70.0 average across 2 concepts
Local operating-model alignment analysis
Best Franchise Opportunities We Assessed in Fort Wayne, Indiana
We compared 14 franchise concepts for Fort Wayne, Indiana. Household service demand was a leading positive mechanism.
What “best” means in this ranking“Best” means the strongest modeled local operating alignment among the franchise concepts assessed on this page. It does not estimate earnings or determine which franchise is best for a particular candidate.
14Concepts evaluated
18Sources used
10Primary sources
26Local metrics
Evaluation set
Why these concepts were evaluated
This is not a ranking of every franchise that may be offered in the city.
14Concepts assessed
Concepts were included when enough operating-model information existed to assign a provisional local-sensitivity profile. Unresolved inputs reduce confidence or remain conditional rather than automatically excluding a concept.
A brand’s participation in our referral network does not add points or change its position.
City-level conclusions
What stood out in our assessment
0.4 points average among 13 affected concepts
Tested rank range spans 10 positions
Executive conclusion
What the ranking means for Fort Wayne, Indiana
HomeSmiles, City Wide, and Pillar To Post Home Inspectors produced the highest modeled local-alignment scores in the evaluated set. Household service demand was the strongest positive scored mechanism among 8 exposed concepts, adding 0.4 points on average. City Wide was especially relationship-sensitive: removing healthcare institutional service demand moved it from #2 to #12 in the full model rerun. These scores describe local operating alignment, not expected returns or overall franchise quality; the offered territory and franchise economics still require separate diligence.
How this differs from a directory: the model does not award points for brand popularity, advertising placement, or referral compensation. It tests how documented local conditions interact with each concept’s operating requirements.
Best franchise opportunities assessed
Top 10 local-alignment scores from 14 concepts assessed
“Best” refers to modeled local operating alignment among the concepts assessed—not expected earnings, franchise-system quality, or candidate fit.
Rankings use full-precision scores.Displayed values use one decimal place. Identical displayed scores can therefore have different ranks, and close results should be treated as effectively similar.
| Rank | Franchise | Alignment and tier | Largest advantage | Largest constraint | Evidence confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HomeSmilesProperty maintenance servicesInvestment: $148,110–$201,800 | 70.7Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment | +0.7 ptsTarget-market demand | No material negative local adjustment | Moderate evidence confidence |
| 2 | City WideFacility managementInvestment: $229,729–$410,730 | 70.7Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment | +0.7 ptsTarget-market demand | No material negative local adjustment | Limited evidence confidence |
| 3 | Pillar To Post Home InspectorsHome inspectionInvestment: $102,690–$134,290 | 70.6Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment | +0.6 ptsTarget-market demand | No material negative local adjustment | Limited evidence confidence |
| 4 | Jan-Pro InternationalCommercial cleaningInvestment: $130,000–$421,500 | 70.5Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment | +0.5 ptsTarget-market demand | No material negative local adjustment | Limited evidence confidence |
| 5 | Aire ServHVAC installation, repair, and maintenanceInvestment: $113,308–$271,708 | 70.4Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment | +0.4 ptsTarget-market demand | No material negative local adjustment | Moderate evidence confidence |
| 6 | Mr. RooterPlumbingInvestment: $152,900–$298,675 | 70.4Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment | +0.4 ptsTarget-market demand | No material negative local adjustment | Limited evidence confidence |
| 7 | Mister Sparky ElectricElectrical | 70.4Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment | +0.4 ptsTarget-market demand | No material negative local adjustment | Limited evidence confidence |
| 8 | ZOOM DRAINDrain and sewer serviceInvestment: $266,250–$570,500 | 70.4Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment | +0.4 ptsTarget-market demand | No material negative local adjustment | Limited evidence confidence |
| 9 | Workout AnytimeFitnessInvestment: $1,060,850–$1,840,550 | 70.3Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment | +0.3 ptsTarget-market demand | No material negative local adjustment | Limited evidence confidence |
| 10 | FASTSIGNSSigns and graphicsInvestment: $231,226–$386,285 | 70.3Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment | +0.3 ptsTarget-market demand | No material negative local adjustment | Limited evidence confidence |
Conditions that changed the analysis
What mattered most in Fort Wayne, Indiana
Recent population growth and above-national household-formation signals support incremental household-service demand
This relationship affected 8 concepts and added 0.4 points on average among those exposed. Local evidence: Households, 2020-2024 estimate: 110,929 households. [4]
Northeast Indiana industrial vacancy was 4.75 percent in the January 2025-January 2026 review period
Aggregate regional industrial vacancy should not be converted directly into a small-bay service-base conclusion. The same report states that several active users still struggle to find quality space, outdoor storage became a high-priority functional requirement, and most vacant spec buildings expected at the start of 2026 were 40,000 square feet or less. Exact service-ready availability therefore remains a size-, zoning-, parking-, loading-, and outdoor-storage question rather than a citywide vacancy-rate inference. [7] [1]
recurring-commercial-service
This operating-model cluster separated from the broader set because its exposure to local support and constraints differed. The strongest positive factor was target-market demand, while the main constraint was property replacement-cycle demand. [4] [9] [8]
Evidence behind the city mechanisms
Recent population growth and above-national household-formation signals support incremental household-service demand1 modeled effect
Household service demandTarget-market demand
A large Fort Wayne-headquartered health system and substantial healthcare activity support institutional service demand1 modeled effect
Healthcare institutional service demandTarget-market demand
Downtown DC and DE design standards can require prototype adaptation for covered new construction and additions1 modeled effect
Signage and prototype adaptation burdenRegulatory and operating friction
Compare all assessed concepts
Local impact by franchise concept
14 concepts shown. Expand a concept to see the score-changing factors and their modeled drivers; the full audit ledger stays collapsed.
