FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · ALABAMA

Milex/ Mr. Transmission franchise in Alabama: what the public record shows

Franchisees of Milex/ Mr. Transmission in Alabama have taken 9 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $440,211). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. Milex/ Mr. Transmission's national ratio is 2.5×.

SBA loan outcomes · Alabamavs same-year franchise loans

Loans in AL

9

Charged off (all years)

1 of 4

Loss ratio in AL

—

Loss ratio nationally

2.5×

Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = AL. Loss ratio = charge-offs among loans approved through FY2020 ÷ the charge-offs expected if each had defaulted at the national rate for franchise loans approved the same year; 1.0× is the same. Only charged-off and paid-in-full loans count. A ratio is shown at 30+ such loans; “not clear” marks a ratio chance alone could produce. The all-years count mixes every era and is evidence, not a rate to compare. Borrowers are matched to the brand by name and SBA franchise code; some matches may be wrong or missing.

Market density · Alabama vs nationalThin market

Businesses in this industry

1,175

statewide, all operators

Per 100k residents

22.8

national 30.2

Versus the country

-25%

thinner

Every business in Milex/ Mr. Transmission's industry operating in Alabama — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across the brand-state cells in the loan data, denser markets have historically charged off less often than the thinnest (see the research page). A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.

Labor cost · Alabama vs nationalTypical wages

Avg weekly wage, this industry

$881

Alabama, BLS QCEW 2025

National average

$1,002

same industry, all states

Versus the country

-12%

cheaper to staff

What Milex/ Mr. Transmission's industry actually pays workers in Alabama, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2025), employment-weighted across counties. This cost signal is independent of the FDD: a market can look demand-rich above and still carry a margin headwind here if local wages run hot for the sector.

Same-sector systems with SBA loan history in Alabama5 systems
SystemLoans in ALCharged off (all years)Loss ratio in ALUnits in AL
Matco Tools136 of 12——
Chevron (Gas Station)80 of 5——
Aamco Transmissions72 of 5——
Meineke71 of 6——
Shell Service Station61 of 5——

Other systems in Milex/ Mr. Transmission's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Alabama. A loss ratio appears only where at least 30 loans approved through FY2020 have resolved; “—” means too few.

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