Wallaby Windows Franchise: What Happened?
The Wallaby Windows franchise was founded by Scott Marr and Keith Gross, promoted by Franchise Fastlane as a “semi-absentee” franchise opportunity and then sold to Empower Brands with its sister concept, Koala Insulation.
While Scott Marr’s Franchise Altitude consulting and private equity firm continues to tout Wallaby Windows as a success story, its current status and the outcomes experienced by its franchisees is a bit of a mystery. by Sean Kelly, President, Relentless Inc., Founder, Franchise Truth for Veterans
(UnhappyFranchisee.Com) The Koala Insulation Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), dated May 3, 2023 stated:
In April 2023, Wallaby became affiliated with Empower Brands through an acquisition. Wallaby, through its predecessor Wallaby Franchise, LLC (“Wallaby LLC”), offered Wallaby Window franchises from October 1, 2022 to April 2023. As of December 31, 2022, there were 0 Koala franchises located throughout the U.S., and 0 franchises located in Canada.
Koala Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) 2023
The 2025 Koala FDD stated: “As of September 30, 2024, there were 74 Wallaby franchises located throughout the U.S.”
The 2026 Koala FDD states: “As of September 30, 2025, there were 65 Wallaby franchises located throughout the U.S.”
However, the current Wallaby Windows website only lists 16 active locations, including at least one company-owned outlet and at least one that had been resold.
Wallaby Windows Locations Listed as Operational (9/29/26)
| CO Denver CO Lakewood FL Bradenton (company owned) FL Fort Myers FL Jacksonvillle (resold) FL Melbourne FL Ponte Vedra Beach | GA Atlanta GA Cumming LA Hammond NC Cary NC Wilmington OH Milford TN Franklin TX Richardson TX Spring |
Seeking Input: Are Only Three of the Original Wallaby Windows Franchisees Still Operating?
The Wallaby Windows 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) lists 18 initial franchisees who invested in 55 franchise territories. Cross-checking with the current website directory, only four of the original locations remain:
- FL Jacksonville FL (Mario Nicoletti sold, 2 territories)
- OH Milford 4 (Byron Robbins and Jon Robinson, 4 territories)
- TN Franklin 3 (Andrew White, 3 territories)
- TX Richardson 3 (Stephanie Utah & Chris Utah, 3 territories)
All of the remaining franchisees, it would seem, exited the system early in their 10-year agreements:
| CT West Hartford Jason William Ptak & Kelly Rebecca Ptak FL Jacksonville FL Mario Nicoletti (sold) NE Elkhorn Gene Chevalier & Dustin Pfeifer NE Omaha Stephani Jackson & Darren Jackson NC Cary Ashley Selzer & Ryan Selzer NC Huntersville NC Abigail Calhoun & Joey Fennig NC Weddington Zachary Allan Siebert OH Westerville Aaron Knepp & Lee Knepp | PA McDonald David Perlmutter & Amy Perlmutter SC Longs SC Henry David Beckham, Jr. & Kirstie Dalton TN Athens Glenn Douglas Jackson TX Amarillo Travis Lawler and Nicholas Ward TX Austin Sean and Kristen Clifford TX McKinney David Paul Deslatte TX Richardson Stephanie Utah & Chris Utah TX Tomball TX Brian Keith Sizemore |
What Happened? Was the Wallaby Franchise Concept Flawed or Unsustainable?
Empower Brands acquired Wallaby Windows and Koala Insulation from entities owned by Scott Marr & his husband, recent congressional candidate and franchise attorney Keith Gross. According to company disclosures:
On April 13, 2023, the Company acquired the assets of Wallaby, Wallaby-Melbourne, and Koala (collectively referred to as “Wallaby and Koala”) for the purpose of adding window, door, and insulation brands to the existing portfolio.
After net working capital adjustments, the purchase price of Wallaby and Koala was approximately $93,203,000 which includes a $233,000 earnout provision subject to Wallaby and Koala maintaining certain system wide revenue thresholds and other metrics. The acquisition was funded by capital contributions from Empower consisting of units of ownership interest in BCAT valued at approximately $55,000,000, debt financing of approximately, $24,500,000 obtained by Empower, and cash.
Please Share Opinions & Comments Below. Anonymous Commenting Acceptable.
This post contains our best effort at piecing together an accurate account from public documents and anonymous tips. It obviously contains gaps and prompts many questions. We have contacted the companies and, when possible, the individuals involved.
INVITATION: UnhappyFranchisee.Com invites all companies and individuals discussed to provide corrections, clarifications, explanations, rebuttals, opinions and statements in the spirit of open and constructive discussion. All viewpoints are welcome and valued.
Leave a comment below or email us in confidence at UnhappyFranchisee[at]Gmail[dot]com.
TAGS: Wallaby Windows, Wallaby Windows Franchise, Koala Insulation, Koala Insulation franchise, Empower Brands, home Services franchises, Franchise Fastlane, Semi-Absentee franchises, Scott Marr, Franchise Altitude, Keith Gross, Keith Gross for Congress, congressional candidate Keith Gross, Gross Law Group, DonutNV, DonutNV franchise, boxwood partners, midocean partners