#1Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment70.7
HomeSmiles
Initial investment: $148,110–$201,800
Increase +0.7 pts Target-market demandNo material negative local adjustment identified
Rank sensitivity: Stable
Why it ranks here
Score-changing local factors only. Evidence links open the underlying city finding.
| Local factor | Modeled drivers | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Target-market demand | +0.7 pts | |
| Net local movement | +0.74 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Item 3 — Litigation
1 image
Item 6 — Other Fees
1 image
Item 7 — Estimated Initial Investment
2 images
Item 12 — Territory
1 image
Item 20 — Outlets and Franchise Information
1 image
Full calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not confused with missing, conditional, or non-applicable evidence.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | +0.7 |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | Not included in the score |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | Not included in the score |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not included in the score |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | Not included in the score |
| Territory quality | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 70.74 |
| Published local-market alignment | 70.7 |
Factor calculations use full precision. Contributions and published scores are displayed to one decimal place; ranking order uses the full-precision score.
Evidence confidence
- City Modifier Evidence
- Adequate
- Factor Research Coverage
- Limited
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Adequate
- Source-evidence confidence
- Adequate
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Moderate evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Target-market demand +0.7 pts
- Tested rank range
- #1–#2
#2Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment70.7
City Wide
Initial investment: $229,729–$410,730
Increase +0.7 pts Target-market demandNo material negative local adjustment identified
Rank sensitivity: Highly sensitive
Why it ranks here
Score-changing local factors only. Evidence links open the underlying city finding.
| Local factor | Modeled drivers | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Target-market demand |
| +0.7 pts |
| Net local movement | +0.71 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Item 3 — Litigation
1 image
Item 6 — Other Fees
1 image
Item 7 — Estimated Initial Investment
2 images
Item 12 — Territory
1 image
Item 20 — Outlets and Franchise Information
1 image
Full calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not confused with missing, conditional, or non-applicable evidence.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | +0.7 |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | Not included in the score |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | Not included in the score |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not included in the score |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | Not included in the score |
| Territory quality | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 70.71 |
| Published local-market alignment | 70.7 |
Factor calculations use full precision. Contributions and published scores are displayed to one decimal place; ranking order uses the full-precision score.
Evidence confidence
- City Modifier Evidence
- Adequate
- Factor Research Coverage
- Limited
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Limited
- Source-evidence confidence
- Adequate
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Limited evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Target-market demand +0.7 pts
- Tested rank range
- #2–#12
#3Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment70.6
Pillar To Post Home Inspectors
Initial investment: $102,690–$134,290
Increase +0.6 pts Target-market demandNo material negative local adjustment identified
Rank sensitivity: Highly sensitive
Why it ranks here
Score-changing local factors only. Evidence links open the underlying city finding.
| Local factor | Modeled drivers | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Target-market demand |
| +0.6 pts |
| Net local movement | +0.58 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Item 3 — Litigation
1 image
Item 6 — Other Fees
1 image
Item 7 — Estimated Initial Investment
2 images
Item 12 — Territory
1 image
Item 19 — Financial Performance Representation
1 image
Public company data assessed
2 sourcesFull calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not confused with missing, conditional, or non-applicable evidence.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | +0.6 |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | Not included in the score |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | Not included in the score |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not included in the score |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | Not included in the score |
| Territory quality | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 70.58 |
| Published local-market alignment | 70.6 |
Factor calculations use full precision. Contributions and published scores are displayed to one decimal place; ranking order uses the full-precision score.
Evidence confidence
- City Modifier Evidence
- Adequate
- Factor Research Coverage
- Limited
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Limited
- Source-evidence confidence
- Adequate
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Limited evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Target-market demand +0.6 pts
- Tested rank range
- #3–#9
#4Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment70.5
Jan-Pro International
Initial investment: $130,000–$421,500
Increase +0.5 pts Target-market demandNo material negative local adjustment identified
Rank sensitivity: Highly sensitive
Why it ranks here
Score-changing local factors only. Evidence links open the underlying city finding.
| Local factor | Modeled drivers | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Target-market demand |
| +0.5 pts |
| Net local movement | +0.52 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Item 3 — Litigation
1 image
Item 6 — Other Fees
1 image
Item 7 — Estimated Initial Investment
1 image
Item 12 — Territory
1 image
Item 20 — Outlets and Franchise Information
1 image
Full calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not confused with missing, conditional, or non-applicable evidence.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | +0.5 |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | Not included in the score |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | Not included in the score |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not included in the score |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | Not included in the score |
| Territory quality | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 70.52 |
| Published local-market alignment | 70.5 |
Factor calculations use full precision. Contributions and published scores are displayed to one decimal place; ranking order uses the full-precision score.
Evidence confidence
- City Modifier Evidence
- Adequate
- Factor Research Coverage
- Limited
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Limited
- Source-evidence confidence
- Adequate
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Limited evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Target-market demand +0.5 pts
- Tested rank range
- #4–#14
#5Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment70.4
Aire Serv
Initial investment: $113,308–$271,708
Increase +0.4 pts Target-market demandNo material negative local adjustment identified
Rank sensitivity: Highly sensitive
Why it ranks here
Score-changing local factors only. Evidence links open the underlying city finding.
| Local factor | Modeled drivers | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Target-market demand |
| +0.4 pts |
| Net local movement | +0.45 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Item 3 — Litigation
1 image
Item 6 — Other Fees
1 image
Item 7 — Estimated Initial Investment
1 image
Item 12 — Territory
1 image
Item 20 — Outlets and Franchise Information
1 image
Item 19 — Financial Performance Representation
1 image
Public company data assessed
1 sourceFull calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not confused with missing, conditional, or non-applicable evidence.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | +0.4 |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | Not included in the score |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | Not included in the score |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not included in the score |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | Not included in the score |
| Territory quality | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 70.45 |
| Published local-market alignment | 70.4 |
Factor calculations use full precision. Contributions and published scores are displayed to one decimal place; ranking order uses the full-precision score.
