Boulder Designs
Boulder Designs is a Waco, Texas-based franchise company (130 units across the U.S. and Canada) that designs, produces, and installs custom solid concrete boulders for residential, commercial, municipal, and memorial signage applications, operating through a franchise model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1992
- HeadquartersWaco, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Boulder Designs does
Boulder Designs is a Waco, Texas-based franchise company (legal entity Boulder Designs Franchising, LLC) that designs, produces, and installs custom decorative boulders, engraved rocks, commercial signage, gateway signs, memorials, and outdoor decor products. The company's core technology is a proprietary 100% solid concrete construction process using specialized additives and equipment, producing custom-shaped boulders of any size intended to mimic natural stone and last a lifetime, distinguishing it from competitors using eggshell methods with chicken wire and Styrofoam. Franchisees receive a proprietary production trailer, 'Boulderology Bootcamp' training at headquarters, and ongoing marketing and operational support.
Boulder Designs earns revenue through two primary streams at the franchisor level: a one-time initial franchise fee of $109,000 per new unit and recurring monthly royalties of $495 in year 1 and $595 in years 2-10 of a 10-year term, plus the franchisees' downstream product and installation revenue from end customers. End-customer segments are diversified across residential homeowners, commercial businesses, municipalities and HOAs, golf courses, high schools, farms and ranches, religious organizations, REITs, and the memorials/headstones vertical. The franchise network comprised 119-130 units across the United States and Canada as of 2017-2018, with the company recognized in Entrepreneur magazine's Franchise 500 for multiple consecutive years (2007-2018) and ranked #4 in the Military Times Best for Vets list in 2017. Boulder Designs operates as a sister brand to Border Magic, a landscape curbing company founded in 1992, both acquired by current CEO Butch Mogavero in 2015 and run from shared headquarters in Waco, Texas.
Boulder Designs firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Boulder Designs
- Legal name
- Boulder Designs Franchising, LLC
- Website
- https://boulderdesigns.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1992
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Boulder Designs is a Waco, Texas-based franchise company (130 units across the U.S. and Canada) that designs, produces, and installs custom solid concrete boulders for residential, commercial, municipal, and memorial signage applications, operating through a franchise model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Boulder Designs industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Custom Decorative Boulders
- NAICS
- Other Concrete Product Manufacturing (32739)
- SIC
- Concrete Products, Except Block & Brick (3272)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Manufactured/Engineered Stone & Agglomerates (Quartz, Terrazzo, Sintered Stone) (IMAKAHAG)
Keywords
Where Boulder Designs is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Waco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Boulder Designs business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Franchise Initial Investment: Franchisees pay an initial investment fee to join the Boulder Designs franchise system. This includes training, equipment package, and ongoing support access. Investment packages start at $109,000.
- Monthly Royalty Fees: Franchisees pay monthly royalty fees: $495/month for the first year, then $595/month for the remaining 9 years of the 10-year term. This is a flat fee structure rather than percentage of gross sales.
- Boulder and Engraved Rock Product Sales: Franchisees generate revenue by designing, producing, and installing custom decorative boulders, address rocks, commercial signage, memorials, fire pits, mailboxes, and other outdoor decor products for end customers. Revenue comes from both commercial clients (businesses, municipalities) and residential homeowners.
- Commercial Installation Services: Franchisees provide installation services for boulder products, adding service revenue to product sales.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Franchise Initial Investment |
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly Franchise Royalty - Year 1 |
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly Franchise Royalty - Years 2-10 |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Veteran Franchise Discount |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Multi-Franchise Owner Discount |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Franchise Equipment and Inventory |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Boulder Designs product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Boulder Designs creates custom 100% solid specially enhanced concrete boulders used for residential address identification, commercial signage, memorials, and outdoor decor such as fire pits and mailboxes. The company operates through a franchise model of approximately 130 units across the United States and Canada, providing franchisees with proprietary equipment, the Boulderology Bootcamp training program at the Waco, Texas headquarters, and ongoing marketing, graphic design, and operational support.
Product overview
Boulder Designs is a custom boulder and stone engraving company that creates decorative boulders from specially enhanced concrete (100% solid construction). The company operates primarily through a franchise model with over 100 locations across the United States. Their product portfolio centers on custom-engraved boulders for commercial signage, address identification, and memorials, complemented by outdoor decor products including fire pits, water features, planters, mailboxes, benches, and flagpole bases. The core products are Address Rocks, Commercial Signage, Gateway Signs, Headstones, and Memorials, which are complemented by outdoor living accessories such as Fire Pits, Water Features, Planters, Benches, and Mailbox Pillars. All products are custom-crafted to customer specifications using proprietary equipment and concrete formulation, designed to last a lifetime without maintenance.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Address Rocks Custom engraved concrete house number boulders that provide timeless, durable property identification for residential homes. Sold and installed by Boulder Designs franchisees directly to homeowners, with custom fonts, colors, and sizes available.
- Commercial Signage Custom engraved concrete boulder signage for businesses, including logo boulders, business monuments, and branded signage pieces. Sold to commercial property owners, businesses, schools, farms, and ranches through Boulder Designs franchisees.
- Gateway Signs Large custom concrete boulder gateway and entrance signs used by municipalities, subdivisions, developments, and organizations to mark entrances and identify districts. Engineered to permit more easily than traditional pole signs.
- Headstones Custom concrete boulder headstones and grave markers for cemeteries and memorial parks. Provides a long-lasting, weather-resistant alternative to traditional stone headstones, sold by Boulder Designs franchisees.
