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Owned by Princeton Equity since 2021
Interested in vast array of home service franchise brands
Targets can have USD 1m to USD 10m of EBITDA
Five Star Franchising, a platform of franchisors in the home services segment, continues to scout for acquisitions even as it begins its fifth year under Princeton Equity, said Scott Abbott, CEO.
Abbott expects to do at least one deal in 2026 and “maybe two,” he said.
“We are absolutely looking for acquisitions in home-improvement or home maintenance,” he added. The Spanish Fork, Utah-based company would like targets that can do aggressive marketing based on the cost of projects, which should be in the thousands of dollars range.
Areas of interest include electric, HVAC, plumbing, landscaping, kitchen renovation, roofing, windows, doors, siding and painting, he said. Targets must be profitable with EBITDA between USD 1m and USD 10m. They can be based in the US or Canada.
Home services remains highly fragmented, and there has been consolidation but there is no market leader, he said. “Under Princeton, the company has made six acquisitions. In & Out Flooring was the most recent.”
Five Star comprises brands including 1-800-Packouts, Bio-One, Card My Yard, Five Star Bath Solutions, Gotcha Covered, and Mosquito Shield. The profitable company had about USD 400m in revenue for 2025, he said.
The brands cover extensive ground. Business-focused names include 1-800-Packouts, which offers content restoration for property owners and insurance carriers, and Bio-One, providing biochemical cleanup services. Consumer brands include pest control brand Mosquito Shield, Gotcha Covered, a provider of high-end window coverings, Five Star Bath Solutions, Card My Yard, a yard sign rental firm, and Decorate with Lights, for Christmas decorating.
Five Star Flooring will launch as a franchise in 1Q through the acquisition of In & Out Floors, which was not a franchise. Five Star also includes Pronexis, a provider of digital marketing and call center services across all of its franchise brands as well as 50 outside franchise brands.
Abbott cofounded the company with Chad Jones, chief operating officer, in 2004. Five Star has been in private equity hands before. The two sold Five Star Painting to PE-backed Neighborly in 2015 but retained equity in the transaction. “We wanted to build something substantially larger,” he said. With regard to the Princeton deal in 2021, he said “We did well on our prior exits but needed deeper pockets to get more aggressive.”
As for an exit timeline for Five Star, Abbott said “my timeline doesn’t end. We want 25 brands by the end of 2035.” He acknowledged that Princeton will be in its fifth year of ownership in 2026 and will look for an exit at the right time, without being more specific. “At some point we’ll be looking for a new partner.” He confirmed there is no current sale process.
Five Star has grown revenue by 4,000% since the investment in 2021, he said. Some brands have grown 50% to 60% annually on an organic basis, he added.
There has been active PE investment in home services franchises. “Neighborly popularized a lot of home services franchising,” he said. The home services market is popular because it is a stable category that is not easily disrupted by technology, he said.
Scaling using a franchise model is much faster than with other models, Abbott said. Neighborly continues to be acquisitive. Other players in the space include Threshold Brands, backed by Riverside, First Service, a listed company, and Authority Brands. Two other Riverside-backed companies in the space have also been acquisitive. Evive recently bought Maid Brigade and Shine Windows while EverSmith Brands bought 1-Tom-Plumber.
Asked if an IPO might be an option for Five Star, the CEO said “those things are always considered but it’s not in the cards for the next turn.”