Evidence confidence
- City Modifier Evidence
- Adequate
- Factor Research Coverage
- Limited
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Adequate
- Source-evidence confidence
- Adequate
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Moderate evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Target-market demand +0.4 pts
- Tested rank range
- #1–#5
#6Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment70.4
Mr. Rooter
Initial investment: $152,900–$298,675
Increase +0.4 pts Target-market demandNo material negative local adjustment identified
Rank sensitivity: Stable
Why it ranks here
Score-changing local factors only. Evidence links open the underlying city finding.
| Local factor | Modeled drivers | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Target-market demand |
| +0.4 pts |
| Net local movement | +0.42 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Item 3 — Litigation
1 image
Item 6 — Other Fees
1 image
Item 7 — Estimated Initial Investment
2 images
Item 12 — Territory
1 image
Item 20 — Outlets and Franchise Information
1 image
Full calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not confused with missing, conditional, or non-applicable evidence.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | +0.4 |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | Not included in the score |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | Not included in the score |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not included in the score |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | Not included in the score |
| Territory quality | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 70.42 |
| Published local-market alignment | 70.4 |
Factor calculations use full precision. Contributions and published scores are displayed to one decimal place; ranking order uses the full-precision score.
Evidence confidence
- City Modifier Evidence
- Adequate
- Factor Research Coverage
- Limited
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Limited
- Source-evidence confidence
- Adequate
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Limited evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Target-market demand +0.4 pts
- Tested rank range
- #6–#7
#7Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment70.4
Mister Sparky Electric
Increase +0.4 pts Target-market demandNo material negative local adjustment identified
Rank sensitivity: Stable
Why it ranks here
Score-changing local factors only. Evidence links open the underlying city finding.
| Local factor | Modeled drivers | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Target-market demand |
| +0.4 pts |
| Net local movement | +0.39 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Full calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not confused with missing, conditional, or non-applicable evidence.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | +0.4 |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | Not included in the score |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | Not included in the score |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not included in the score |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | Not included in the score |
| Territory quality | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 70.39 |
| Published local-market alignment | 70.4 |
Factor calculations use full precision. Contributions and published scores are displayed to one decimal place; ranking order uses the full-precision score.
Evidence confidence
- City Modifier Evidence
- Adequate
- Factor Research Coverage
- Limited
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Limited
- Source-evidence confidence
- Adequate
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Limited evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Target-market demand +0.4 pts
- Tested rank range
- #7–#8
#8Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment70.4
ZOOM DRAIN
Initial investment: $266,250–$570,500
Increase +0.4 pts Target-market demandNo material negative local adjustment identified
Rank sensitivity: Highly sensitive
Why it ranks here
Score-changing local factors only. Evidence links open the underlying city finding.
| Local factor | Modeled drivers | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Target-market demand |
| +0.4 pts |
| Net local movement | +0.37 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Item 3 — Litigation
1 image
Item 6 — Other Fees
1 image
Item 7 — Estimated Initial Investment
2 images
Item 12 — Territory
1 image
Item 20 — Outlets and Franchise Information
1 image
Full calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not confused with missing, conditional, or non-applicable evidence.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | +0.4 |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | Not included in the score |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | Not included in the score |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not included in the score |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | Not included in the score |
| Territory quality | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 70.37 |
| Published local-market alignment | 70.4 |
Factor calculations use full precision. Contributions and published scores are displayed to one decimal place; ranking order uses the full-precision score.
Evidence confidence
- City Modifier Evidence
- Adequate
- Factor Research Coverage
- Limited
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Limited
- Source-evidence confidence
- Adequate
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Limited evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Target-market demand +0.4 pts
- Tested rank range
- #4–#8
#9Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment70.3
Workout Anytime
Initial investment: $1,060,850–$1,840,550
Increase +0.3 pts Target-market demandNo material negative local adjustment identified
Rank sensitivity: Moderately sensitive
Why it ranks here
Score-changing local factors only. Evidence links open the underlying city finding.
| Local factor | Modeled drivers | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Target-market demand |
| +0.3 pts |
| Net local movement | +0.31 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Item 3 — Litigation
1 image
Item 6 — Other Fees
1 image
Item 7 — Estimated Initial Investment
2 images
Item 12 — Territory
1 image
Item 20 — Outlets and Franchise Information
1 image
Full calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not confused with missing, conditional, or non-applicable evidence.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | +0.3 |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | Not included in the score |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | Not included in the score |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not included in the score |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | Not included in the score |
| Territory quality | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 70.31 |
| Published local-market alignment | 70.3 |
Factor calculations use full precision. Contributions and published scores are displayed to one decimal place; ranking order uses the full-precision score.
Evidence confidence
- City Modifier Evidence
- Adequate
- Factor Research Coverage
- Limited
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Limited
- Source-evidence confidence
- Adequate
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Limited evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Target-market demand +0.3 pts
- Tested rank range
- #9–#11
#10Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment70.3
FASTSIGNS
Initial investment: $231,226–$386,285
Increase +0.3 pts Target-market demandNo material negative local adjustment identified
Rank sensitivity: Highly sensitive
Why it ranks here
Score-changing local factors only. Evidence links open the underlying city finding.
| Local factor | Modeled drivers | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Target-market demand |
| +0.3 pts |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Signage and prototype adaptation burden EvidenceConditional — applicability must be confirmed | Not scored |
| Net local movement | +0.27 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Item 3 — Litigation
1 image
Item 6 — Other Fees
1 image
Item 7 — Estimated Initial Investment
2 images
Item 12 — Territory
1 image
Item 20 — Outlets and Franchise Information
1 image
Item 19 — Financial Performance Representation
2 images
Public company data assessed
3 sourcesFull calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not confused with missing, conditional, or non-applicable evidence.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | +0.3 |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | Not included in the score |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | Not included in the score |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not included in the score |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | Not included in the score |
| Territory quality | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 70.27 |
| Published local-market alignment | 70.3 |
Factor calculations use full precision. Contributions and published scores are displayed to one decimal place; ranking order uses the full-precision score.
