BrightStar Care

Dean Ulizio Joins Leadership Team as CSO.

CHICAGO — BrightStar Care, a national franchise specializing in providing A Higher Standard of Care in medical and non-medical in-home care services, has announced the promotion of Dean Ulizio to the role of Chief Strategy Officer (CSO).

Ulizio brings with him over 14 years’ experience with BrightStar Care. After joining the leading in-home heath care brand in 2006 as a franchisee in Colorado, Ulizio moved to the Franchise Support Center team in 2010 and led the overhaul of BrightStar Care’s technology at a time when the brand was experiencing rapid growth in sales and new units.  More recently, he has been serving as BrightStar Care’s Executive Vice President of Global Strategic Development. During that time, he was tasked with responsibility for new brands, product development, innovation pilots and growth through acquisitions. As Ulizio takes on his new role as CSO, his responsibilities will focus on developing and executing the company’s business strategy, including leading and sustaining strategic initiatives that drive top line growth. His overarching goal will be to continuously improve the BrightStar Care model offered to franchisees, driving quality, efficiency, standardization and growth.

“Dean comes with a depth of knowledge of the company and its history – making him well-suited for evaluating strategic growth opportunities and nurturing innovation,” said Shelly Sun, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of BrightStar Group Holdings, Inc.

In addition, Ulizio’s role will be imperative for driving strategic growth in BrightStar Senior Living communities and overseeing product development.

“BrightStar Care is well positioned to take advantage of today’s powerful healthcare industry trends for increased care in the home and more holistic solutions for people with complex needs,” said Ulizio. “It is an exciting time to be part of this team and have the opportunity to work with our partners to find new and better ways we can deliver the highest quality care to our clients.”

BrightStar Care recently announced a successful 2019 as it was awarded several new rankings, including Entrepreneur’s prestigious Franchise 500, the ninth consecutive year for BrightStar Care on the list.  Franchise Business Review named BrightStar Care a top franchise for 2020, marking its 10th year receiving the award. That milestone officially makes BrightStar Care the newest member of the Franchise Business Review’s Hall of Fame, rewarding franchises that have proven their dedication to corporate culture and franchisee success. The brand also hit its 14^th consecutive year as a World Class Franchise, as determined by the Franchise Research Institute, and came in at No. 175 on Franchise Times’ Top 200 list. Topping the list, BrightStar Care has kept its recognition as the Enterprise Champion of Quality for the seventh year in a row, the only company to have received this designation from the Joint Commission every year since the award’s inception.

BrightStar Care offers both medical and non-medical private duty home care services, as well as medical staffing. Each BrightStar Care location employs a Registered Nurse as their Director of Nursing who tailors unique, personalized plans of care for each client and oversees a professional care team of well-qualified, experienced caregivers. The company began franchising in 2005, and it has since grown to a $500 million system with over 300 locations across the United States.

For more information about and BrightStar Care, please visit www.brightstarcare.com.

Leading In-Home Care Franchisee Partners with Top Local Agency to Provide Higher Standard of Care in California

CHICAGO — BrightStar Care, the nation’s leading in-home care franchise, is igniting its growth strategy of targeting independent in-home care agencies that make viable candidates to convert to the BrightStar Care system. In the most recent development, a BrightStar Care franchisee acquired Sacramento’s Harmony Home Care, going into effect on Monday, April 1. BrightStar Care, whose higher standards of care are well known in the home care industry coast-to-coast, offers national resources, such as nurse-led care, skilled nursing and the same accreditation as the country’s best hospitals and nursing homes.

The Harmony Home Care acquisition is led by Sacramento BrightStar Care owner, Ignacio Cespedes. Cespedes, who was named BrightStar Care’s 2018 Franchisee of the Year, states, “With the growing need for care and the increasing shortage of caregivers, we found great synergy in incorporating the Harmony Home Care team to our business.  We envision a future with continued organic growth as well as homecare industry consolidation.”

With the new ownership, BrightStar Care will maintain the same local commitment to high standards Harmony Home Care has demonstrated. The location will now reap the benefits of not only a strong local reputation, but a strong national reputation and standards as well. The community can rest assured that the transitions will be seamless for clients and employees, as the same care givers will remain in place for the same clients.

“It has been a pleasure to cooperate with BrightStar Care over the years and we feel confident that BrightStar will work tirelessly to maintain the same caring relationships that our customers and employees have enjoyed for the last six years,” said Patrick Philbrick and Jennifer Jarrett, co-owners of Harmony Home Care.

The acquisition comes on the heels of BrightStar Care’s impressive 2018 growth, including 15 signed franchise agreements and 14 location openings across 12 states.

Shelly Sun, Founder and CEO of BrightStar Care, stated “This deepens BrightStar’s commitment to Sacramento, combining one of our very best franchisees with the best of Harmony’s model. In addition, our national account partners, the biggest insurance companies, pharmacies, infusion services providers and third-party administrators in the country, now have new options for delivering care in the Golden State.”

BrightStar Care’s success has also been seen in recent award rankings, including Entrepreneur’s prestigious Franchise 500. The ninth consecutive year for BrightStar Care on the list, the brand came in at No. 184 this year. BrightStar Care was also ranked on Franchise Times’ Top 200 list. The brand also brought in the most number of Best of Home Care awards of any provider, including 23 locations earning the Leader in Excellence award, 105 locations earning the Provider of Choice award, and 102 offices earning the Employer of Choice award.