MW EQUITY, INC. is a Michigan corporation formed on October 21, 2008, for the purpose of franchising the MYWAY business model and concept. We do business under the names MyWay Mobile Storage and MyWay Storage. Our principaLbusiness address is 3696 Northridge Drive NW, Suite 20, Grand Rapids Michigan, 49544. We have offered franchises since March 2009. We do not engage in any other line of business other than the offering and support of franchises. As a general rule, we do not operate businesses of the type being franchised at this time, although we reserve the right to do so in the future. From time to time, we may purchase an existing franchise with the intention of re-selling it. We do not and have not previously offered franchises in any other line of business or under any other name. Our agent for service of process is Edward Sickmund, 3696 Northridge Drive NW, Suite 20, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49544. Our other agents for service of process are disclosed in Exhibit A.
Our predecessor is MYWAY STORAGE INC., which was a Michigan corporation incorporated on January 13, 2006 with a principal business address of 15 Ionia Avenue NW, Suite 230, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503. We purchased the assets and trademark of MYWAY STORAGE INC. on October 23, 2008. Our predecessor operated the Grand Rapids franchise from their inception until they sold their assets in October 2008. Our predecessor offered franchises for this business for approximately two years. On December 31, 2018, MWGR, Inc., sold its franchise in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to MWGRN, EEC. We have a 50% ownership interest in MWGRN, EEC. We have no other predecessor or affiliates. Our predecessor has not offered franchises for any other line of business. MW EQUITY, INC. owns the System and related Marks (see below) that you will use in connection with the operation of your Francliised Business. We have no parents.
We offer franchises for the operation of a containerized storage business ("Business" or "Franchised Business") which operates under the trade name MYWAY MOBILE STORAGE and MYWAY STORAGE. The franchise we offer is a mobile storage business that offers several services and products. The primary service is the delivery and pickup of storage containers (called “SafeBoxes”) to customers along with the storage of such containers in a warehouse (called a “Security Hub”)- SafeBoxes are delivered to customers via a flatbed truck with a portable forklift mounted to the rear of the truck. The service, which was refined by MW EQUITY, INC., provides a high level of convenience for individuals and entities seeking selfstorage space to rent as they are no longer faced with the burden of having to rent, load, and unload a truck before even getting the chance to actually load the storage unit. Instead, the SafeBox is delivered directly to the exterior of their house, apartment, or place of business. The SafeBoxes are protected against the elements through the use of a custom-fitted cover that is securely placed over each container. Once the loading is completed, a driver returns to retrieve the SafeBox for transport back to the local MYWAY Storage facility. Customers may elect to have their belongings moved directly to their new address and bypass the storage option. Customers wishing to access their SafeBox at the facility may do so during standard business hours. The franchised business is characterized by a distinctive design, trade dress, decor and color scheme; specifications, and procedures for operations; procedures for quality control; training and ongoing operational assistance; site selection assistance; and advertising and promotional programs; all of which may be changed, improved, and further developed by us from time to time (the "System"). The System is identified by means of certain trade names, service marks, trademarks, slogans, logos, emblems, and indicia of origin, including, but not limited to, the mark "MYWAY" and the trade name “MYWAY Storage” and “MYWAY Mobile Storage” (the "Names and Marks" or "Marks"). There may, at our discretion, be other trade names, service marks, trademarks, slogans, logos and emblems as we may designate for use in connection with the System.