Evidence confidence
- City Modifier Evidence
- Adequate
- Factor Research Coverage
- Limited
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Limited
- Source-evidence confidence
- Adequate
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Limited evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Target-market demand +0.3 pts
- Tested rank range
- #6–#10
#11Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment70.1
Tiger Adjusters
Initial investment: $43,050–$159,500
Increase +0.1 pts Target-market demandNo material negative local adjustment identified
Rank sensitivity: Highly sensitive
Why it ranks here
Score-changing local factors only. Evidence links open the underlying city finding.
| Local factor | Modeled drivers | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Target-market demand |
| +0.1 pts |
| Net local movement | +0.15 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Item 3 — Litigation
1 image
Item 6 — Other Fees
1 image
Item 7 — Estimated Initial Investment
2 images
Item 12 — Territory
1 image
Item 19 — Financial Performance Representation
1 image
Public company data assessed
1 sourceFull calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not confused with missing, conditional, or non-applicable evidence.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | +0.1 |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | Not included in the score |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | Not included in the score |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not included in the score |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | Not included in the score |
| Territory quality | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 70.15 |
| Published local-market alignment | 70.1 |
Factor calculations use full precision. Contributions and published scores are displayed to one decimal place; ranking order uses the full-precision score.
Evidence confidence
- City Modifier Evidence
- Adequate
- Factor Research Coverage
- Limited
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Adequate
- Source-evidence confidence
- Adequate
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Moderate evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Target-market demand +0.1 pts
- Tested rank range
- #3–#11
#12Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment70.1
Rainbow International Restoration
Initial investment: $185,336–$351,900
Increase +0.1 pts Target-market demandNo material negative local adjustment identified
Rank sensitivity: Stable
Why it ranks here
Score-changing local factors only. Evidence links open the underlying city finding.
| Local factor | Modeled drivers | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Target-market demand |
| +0.1 pts |
| Net local movement | +0.10 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Item 3 — Litigation
1 image
Item 6 — Other Fees
1 image
Item 7 — Estimated Initial Investment
2 images
Item 12 — Territory
1 image
Item 20 — Outlets and Franchise Information
1 image
Full calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not confused with missing, conditional, or non-applicable evidence.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | +0.1 |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | Not included in the score |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | Not included in the score |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not included in the score |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | Not included in the score |
| Territory quality | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 70.10 |
| Published local-market alignment | 70.1 |
Factor calculations use full precision. Contributions and published scores are displayed to one decimal place; ranking order uses the full-precision score.
Evidence confidence
- City Modifier Evidence
- Adequate
- Factor Research Coverage
- Limited
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Limited
- Source-evidence confidence
- Adequate
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Limited evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Target-market demand +0.1 pts
- Tested rank range
- #12–#13
#13Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment70.1
ActionCOACH
Initial investment: $71,668–$303,513
Increase +0.1 pts Target-market demandNo material negative local adjustment identified
Rank sensitivity: Highly sensitive
Why it ranks here
Score-changing local factors only. Evidence links open the underlying city finding.
| Local factor | Modeled drivers | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Target-market demand |
| +0.1 pts |
| Net local movement | +0.09 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Item 3 — Litigation
1 image
Item 6 — Other Fees
1 image
Item 7 — Estimated Initial Investment
2 images
Item 12 — Territory
1 image
Item 20 — Outlets and Franchise Information
1 image
Full calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not confused with missing, conditional, or non-applicable evidence.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | +0.1 |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | Not included in the score |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | Not included in the score |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not included in the score |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | Not included in the score |
| Territory quality | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 70.09 |
| Published local-market alignment | 70.1 |
Factor calculations use full precision. Contributions and published scores are displayed to one decimal place; ranking order uses the full-precision score.
Evidence confidence
- City Modifier Evidence
- Adequate
- Factor Research Coverage
- Limited
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Limited
- Source-evidence confidence
- Adequate
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Limited evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Target-market demand +0.1 pts
- Tested rank range
- #5–#13
#14Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment70.0
PuroClean
Initial investment: $54,575–$262,145
No material positive local adjustment identifiedNo material negative local adjustment identified
Rank sensitivity: Highly sensitive
Why it ranks here
Score-changing local factors only. Evidence links open the underlying city finding.
No material scored local adjustment was identified for this concept.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Item 3 — Litigation
1 image
Item 6 — Other Fees
1 image
Item 7 — Estimated Initial Investment
2 images
Item 12 — Territory
1 image
Item 20 — Outlets and Franchise Information
1 image
Full calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not confused with missing, conditional, or non-applicable evidence.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | Not included in the score |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | Not included in the score |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not included in the score |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | Not included in the score |
| Territory quality | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 70.00 |
| Published local-market alignment | 70.0 |
Factor calculations use full precision. Contributions and published scores are displayed to one decimal place; ranking order uses the full-precision score.
Evidence confidence
- City Modifier Evidence
- Adequate
- Factor Research Coverage
- Limited
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Limited
- Source-evidence confidence
- Adequate
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Limited evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- 0.0 pts
- Tested rank range
- #10–#14
No franchise concepts match the selected filters.
Worked score example
How we calculated HomeSmiles
This example uses the same ledger shown for every concept and must reconcile exactly to the published score.
