BrightStar Care

BrightStar Care Franchisees Expand Their Home Care Footprints into New Untapped Territories.

GURNEE, Ill. — BrightStar Care, the home care franchise with more than 380 company-owned and franchised locations nationwide, just announced that 17 franchise owners within its network have expanded their home care footprints into 28 new territories across the U.S. Notably within the cohort of franchisees who are experiencing rapid growth is one owner who expanded into multiple states and four owners who are first time multi-unit franchise owners. Each franchisee truly embodies the BrightStar Care brand and mission and are committed to providing a higher standard of quality care to the new communities they will serve.

“BrightStar Care is undergoing an accelerated growth period as several of our outstanding franchisees are currently expanding their territories with new location openings,” said Pete First, Chief Development Officer at BrightStar Care. “We pride ourselves for offering our franchise network multiple potential revenue streams to maximize their business operations and grow their valuations and reach. The rapid expansion we’re experiencing is due to the tremendous work of our franchise owners and their drive to expand their home care capabilities into new markets.”

Franchise owner, Dan Price has been the proud Owner and President of BrightStar Care of Leesburg, Virginia, since 2016 and just opened 16 new BrightStar Care locations across Maryland, D.C., and West Virginia. With this massive 16-unit expansion, Price is now a multi-unit franchise owner across multiple states within the BrightStar Care franchise system. Price and his care team are quickly establishing these new agencies as the provider of choice serving communities across the mountains of West Virginia, through Virginia and Washington D.C., and Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.

Richard Lovelace opened BrightStar Care of Pembroke Pines & Weston in Florida in 2020 and he currently owns and operates the location as both Owner and Branch Manager. Lovelace also expanded his operations and opened two new locations in Hollywood and Miami Gardens, Florida. With this territory growth, Lovelace is quickly establishing his footprint as one of the leading home care providers in Southern Florida.

Dan and Susie Sweiger have been the proud Owners of BrightStar Care of Carlsbad in Southern California since 2019. The Sweigers have also expanded their operations and are now serving families in Oceanside, California. With this expansion, their BrightStar Care locations provide in-home care services across the greater North County San Diego communities.

Mak and Sanaz Vaziri are the proud Owners of BrightStar Care of Carmel Valley & Rancho Santa Fe, and they just increased their operations into La Jolla, California. Through this territory growth the Vaziris are now serving communities across Northern and Southern San Diego County.

Andy and Kelley Bailen are Co-Owners of BrightStar Care of Northern Middlesex County in New Jersey and recently expanded their home care operations into Wall and Hazlet, New Jersey. Through this territory expansion the Bailens are now multi-unit home care franchise serving families across New Jersey.

Over the last year, BrightStar Care has released groundbreaking data demonstrating the brand’s unmatched clinical outcomes and payer benefits as well as impactful industry studies that benefit and strengthen its entire franchise network. With these achievements, BrightStar Care is well-positioned to continue its accelerated growth trajectory and affirm its spot as a leader in the franchise and home care industries.

For more information on franchising opportunities with BrightStar Care visit http://www.brightstarfranchising.com.

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Unveils New Program for Aspiring Entrepreneurs.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Haslam College of Business via the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, welcomes the 2023 inaugural class for a brand new offering: The Franchise Certificate Program. The university continues to strive toward the strategic initiative of building a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem across Tennessee and the region, with franchising being a foundational part of that ecosystem.

“More and more people are turning to franchising as a means to entrepreneurship where they are in business for themselves, not by themselves.  That could mean working for a franchisor to support franchisees or becoming a franchisee themselves,” said program donor, and founder and CEO of BrightStar Care, Shelly Sun (HCB, ’92). “When I founded BrightStar Care in 2002, and then began franchising in 2005, it gave me a deeper understanding of franchising and a path to the success that I wish for every entrepreneur. Through this new program we will teach students the fundamentals of franchising and provide them with knowledge that will support whatever career path they ultimately choose.”

BrightStar Care, a home health care franchise dedicated to providing both medical and non-medical assistance for families and individuals in need has grown to more than 365 locations represented by 200 small businesses and reached $639M in revenue in 2021. BrightStar Care is consistently named in Forbes’ Top Ten Franchises under a $150,000 initial investment.

The Franchise Certificate Program provides entrepreneurs with support and training on the many facets of franchising. Students considering a career with a franchisor or simply those that desire deeper franchise knowledge can benefit from the comprehensive curriculum which will include:

• Education on the franchising industry
• Best practices for operating a franchise business
• Insight from franchise industry professionals
• Networking with other students interested in franchising

“The first priority of The Franchise Business Program is to provide entrepreneurial options for potential future business owners,” said Lynn Youngs, executive director of the Anderson Center. “We are not only aiming to educate, but also to make a difference in the community by creating jobs, supporting the next generation of small business owners with a sound basis for entering the entrepreneurial marketplace, and providing innovative strategies for successful business practices.”

To help build the Franchise Certificate Program, Cordell Riley, a franchising expert with nearly 30 years of experience, aims to build the program out in the coming years to include minor and major offerings specifically in franchising.

“Over the next decade we will help to create entrepreneurs that will make a difference in our communities and leverage the ever-so-important entrepreneurial spirit we have as Americans,” said Riley, program faculty member.

An advisory board consisting of franchisors, franchisees, franchise vendors, and other entrepreneurial representatives including Shelly Sun, Lynn Youngs, Tamra Kennedy, Tom Wood, Sherri Fishman and Cordell Riley will advise on the development of program content to ensure the franchise industry and the program work collaboratively to deliver the most knowledgeable future entrepreneurs in the country.

For more information about the Franchise Certificate Program, please visit https://haslam.utk.edu/executive-course/leadership-strategy/franchise-certificate-program/.