You are required to pay us an initial franchise fee ("Initial Franchise Fee") for the right, subject to the terms and conditions contained within the Franchise Agreement, to operate the Franchised Business within a specified area ("Protected Teiritory"). Such Protected Territory shall have a minimum population of 400,000 residents according to the most recent published census data. The initial franchise fee is determined based upon the population of the Protected Territory. For the first 400,000 residents within the Protected Territory, the Initial Franchise Fee is $40,000. This is the minimum Initial Franchise Fee. For each increment within the Protected Territory, the Initial Franchise Fee will increase by $0.10 per resident. Such fees may vary at times at our discretion. Each Franchised Business is operated under a separate franchise agreement. You must pay us the Initial Franchise Fee in a lump sum when you sign the FranchiseAgreement. The Initial Franchise Fee is deemed fully earned upon payment and is not refundable under any circumstances except if we, in our discretion, determine that you are unable to satisfactorily complete the training program described in Item 11 of this Disclosure Document; then, we may terminate the Franchise Agreement and, if so, we will return $5,000 of the Franchise Fee to you. We may allow, at our discretion, the purchase of rights to additional areas contiguous to the Protected Territory for a further, mutually discounted fee in the event that the population of the expansion area in consideration is less than 400,000 residents. You will be required to purchase an initial supply of a minimum of eighty (80) SafeBoxes at least thirty (30) days prior to the opening of your Franchised Business. The cost of the initial supply of eighty (80) SafeBoxes ranges from $520 (unassembled) to $550 (assembled) per SafeBox for a total of $41,600 to $44,000. This amount does not include shipping costs or the cost of container moldings. The SafeBoxes must be purchased through us or a vendor approved by us. These prices may increase over time based upon increases in material costs and other market conditions. All additional SafeBoxes must be purchased from us or a supplier approved by us. Each container is protected against inclement weather through the use of a reusable cover whenever it is outside a MY WAY Storage facility. You are not required to have the same number of covers as SafeBoxes since only a portion of the overall number of rented SafeBoxes should be in transit to, from or at a customer's address, at any one time. You will be required to purchase, from us or an approved vendor, a minimum of fifty (50) Safebox covers prior to the opening of your Franchised Business. The cost for these fifty covers is $306 per cover for a total of $15,300, not including shipping costs. Such cost may fluctuate as manufacturing and material costs change, possibly beyond the range noted. As your container volume grows, you may need to increase you SafeBox Cover inventory. You will therefore be required to purchase additional covers from us, or an approved vendor, as the Business volume grows. As a supplementary service, you may also offer the sale of certain packing supplies through the Franchised Business, including cardboard boxes, moving blankets, bubble wrap, tape, stretch wrap, pad locks for the containers, and other goods as determined by us. You may only purchase such packing supplies through us or our approved vendors. The cost for such packing supplies will be determined by the approved vendor(s), or us, and will vary depending upon the item being purchased. The Initial Franchise Fee described above is uniform for anyone acquiring a franchise. Except as may be discussed in Item 5, no fees are collected by or for a third party.
We do not offer direct or indirect financing. We do not guarantee your notes, leases or obligations. Occasionally various lenders notify us of their willingness to offer financing arrangements to franchisees. We will provide you with the names and addresses of those lenders, if you request the information. If you are interested in participating in a financing arrangement with any lender, you should look solely to that lender for any information relating to terms, eligibility and availability of the financing arrangement offered by the lender. Entering into a financing arrangement with any lender must be based solely on your business judgment and after you have performed all due diligence you deem necessary. We do not currently place financing with anyone and do not receive any payment for the placement of financing. We do not have any past or present practice or intention to sell, assign or discount to any third party, in whole or in part, any financing arrangements. We reserve the right to offer financing or assist franchisees in obtaining financing in the future.
The FTC's Franchise Rule permits a franchisor to provide information about the actual or potential financial performance of its franchised and/or franchisor-owned outlets, if there is a reasonable basis for tbe information, and if the information is included in the disclosure document. Financial performance information that differs from that included in Item 19 may be given only if (1) a franchisor provides the actual records of an existing outlet you are considering buying; or (2) a franchisor supplements the information provided in this Item 19, for example, by providing information about possible performance at a particular location or under particular circumstances. We do not make any representations about a franchisee's future financial performance or the past financial performance of company-owned or franchised outlets. We also do not authorize our employees or representatives to make any such representations either orally or in writing. If you are purchasing an existing outlet, however, we may provide you with the actual records of that outlet. If you receive any other financial performance information or projections of your future income, you should report it to the franchisor's management by contacting Stuart Hill at 3696 Northridge Drive NW, Suite 20, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49544, telephone number (616) 361-6992, the Federal Trade Commission, and,the appropriate state regulatory agencies.