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not confused with missing, conditional, or non-applicable evidence.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | +0.7 |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | Not included in the score |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | Not included in the score |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not included in the score |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | Not included in the score |
| Territory quality | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 70.74 |
| Published local-market alignment | 70.7 |
Factor calculations use full precision. Contributions and published scores are displayed to one decimal place; ranking order uses the full-precision score.
Starting pointThe operating-model baseline shown in the first ledger row.
InteractionsAny interaction or gate is included in the relevant contribution or calibration row.
Confidence treatmentEvidence confidence is disclosed separately unless the model definition explicitly applies a calibration adjustment.
RoundingFull-precision contributions are summed before the final displayed score is rounded to one decimal place; whole-number results are shown without a trailing decimal.
Factor impact
Which local conditions changed scores or rankings?
We neutralized one factor at a time, recalculated every score, and then measured both absolute score movement and changes in rank order.
Observed model effectMixed or model dependent
Target-market demand
We tested how much of the city’s theoretical customer and business demand remained usable after operating friction.
Why concepts react differently
We applied a measurable adjustment to 13 of 14 concepts. When we neutralized the factor and recalculated the table, 13 concepts changed position. HomeSmiles moved from #1 to #12, the largest movement among concepts directly affected by this factor.
Concepts adjusted13 of 14
Average among affected+0.4 pts
Average across all concepts+0.4 pts
Concepts changing rank13
What we observed
- Population Change From The April 2020 Estimate Base To July 20254.3 percent
- Households, 2020 2024 Estimate110,929 households
- Health Care And Social Assistance Receipts/revenue In 20224,199,813,000 usd
Concepts helped most
HomeSmilesProperty maintenance services
+0.7 pts
City WideFacility management
+0.7 pts
Pillar To Post Home InspectorsHome inspection
+0.6 pts
Jan-Pro InternationalCommercial cleaning
+0.5 pts
Aire ServHVAC installation, repair, and maintenance
+0.4 pts
Measured but not differentiating in this concept set
- Property replacement-cycle demandNo material score adjustment
- Competitive environmentNo material score adjustment
- Labor and staffing frictionNo material score adjustment
- Transportation, routing, and parkingNo material score adjustment
- Real estate and site feasibilityNo material score adjustment
- Sales and customer acquisitionNo material score adjustment
- Referral ecosystemNo material score adjustment
- Territory qualityNo material score adjustment
- Regulatory and operating frictionNo material score adjustment
Rank stability
Which positions depend most on individual assumptions?
The line shows the best and worst rank reached when one factor was removed from every concept. A narrow range indicates a more stable position.
#1 HomeSmilesStable · tested #1–#2
#2 City WideHighly sensitive · tested #2–#12
#3 Pillar To Post Home InspectorsHighly sensitive · tested #3–#9
#4 Jan-Pro InternationalHighly sensitive · tested #4–#14
#5 Aire ServHighly sensitive · tested #1–#5
#6 Mr. RooterStable · tested #6–#7
#7 Mister Sparky ElectricStable · tested #7–#8
#8 ZOOM DRAINHighly sensitive · tested #4–#8
#9 Workout AnytimeModerately sensitive · tested #9–#11
#10 FASTSIGNSHighly sensitive · tested #6–#10
#11 Tiger AdjustersHighly sensitive · tested #3–#11
#12 Rainbow International RestorationStable · tested #12–#13
#13 ActionCOACHHighly sensitive · tested #5–#13
#14 PuroCleanHighly sensitive · tested #10–#14
Neutralizing a factor removes it from every concept. A concept can move down even when its own score improves because competitors may benefit more.
Original factor comparison
How each factor affected the highest-rated franchise concepts
The graph includes the top 14 concepts by local-alignment score. Only nonzero score contributions are plotted. A factor is removed when every displayed concept received 0.0 points from it. Hover or focus a concept name to highlight all of its remaining data points.
Primary source records by factorTarget-market demand: [4] [8] [9] [10] [1] [3]Property replacement-cycle demand: [11] [4] [6] [1]Competitive environment: [5] [18] [8] [7] [3]Labor and staffing friction: [6] [9] [1]Transportation, routing, and parking: [15] [16] [4] [3] [11]Real estate and site feasibility: [7] [8] [13] [12] [1] [2]Sales and customer acquisition: [17] [18] [5] [8]Referral ecosystem: [9] [10] [18] [17] [4]Territory quality: [8] [14] [16] [3] [4]Regulatory and operating friction: [13] [14] [12] [2] [3]
View the chart data as a table
| Concept | Target-market demand |
|---|---|
| #1 HomeSmiles | +0.7 pts |
| #2 City Wide | +0.7 pts |
| #3 Pillar To Post Home Inspectors | +0.6 pts |
| #4 Jan-Pro International | +0.5 pts |
| #5 Aire Serv | +0.4 pts |
| #6 Mr. Rooter | +0.4 pts |
| #7 Mister Sparky Electric | +0.4 pts |
| #8 ZOOM DRAIN | +0.4 pts |
| #9 Workout Anytime | +0.3 pts |
| #10 FASTSIGNS | +0.3 pts |
| #11 Tiger Adjusters | +0.1 pts |
| #12 Rainbow International Restoration | +0.1 pts |
| #13 ActionCOACH | +0.1 pts |
| #14 PuroClean | — |
Interpretation
How to interpret the result
HomeSmiles, City Wide, Pillar To Post Home Inspectors led because their operating requirements captured more of the local support from target-market demand while remaining less exposed to property replacement-cycle demand. The same city condition can help one operating model and constrain another, so score differences should be read through each concept's factor pattern rather than as a universal franchise-quality verdict. The ordering is most assumption-sensitive for City Wide, Pillar To Post Home Inspectors, Jan-Pro International; their ranks move more widely when individual factors are neutralized.
