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Leading non-medical home care franchise recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine for second consecutive year.

CINCINNATI — FirstLight Home Care, an award-winning provider of non-medical home care, was ranked by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the top franchises for veterans.

FirstLight was evaluated based on veteran incentives, support of veteran franchisees, and its ranking in the 2018 Franchise 500. This is the company’s second year in a row making the list.

“We’ve long been a supporter of veterans and are always looking for more ways to show appreciation for those who have served our country,” said Jeff Bevis, CEO and co-founder of FirstLight Home Care. “We have programs in place to provide veterans with assistance in opening their own FirstLight business, and we’ve had tremendous success at our locations owned by those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.”

As part of its support for all U.S. military veterans, FirstLight discounts its franchise fee by $12,500 for veterans. Bevis also serves as the current committee chairman of the International Franchise Association (IFA) Education Foundation VetFran Committee, which helps provide access and opportunities in both employment and franchising for veterans and their spouses. Additionally, FirstLight regularly attends and presents at regional and national events that are created to assist transitioning veterans to highlight both business ownership and employment opportunities that exist within the franchise industry for veterans and their spouses.

In addition to making Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top Franchises for Veterans list, Franchise Business Review ranked FirstLight as a Top Franchise for Veterans for the second consecutive year.

The recognition from Entrepreneur adds to the recent awards FirstLight has been receiving lately. In recent months, the company has also made the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing, privately held companies (for the 4^th consecutive year of eligibility), as well as the Franchise Times Top 200+ of the 500 largest franchise companies for the fourth and sixth consecutive times, respectively. The company has also made Franchise Business Review’s Top 100 Franchises for Innovation list.

The complete list of Entrepreneur Magazine’s 2018 Top Franchises for Veterans can be found at https://www.entrepreneur.com/franchises/topfranchiseveterans/2018/.

Oasis Senior Advisors underwrites new PBS storytelling program.

BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. — Oasis Senior Advisors celebrates the bond between seniors and their families. That’s why the Bonita Springs-based franchisor is proud to underwrite the production of Family Pictures USA, a television series and transmedia project that will air in the spring of 2019 on WGCU-TV and nationally on the World channel.

Family Pictures USA blends the personal narrative style of the popular PBS series StoryCorps with the surprising discoveries that made Antiques Roadshow a hit show on public television. The production crew traveled to Southwest Florida, Detroit and North Carolina to film families as they sorted through old photos and gained fascinating insight about their heritage.

“Every day, our advisors see the strength of the emotional connection between seniors, their families and their past,” Oasis Senior Advisors CEO Tim Evankovich said. “Family Pictures USA underscores that connection and shows how it links families with their communities and the nation as a whole. We’re thrilled to be a part of this amazing show.”

The show is an offshoot of Digital Diaspora Family Reunion, a touring program that brings people together to encourage them to engage with their own family photographic archives in galvanizing ways.

Digital Diaspora has held live events in cities across the USA and around the world for the past 10 years, amassing interviews of more than 2,500 people and gathering in excess of 30,000 images. It also gave rise to the 2014 documentary film “Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People.”

“The Senegalese poet Leopold Senghor said, ‘The photograph is the shortest distance between one person’s eyes and another person’s heart,’ and that’s what this is all about,” Family Pictures USA Executive Producer Don Perry said. “This project is really about engaging in an intergenerational dialogue.”

Perry and Family Pictures host and creator Thomas Allen Harris came to Southwest Florida this fall and held two photo sharing events where families brought in their old pictures, many of which became the basis for the storytelling that takes place on the show.

One of the segments features Independent Miccosukee native Larry Osceola and family going through their albums, an experience that piqued the interest of the family’s children in surprising ways.

“The kids were like, ‘We should do this more often.’ They thanked us. They had such a ball doing it that they want to make it a regular thing,” Perry said.

Part of the idea behind the show is to reintroduce families to a way of exploring their own history that strengthens ties with older members of the family.

“We love that Oasis is a sponsor, working to connect us with human beings who provide vital connections to our past,” Perry said. “Elderly folks are often looked on as a problem at a certain point. In a culture that undervalues age, we don’t want to be reminded of our mortality. But we need to look instead at their vitality and their engagement.”

