise brokers and financial consultants who recommend Color Glo to prospective franchisees. Franchise brokers serve as referral partners who route qualified franchise candidates to Color Glo in exchange for placement fees. This channel is cited as a key lead source for franchise development, with brokers actively counseling prospective franchisees to consider Color Glo based on personal relationships with company leadership.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ServiceMaster Restore: ServiceMaster Restore is a major disaster-recovery and property-restoration franchise brand under ServiceMaster Brands. Comparable as a multi-segment franchise restoration network serving insurance and commercial channels, though its core focus is water/fire/mold restoration rather than the leather, vinyl, and plastic color-restoration niche Color Glo occupies.
• Chem-Dry: Chem-Dry is one of the largest carpet and upholstery cleaning franchise systems globally, operating in similar residential and commercial customer segments to Color Glo. Overlapping on carpet and fabric surface treatment, but without Color Glo's leather/vinyl restoration specialization, proprietary chemistry line, or aviation certifications.
• Coit Cleaning & Restoration Services: Coit is a long-established carpet, drapery, and upholstery cleaning franchise serving residential and commercial customers. Overlaps with Color Glo's on-site cleaning and restoration services on residential furniture and commercial interiors, but lacks Color Glo's aviation certifications and proprietary color-matching chemistry.
• Stanley Steemer: Stanley Steemer is a large, established U.S. carpet and upholstery cleaning franchise with extensive brand recognition and territory coverage. Overlaps with Color Glo on carpet and fabric restoration/cleaning for residential and commercial customers, though it does not specialize in leather repair or aviation.
• PuroClean: PuroClean is a property damage restoration franchise (water, fire, mold, biohazard) operating across the U.S. and Canada. Comparable as a national restoration-services franchise with B2B insurance and commercial relationships, but not a direct competitor in leather/vinyl color restoration or aviation interiors.

Emerging players

• Leather Honey: Leather Honey is a consumer/DIY leather care product brand selling cleaning and conditioning products online and through retail. Adjacent to Color Glo's consumer-grade cleaning line (Craftsman's Choice), targeting the same DIY customer who might otherwise call a Color Glo franchisee — a partial substitute rather than a direct franchise competitor.

Direct peers

• Furniture Medic: Furniture Medic is a franchise specializing in on-site furniture repair, leather/vinyl restoration, and refinishing for residential and commercial customers. Comparable business model (mobile franchise, B2B warranty-network relationships), and overlapping on Color Glo's residential and commercial furniture segment.
• Fibrenew: Fibrenew is the most directly comparable peer: a franchise network specializing in leather, vinyl, plastic, and fabric restoration across automotive, aviation, marine, residential, and commercial markets. Operates a similar mobile franchise model with proprietary products and warranty-network relationships — essentially Color Glo's closest head-to-head competitor in restoration franchising.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/colorglointernational
• Xx.com/ColorGlo

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Color Glo