Local evidence assessed for modeling
Category comparisons
Best franchise categories we assessed in Fort Wayne, Indiana
Category summaries are shown only when at least two concepts qualified. Two-concept comparisons are explicitly labeled as limited.
Limited two-concept comparison
70.0Best Restoration franchise opportunities we assessed in Fort Wayne, Indiana
2 Restoration concepts qualified for comparison, with scores ranging from 70.0 to 70.1. Rainbow International Restoration ranked highest at 70.1.
Interpret cautiously: A 0.1-point spread is too small to support a strong brand-level conclusion from city alignment alone.
- Concepts compared
- 2
- Score range
- 70.0–70.1
- Category average
- 70.0
Rainbow International Restoration70.1
PuroClean70.0
Metric registry
The 26 local metrics behind this analysis
The registry shows each public metric’s raw value, period, geography, source, and its actual role in the compiled analysis.
View all local metrics
| Metric | Raw value | Period | Geography | Role in analysis | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resident population estimate on July 1, 2025 | 275,203people | July 1, 2025 population estimate; 2020-2024 ACS characteristics; 2022 economic receipts | Fort Wayne, Indiana | Context only | [4] |
| Population change from the April 2020 estimate base to July 2025 | 4.3percent | July 1, 2025 population estimate; 2020-2024 ACS characteristics; 2022 economic receipts | Fort Wayne, Indiana | Used in scoring | [4] |
| Households, 2020-2024 estimate | 110,929households | July 1, 2025 population estimate; 2020-2024 ACS characteristics; 2022 economic receipts | Fort Wayne, Indiana | Used in scoring | [4] |
| Owner-occupied housing unit rate, 2020-2024 | 61.9percent | July 1, 2025 population estimate; 2020-2024 ACS characteristics; 2022 economic receipts | Fort Wayne, Indiana | Context only | [4] |
| Health care and social assistance receipts/revenue in 2022 | 4,199,813,000usd | July 1, 2025 population estimate; 2020-2024 ACS characteristics; 2022 economic receipts | Fort Wayne, Indiana | Used in scoring | [4] |
| Mean travel time to work for workers age 16 and older, 2020-2024 | 21.5minutes | July 1, 2025 population estimate; 2020-2024 ACS characteristics; 2022 economic receipts | Fort Wayne, Indiana | Context only | [4] |
| Local retail-market report states household formation has grown faster than the national pace and retail demand has followed in stronger demographic areas | household formation relative to national: faster; retail demand geography: stronger demographic areascategorical | Retail activity from May 2025 through April 2026, with 2026 outlook | Fort Wayne, Indiana retail market | Used in scoring | [8] |
| Fort Wayne retail vacancy and net absorption for the May 2025-April 2026 review period | vacancy rate: 9.7; net absorption sqft: 202,000; vacant big box count: 15; vacant big box sqft: 637,348; big box share of vacant inventory approx: 45mixed | Retail activity from May 2025 through April 2026, with 2026 outlook | Fort Wayne retail market | Conditional relationship | [8] |
| Named downtown mixed-use projects are expected to deliver more than 600 residential units beginning in 2026 | 600residential units minimum | Retail activity from May 2025 through April 2026, with 2026 outlook | Downtown Fort Wayne | Used in scoring | [8] |
| Parkview Health is based in Fort Wayne and reports approximately 17,500 co-workers and 15 hospitals across its regional system | coworkers approx: 17,500; hospitals: 15; headquarters: Fort Waynemixed | May 2026 | Parkview Health system serving Indiana and northwest Ohio | Used in scoring | [9] |
| Purdue University Fort Wayne campus and enrollment profile | undergraduate enrollment: 5,013; graduate enrollment: 764; total enrollment derived: 5,777; campus acres: 595; buildings: 53mixed | Current institutional profile accessed August 2026 | Purdue University Fort Wayne | Context only | [10] |
| Finished-water total hardness in 2025 | average ppm: 130; range ppm: 94, 174ppm | 2025 finished-water testing and current 2026 infrastructure program statements | Fort Wayne City Utilities drinking-water system | Context only | [11] [1] |
| City Utilities reports a five-year plan to replace more than 70 miles of aging water mains past useful life after 180 miles of deteriorating pipe had already been replaced in less than 20 years | planned replacement miles min: 70; previously replaced miles: 180miles | 2025 finished-water testing and current 2026 infrastructure program statements | Fort Wayne City Utilities water distribution system | Conditional relationship | [11] |
| City Utilities states that older homes may have private lead service lines and reports more than 3,100 replacements through its program | 3,100service lines replaced minimum | 2025 finished-water testing and current 2026 infrastructure program statements | Fort Wayne older homes with private lead service lines | Conditional relationship | [11] |
| 2026 planning fees for common non-residential development processes | site plan review projects under 1000 sqft or listed minor categories usd: 750; site plan review all other projects and infrastructure usd: 1,500; development plan usd: 1,250; rezoning usd: 1,250; use variance usd: 1,250; downtown new construction pre review usd: 350usd | Effective January 1, 2026 | Fort Wayne and Allen County Department of Planning Services | Conditional relationship | [13] [2] |
| 2026 water-system development charges vary by meter size and area connection fees vary by service area | system development charge usd: 1 inch: 1,625, 2 inch: 5,200, 4 inch: 16,250, 6 inch: 32,500, 12 inch: 139,750; area connection fee per eru usd 2026: central: 1,000, northeast: 2,700, northwest: 2,400, southeast: 2,100, southwest: 2,400usd | Area Connection Fees effective January 1, 2026; System Development Charges effective May 1, 2026 | Fort Wayne City Utilities development areas | Context only | [12] |
| DC and DE downtown new-construction standards require a minimum 20-foot building height and two occupiable stories at street level | minimum height ft: 20; minimum occupiable stories at street level: 2; districts: DC, DEmixed | Current downtown design standards accessed August 2026; Downtown Design Manual effective January 2024 | Downtown Fort Wayne DC and DE zoning districts | Conditional relationship | [14] [2] |