Oasis Senior Advisors is dedicated to helping seniors live better lives by providing a no-cost service that guides them to the right place for their care. The company undertakes numerous initiatives that help raise awareness of issues that affect seniors, such as the Virtual Dementia Tour, which affords caregivers, health care workers and family members a better understanding of the disease.

National non-medical home care provider announces new Chicagoland location.

CHICAGO — FirstLight Home Care, an award-winning provider of non-medical home care, announced today it will expand its presence in the Chicagoland area when its new location in Algonquin/northwest suburbs opens in early 2019. The office will be owned and operated by the father-daughter team of Glenn and Katarina Garbowicz.

FirstLight Home Care of Algonquin will be serving the northwest Chicago suburbs, including Carpentersville, Elgin, Huntley, St. Charles and Sleepy Hollow. Qualified caregivers — home health aides and CNAs — all across this northwest suburban area interested in FirstLight career opportunities are encouraged to email either Glenn Garbowicz at ggarbowicz@firstlighthomecare.com or Katarina Garbowicz at kgarbowicz@firstlighthomecare.com.

FirstLight serves seniors, adults with disabilities, new mothers, veterans, those recovering from surgery and other adults in need of assistance. Their caregivers help with many needs – from personal hygiene and household duties such as cooking, cleaning and running errands to mobility assistance and dementia care.

“We’re expanding in the Chicagoland area to provide even more of our unique, industry-leading service quality to more potential clients and their families,” said Jeff Bevis, FirstLight Home Care co-founder and CEO. “This gives people with aging parents and family caregivers who live in the northwestern part of the Chicago area a new option for in home care.”

Since opening its first franchise location in 2010, FirstLight Home Care has experienced steady growth and is now operating more than 250 locations in 34 states throughout the U.S.

Premier national talent acquisition franchise expands into thriving California market

SONOMA COUNTY, Calif. — NEXTAFF, an industry leader in identifying quality talent for businesses, today announced it is opening its first location in Sonoma County, California.

The new office will operate in Rohnert Park, California, and will offer staffing solutions to businesses in all industries.

“Sonoma has a vibrant culture and a wealth of talent to pull from,” said Cary Daniel, co-founder and director at NEXTAFF. “But it’s not about helping local business find any talent, it’s about finding quality talent. Whether you’re looking for housekeepers, accountants, or drivers, every business is trying to accomplish one goal: getting a quality person in that role. At NEXTAFF, we differentiate ourselves, to the benefit of our clients, by expanding beyond the job boards and connecting with any and every person that might be open minded about a new job or career. The result is a completely different approach to the same candidate search — providing a larger pool of qualified candidates before you even start the screening process.”

NEXTAFF offers a proprietary recruiting method called X-FACTOR™, which combines hiring methodologies that are statistically proven to outperform what typical staffing competitors and HR departments traditionally do.

“We evaluate each client on a case-by-case basis,” Daniel said. “The NEXTAFF system is designed to be customized for each client, based on their particular needs and the industry they’re in. One thing that’s the same, though, is that our methodology can increase candidate quality by five times the norm. We look forward to bringing results like that to Sonoma.”

America’s Favorite Neighborhood Pet Store Donates Over $20,000 to RHEA to Support Dogs Recovering from Abuse and Neglect

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Nov. 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Pet Supplies Plus – the largest and most trusted pet retail franchise in the United States – stepped in to help assist the team at the RHEA County Animal Shelter after the organization rescued 119 Yorkies, Chihuahuas and other smaller-breed dogs from a horrible puppy mill in Knoxville, Tennessee last month. In effort to get the dogs back in good health, Pet Supplies Plus donated over $20,000 worth of product and supplies.

As of today, the corporate team from Pet Supplies Plus was able to provide wet dog food, deworming medicine, flea/tick prevention, bandages, medical supplies, beds, food bowls and other necessary grooming supplies such as brushes, nail trimmers, etc. While some dogs have regained their health, some are still are on the road to recovery and are waiting to be medically cleared in addition to being assessed for any behavioral issues. Each dog is still in foster care with a long list of potential adoptive parents, many who are currently fostering the dogs, lining up to place them permanently in their forever homes.

