Small-business It Franchise Expands In Bay Area

Small-business IT franchise expands in Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO (Monday, October 24, 2005) - The strong demand among small and medium-sized businesses for information technology professional services prompted one national franchise serving that sector to launch a major expansion into the Bay Area.

CM IT Solutions of Austin, Texas, is planning to add 14 new franchises in the Bay Area by the end of 2006.

As many as six of those locations would open in San Francisco, according to company President and CEO Gordon Bridge. Other targeted areas include Palo Alto, Sunnyvale and the East Bay.

The company, which provides a range of computer related services, estimates there is a potential market of 54,000 small to mid-sized businesses in the Bay Area needing service.

“Since we have had so much success, adding six franchise units in the last year, we’ve decided to concentrate and grow there more rapidly,” said Bridge.

While CM IT’s previous expansions have been shaped by the interest from would-be franchisees, now the company is using a more proactive approach seeking out qualified candidates in an area it believes is ripe for expansion, Bridge said.

There are currently more than 120 CM IT franchises operating in 32 states. The franchises offer expertise in network and system management, upgrades, wired and wireless networks, troubleshooting, data back-up and recovery, Web site design, maintenance and hosting.

CM IT has found its niche serving companies with 100 employees or fewer.

Gary Goodson has opened four franchises on the Peninsula during the last year and a half, has seen a particularly strong demand among businesses with fewer than 20 employees.

“Something that I’ve seen is that small business is on a rebound,” Goodson said. “There’s an awareness that companies can use IT to further business interests.”

Entrepreneurs wanting to own a CM IT franchise need approximately $50,000 to $60,000 in working capital plus $35,000 for the franchise fee.

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