| Covered downtown projects require at least 50 percent street-level facade transparency and restrict specified lower-facade materials | minimum street level transparency percent: 50; prohibited base materials: thin-set brick, corrugated metal, EIFS, wood shake/shingle/lap siding; no mirrored glass: yesmixed | Current downtown design standards accessed August 2026; Downtown Design Manual effective January 2024 | Downtown Fort Wayne DC and DE zoning districts for covered new construction/additions | Conditional relationship | [14] [2] |
| Northeast Indiana industrial vacancy and absorption in the January 2025-January 2026 review period | vacancy rate percent: 4.75; prior vacancy rate percent: 5.39; positive absorption sqft: 1,185,000; occupied inventory sqft: 115,900,000mixed | Industrial activity from January 2025 to January 2026 | Northeast Indiana industrial market | Supports research conclusion | [7] |
| Industrial report states that several active users still struggle to find quality space, outdoor storage became a high priority, and seven of eight vacant spec buildings expected at the start of 2026 were 40,000 square feet or less | active users struggle for quality space: yes; outdoor storage high priority: yes; vacant spec buildings total: 8; vacant spec buildings 40000 sqft or less: 7mixed | Industrial activity from January 2025 to January 2026 | Northeast Indiana industrial market | Context only | [7] [1] |
| Production occupations are unusually concentrated in the Fort Wayne MSA but their mean wage is close to the national production-occupation mean | employment: 26,380; local employment share percent: 11.7; national employment share percent: 5.5; location quotient: 2.12; local mean hourly wage usd: 25.08; national mean hourly wage usd: 24.81mixed | May 2025 | Fort Wayne, Indiana MSA | Context only | [6] [1] |
| Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations have a modestly above-national employment share but a lower mean wage than the national major-group mean | local employment share percent: 4.4; national employment share percent: 3.9; local mean hourly wage usd: 28.77; national mean hourly wage usd: 30.44mixed | May 2025 | Fort Wayne, Indiana MSA | Context only | [6] |
| Fort Wayne 2026 neighborhood infrastructure program includes substantial streets, roads, bridges, and resurfacing work | total investment usd: 37,000,000; streets roads bridges usd: 28,400,000; contracted asphalt miles: 15.32; in house resurfacing miles: 5.5; major arterial projects: 2; bridge rehab or replacement projects: 4mixed | 2026 construction season | Fort Wayne, Indiana | Context only | [15] |
| Bluffton Road bridge replacement is under construction with phased maintenance-of-traffic plans and detour routes | under construction as of: 2026-03; pre project load limit tons: 12; phased traffic maintenance: yes; vehicle detour routes: yesmixed | Under construction March 2026 | Bluffton Road bridge and approaches, Fort Wayne | Conditional relationship | [16] [3] |
| Greater Fort Wayne Inc. member directory reports 1,425 results across broad business and institutional categories | 1,425directory results | Current directory accessed August 2026 | Greater Fort Wayne Inc | Context only | [18] |
| City purchasing resources provide public bidding opportunities, vendor-compliance requirements, a Buy Indiana program, and standard terms and conditions | public bidding opportunities: yes; vendor compliance: yes; buy indiana program: yes; standard terms and conditions: yescategorical | Current purchasing resources accessed August 2026 | City of Fort Wayne | Context only | [17] |
How to use the ranking
What the model can and cannot establish
- Scores measure local operating alignment, not expected financial performance or franchise-system quality.
- Citywide evidence may not describe the exact site or territory ultimately offered.
- Conditional effects are shown for diligence but do not change the published score until their applicability is established.
Methodology
How the local-alignment ranking is calculated
Measure the city
Collect reusable local metrics with source, period, geography, and confidence fields.
Profile each operating model
Map each franchise to controlled operating attributes and local sensitivities.
Apply scoreable effects
Score only effects that apply without an unresolved site, territory, customer, or project gate.
Preserve conditional effects
Keep location- or territory-dependent issues visible for diligence without automatically changing the score.
Test rank sensitivity
Remove one factor at a time from every concept and rerank using full-precision scores.
Generate public output
Create the ranking, factor-status ledger, visuals, metric registry, and automated quality report from the same data.
How the common baseline becomes a city-specific score
Every concept starts from the same 70.0 reference point, so differences come only from modeled local interactions. In this city, HomeSmiles reached 70.74 after target-market demand +0.7 pts. The current model caps total local movement at ±18.0 points. The score is not a percentage, probability, or estimate of investment quality.
Precision and materiality
Calculations use full-precision values. Published scores and factor contributions display one decimal place, while ranks use full precision. Effects smaller than 0.1 points are identified as below the publication threshold rather than presented as a meaningful zero.
Score tiers
Tier 1 · Strongest modeled alignment80.0–100.0
Tier 2 · Favorable modeled alignment72.0–<80.0
Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment64.0–<72.0
Tier 4 · Higher-friction modeled alignment0.0–<64.0
How factor rows are classified
Positive local adjustmentNegative local adjustmentMeasured; no meaningful local adjustmentEffect below the publication thresholdNot applicable to this operating modelDepends on the specific site, territory, or operating conditionNot included in the score
What “best” means here
“Best” means the strongest modeled local operating alignment among the franchise concepts assessed on this page.
Model governance
How this report is calculated and corrected
Calculation controls
- Model designer
- Thomas Jepsen
No concept’s final score is manually raised or lowered after calculation. Before this template is activated, the report is reviewed for source scope, classification, arithmetic, unsupported claims, duplication, and readability.