- Memorials Custom engraved concrete memorial boulders for individuals, families, and organizations commemorating loved ones, events, or dedications. Produced and installed by Boulder Designs franchisees.
- Outdoor Decor Collection Custom concrete outdoor decor product line including fire pits, mailbox pillars and bases, water features, planters, benches, drink dispensers, and flagpole bases. Sold by Boulder Designs franchisees to residential and commercial customers.
- Boulder Designs Franchise Opportunity Licensed franchise offering including proprietary equipment package (production trailer, molds, mixer, and tools), Boulderology Bootcamp training at Waco headquarters, protected territory, ongoing marketing, graphic design, and operational support. Initial franchise investment under $109,000 with veteran and multi-unit discounts available.
- Commercial Installation Services On-site professional installation services for completed custom concrete boulder products at residential, commercial, and government customer locations, delivered by local Boulder Designs franchisees.
Quantifiable outcome
- Franchisees report average profit margins of around 30%, well above industry average
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Boulder Designs
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Boulder Designs technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Boulder Designs partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Border MagiccoreBorder Magic is the sister company of Boulder Designs, a landscape curbing company founded in 1992. Both companies were acquired by Butch Mogavero in 2015 and are now operated together under the same corporate leadership. Boulder Designs was originally created as a complementary business to Border Magic to fill the gap caused by cold weather when landscape work halted for Border Magic franchisees. The companies share headquarters in Waco, Texas and offer combined franchise opportunities. Franchisees can own franchises with both companies.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Boulder Designs competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Rock-It Cargo: International freight forwarder specializing in oversized and unconventional cargo. Listed for thematic adjacency to Boulder Designs' boulder transport logistics rather than direct competition; representative of ancillary services supporting the decorative boulder delivery model.
Direct peers
- Concrete Craft: Franchise network offering decorative concrete overlays, stamping, and custom concrete work for residential and commercial interiors/exteriors. Direct comparable as a decorative concrete franchise targeting homeowners and commercial clients with similar customization and home-based operation model.
- Border Magic: Sister company under shared ownership of Butch Mogavero, offering landscape curbing via the same franchise model. Operates from the same Waco HQ with overlapping franchisee base and complementary product line, making it the closest direct comparable.
Broad incumbents
- Sign-A-Rama: Established sign franchise offering custom business signs, vehicle graphics, and banners. Competes for the same commercial signage budget Boulder Designs targets, but with traditional sign media rather than landscape-integrated boulders.
- SpeedPro Imaging: Large-format printing franchise producing banners, vehicle wraps, and event signage for businesses. Indirect competitor for commercial signage spend, focused on printed media versus Boulder Designs' permanent concrete installations.
- Coronado Stone Products: Manufacturer of manufactured stone veneer and architectural stone products for residential and commercial building exteriors. Competes for exterior decorative-stone budget but emphasizes cladding/veneer rather than freestanding boulders and signage.
- FASTSIGNS: Large national sign franchise with hundreds of locations producing commercial signage and graphics. Overlaps with Boulder Designs' commercial signage segment, though FASTSIGNS focuses on vinyl/digital signs versus decorative boulders; broader scale and incumbency make it the dominant alternative.
- Matthews International: Large publicly traded provider of memorialization products including bronze and granite memorials, mausoleums, and cremation equipment. Competes directly with Boulder Designs' headstone and memorial product lines at the higher end of the market.
- Batesville Casket: Established manufacturer of burial caskets and memorial products serving funeral homes. Adjacent competitor to Boulder Designs in the memorial category, with significantly larger scale and broader product portfolio.
Emerging players
- Real Stone Systems: Manufactured stone veneer and landscape boulder provider for residential and commercial exteriors. Overlaps with Boulder Designs on the landscape boulder and architectural stone category, though focuses more on natural-stone-look veneer than solid concrete.
Market position
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Boulder Designs social profiles
Digital presenceBoulder Designs financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Boulder Designs leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Boulder Designs funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Boulder Designs M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Boulder Designs
What does Boulder Designs do?
Boulder Designs creates custom 100% solid specially enhanced concrete boulders used for residential address identification, commercial signage, memorials, and outdoor decor such as fire pits and mailboxes. The company operates through a franchise model of approximately 130 units across the United States and Canada, providing franchisees with proprietary equipment, the Boulderology Bootcamp training program at the Waco, Texas headquarters, and ongoing marketing, graphic design, and operational support.
Is Boulder Designs a public or private company?
Boulder Designs is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Boulder Designs founded?
Boulder Designs was founded in 1992. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Boulder Designs based?
Boulder Designs is headquartered in Waco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Boulder Designs make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Franchise Initial Investment is the primary driver. The others are monthly Royalty Fees, boulder and Engraved Rock Product Sales and commercial Installation Services.
Who are Boulder Designs's main competitors?
Rock-It Cargo is listed as an others. Direct peers are Concrete Craft and Border Magic. Broad incumbents are Sign-A-Rama, SpeedPro Imaging, Coronado Stone Products, FASTSIGNS, Matthews International and Batesville Casket. Real Stone Systems is listed as an emerging player.
Does Boulder Designs have an API?
No public API is recorded for Boulder Designs.
What industry is Boulder Designs in?
Boulder Designs's product category is Custom Decorative Boulders. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAKAHAG, Manufactured/Engineered Stone & Agglomerates (Quartz, Terrazzo, Sintered Stone). Its NAICS code is 32739 and its SIC code is 3272.