Buying an appliance or equipment repair business in Jacksonville and Northeast Florida

• Commercial maintenance contracts that renew, with service on a schedule. A restaurant or warehouse that can't run without its equipment rarely shops on price.
• Factory authorizations (approval from equipment makers to service their brands), which bring warranty work, parts access, technical support and training.
• Technicians with deep experience on the equipment the company services, and a plan to train new ones. Experienced technicians are the hardest part of this business to replace.
• Fast response times that customers can count on, which is what keeps maintenance contracts renewing.
• Customers spread across many businesses and homes, not one large account.
• An accurate parts inventory with little obsolete stock.
• Little reliance on low-paying home warranty and other third-party warranty work.
• Dispatch, service history and parts usage tracked in software.

• Revenue by type: service calls, shop repair, maintenance contracts, warranty work and parts.
• Maintenance contracts: customers, terms, pricing and renewal history.
• Manufacturer authorizations, and whether they pass to a new owner. Some may require the maker's approval.
• Technician experience, certifications, pay and turnover.
• Parts inventory: count it, check its age, and value it at what it can actually be sold or used for.
• How much revenue comes from the largest customers, especially big commercial accounts.
• How often repairs have to be redone, and warranty claims on the company's own work.
• Vans, tools and diagnostic equipment, including software subscriptions some makers require.
• Pricing: trip charges and labor rates compared with local competitors, and when they last went up.
• Who answers the phone and schedules calls, and how quickly customers get a technician.

• What kinds of equipment do you service most, and which brands?
• How much of your revenue comes from maintenance contracts, and how many renewed last year?
• Which manufacturers have authorized you, and would those authorizations pass to a new owner?
• How long have your technicians been with you, and how are they trained?
• How much of your work comes from home warranty companies or other third-party warranty programs?
• How do you keep track of parts inventory?
• Which licenses or certifications does your work depend on?

This region covers Duval, St. Johns, Clay, Nassau, Baker and Putnam counties: Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra Beach, Orange Park, Fleming Island, Green Cove Springs, Fernandina Beach, Yulee, Macclenny and Palatka. Jacksonville merged with most of Duval County in 1968, which makes it the largest city by land area in the lower 48 states.

The economy leans on logistics, the Navy and financial services. Logistics runs through JAXPORT, major rail lines and the meeting of Interstates 95 and 10. The Navy has Naval Air Station Jacksonville and Naval Station Mayport. Insurance and health care matter too. St. Augustine, founded by the Spanish in 1565, and Amelia Island draw steady tourism. Trucking and logistics firms, the building trades, medical practices and home services all fit this market.

Northeast Florida is less seasonal than South or Southwest Florida, with fewer winter residents and more year-round employers. Direct hurricane landfalls have been less common here than on other parts of the coast, but storms still bring flooding along the St. Johns River and the beaches, so check insurance costs and flood zones.

Military families bring skilled workers and working spouses into the labor pool, though they also move on when orders change. St. Johns, Clay and Nassau have added the most new homes, and companies serving those suburbs have grown with them. Georgia is close, and some companies here serve customers across the state line. Work in Georgia may need Georgia licenses, so ask how much revenue comes from there and who holds those licenses.