Model history
- Model 0.9.0-calibration · August 19, 2026Added compiler-derived decision intelligence and observation usage mapping., Changed factor sensitivity and channel counterfactuals to full model reruns., Added data-dependent city content signals while preserving legacy public report fields., and Added model-owned semantic compatibility gates and backward-compatible channel-level evidence attribution.
Corrections policy
Corrected source, geography, or operating-profile evidence triggers a full compiler rerun so every dependent score and visual is recalculated.
Source registry
Evidence represented in this report
Each source identifies its period, scope, and the local metrics it supports. Internal or supplied research is not presented as independently accessible evidence.
- 1Structural Inefficiencies and Asymmetric Franchise Opportunities in Tier-1 U.S. MarketsInternal or supplied research; not publicly accessible.
Used for: Finished-water total hardness in 2025, Industrial report states that several active users still struggle to find quality space, outdoor storage became a high priority, and seven of eight vacant spec buildings expected at the start of 2026 were 40,000 square feet or less, and Production occupations are unusually concentrated in the Fort Wayne MSA but their mean wage is close to the national production-occupation mean
- 2Jurisdictional Risk and Structural Friction Analysis: A Forensic Audit of Municipal Deal-KillersInternal or supplied research; not publicly accessible.
Used for: 2026 planning fees for common non-residential development processes, DC and DE downtown new-construction standards require a minimum 20-foot building height and two occupiable stories at street level, and Covered downtown projects require at least 50 percent street-level facade transparency and restrict specified lower-facade materials
- 3Franchise data - remake - mod(3).csvInternal or supplied research; not publicly accessible.
Used for: Bluffton Road bridge replacement is under construction with phased maintenance-of-traffic plans and detour routes
- 4QuickFacts: Fort Wayne city, Indiana
Used for: Resident population estimate on July 1, 2025, Population change from the April 2020 estimate base to July 2025, Households, 2020-2024 estimate, Owner-occupied housing unit rate, 2020-2024, and Health care and social assistance receipts/revenue in 2022
- 5
- 6Occupational Employment and Wages in Fort Wayne — May 2025
Used for: Production occupations are unusually concentrated in the Fort Wayne MSA but their mean wage is close to the national production-occupation mean and Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations have a modestly above-national employment share but a lower mean wage than the national major-group mean
- 7Zacher Company Industrial Review and Forecast for Northeast Indiana — 2026 Industrial Narrative
Used for: Northeast Indiana industrial vacancy and absorption in the January 2025-January 2026 review period and Industrial report states that several active users still struggle to find quality space, outdoor storage became a high priority, and seven of eight vacant spec buildings expected at the start of 2026 were 40,000 square feet or less
- 82026 Fort Wayne, Indiana Retail Market Report Narrative
Used for: Local retail-market report states household formation has grown faster than the national pace and retail demand has followed in stronger demographic areas, Fort Wayne retail vacancy and net absorption for the May 2025-April 2026 review period, and Named downtown mixed-use projects are expected to deliver more than 600 residential units beginning in 2026
- 9Discover hundreds of jobs during Parkview Health’s Clinical Hiring Expo on May 27
Used for: Parkview Health is based in Fort Wayne and reports approximately 17,500 co-workers and 15 hospitals across its regional system
- 10By The Numbers
Used for: Purdue University Fort Wayne campus and enrollment profile
- 112026 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report — Three Rivers Filtration Plant
Used for: Finished-water total hardness in 2025, City Utilities reports a five-year plan to replace more than 70 miles of aging water mains past useful life after 180 miles of deteriorating pipe had already been replaced in less than 20 years, and City Utilities states that older homes may have private lead service lines and reports more than 3,100 replacements through its program
- 12Engineering Development Services — Starting Your Development Project
Used for: 2026 water-system development charges vary by meter size and area connection fees vary by service area
- 13Allen County and Fort Wayne Department of Planning Services Fee Schedule — Effective January 1, 2026
Used for: 2026 planning fees for common non-residential development processes
- 14DPS Design Review Committee — New Construction & Additions Checklist
Used for: DC and DE downtown new-construction standards require a minimum 20-foot building height and two occupiable stories at street level and Covered downtown projects require at least 50 percent street-level facade transparency and restrict specified lower-facade materials
- 152026 Neighborhood Infrastructure Upgrades
Used for: Fort Wayne 2026 neighborhood infrastructure program includes substantial streets, roads, bridges, and resurfacing work
- 16Bluffton Road Bridge
Used for: Bluffton Road bridge replacement is under construction with phased maintenance-of-traffic plans and detour routes
- 17Purchasing
Used for: City purchasing resources provide public bidding opportunities, vendor-compliance requirements, a Buy Indiana program, and standard terms and conditions
- 18Greater Fort Wayne Inc. Member Directory
Used for: Greater Fort Wayne Inc. member directory reports 1,425 results across broad business and institutional categories
Before contacting a franchisor
Complete the next layer of due diligence
- Confirm the exact protected territory and neighboring units.
- Review the current Franchise Disclosure Document.
- Validate local staffing, licensing, insurance, and service-base assumptions.
- Obtain location, vehicle, buildout, or working-capital estimates.
- Speak with current and former franchisees.
- Build a candidate-specific financial scenario.
Apply the analysis to your situation
Review how these market findings apply to your budget, role, and proposed territory.
The city score does not include your experience, capital structure, time commitment, financing, or exact territory.
Disclaimer and broker disclosure: This analysis is informational and does not constitute financial, legal, accounting, or investment advice. Market-alignment scores do not predict financial performance or business success. Offers are made only through the delivery of a Franchise Disclosure Document. We may receive referral compensation from participating franchisors; compensation is not an input to the scoring model.