Immediately following the evacuation from the inhumane conditions, all animals were transported to the RHEA Count Animal Shelter, located at 9118 Back Valley Road in Evensville. Local Pet Supplies Plus team members from six Knoxville area stores – Pet Supplies Plus of Maryville, Pet Supplies Plus of Knoxville, Pet Supplies Plus of Knoxville, Pet Supplies Plus of Knoxville, Pet Supplies Plus of Knoxville and Pet Supplies Plus of Cookeville – selflessly donated their time and resources to provide grooming appointments to the dogs, many of which were suffering from severe diseases such as parasites, gum disease and other health issues. Each Pet Supplies Plus team member is trained to treat pets with nothing but kindness, patience, respect and compassion to ensure their well-being.

“Pet Supplies Plus is honored to be able to help the RHEA County Animal Shelter. We admire their efforts and determination that went into locating these helpless animals,” said Chris Rowland, CEO of Pet Supplies Plus. “The conditions the 119 dogs lived in were extreme, which why we felt absolutely inclined to step in to provide our resources. We’re hopeful that our resources will continue to help in their road to recovery after being abused and neglected for an immeasurable amount of time. Most importantly, I’m blown away by the number of our employees, from our surrounding franchise locations, who volunteered to help aid the animals and also the shelter. For that, I thank each and every one of you.”

Pet Supplies Plus offers a wide array of natural pet foods, and a variety of Made in the USA pet consumables. These include wet and dry food, treats, rawhide and chews. Set in welcoming neighborhood environments, Pet Supplies Plus team members get to know their neighbors and pets by name at every store. Many locations also feature a full offering of grooming services tailored to meet every pet’s needs, including washes, haircuts, body brushing, flea treatment and nail, skin, ear and oral care.

Donations to the RHEA County Animal Shelter are welcome. For more information on when the animals will be available for adoption or how to donate, please visit www.rheacountytn.gov or call (423) 775-7837. Additionally, neighbors are encouraged to visit www.petsuppliesplus.com/Store to find and contact their closest store for details.

WACO, Texas — Neighborly, formerly Dwyer Group, one of the world’s largest franchising companies of home service brands, has announced the appointment of Bryan Saltzburg to the Board of Directors, effective immediately.

In this role, Saltzburg will work with the rest of the company’s board members to guide activities at Neighborly and the company’s family of service brands as they continue to grow and expand on a global level.

“The Neighborly Board of Directors is thrilled to have a seasoned professional like Bryan join our team,” said Mike Bidwell, President and CEO of Neighborly. “Bryan is a strong B2C executive who has nearly 20 years of managerial experience running marketing, product and operations within some of the largest brands in the consumer Internet industry. He understands how to manage and lead growth through online services and will therefore make a great asset to our board as we continue to grow our Neighborly platform.”

In addition to being recently appointed to the US Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, Saltzburg currently serves as President of Flights and Cruise for TripAdvisor, Inc., the world’s largest travel site, and has been part of their executive leadership team for the past decade. Saltzburg has also served as Vice President and General Manager of New Initiatives, tasked to incubate and scale large online business verticals on a global basis, including Flights, Vacation Rentals, and now Cruise. Prior to TripAdvisor, he gained extensive experience working with other leading consumer brands including Travelocity.com, The Walt Disney Company, Neutrogena Corporation and Princess Cruise Line, Ltd. Both Travelocity.com and TripAdvisor, Inc. experienced tremendous periods of growth during his tenure.

“I am honored to be joining the Neighborly Board at such a pivotal time for this growing brand,” said Saltzburg. “As Neighborly continues to be a leading innovator in the home services industry, I am excited to contribute to this team as the parent company works toward setting and achieving new goals for its family of franchising companies.”

Saltzburg holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education and Social Policy from Northwestern University.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Assisted Living Locators, a leading senior care referral and placement agency, has reached its 100^th franchise milestone. According to a recent study by FRANdata, only 22% of brands have reached 100 units over the past 5 years.

Assisted Living Locators breaks into the triple digits after a decade of consecutive growth, including an unprecedented franchise recruitment rate over the past two years.  As the first senior placement and referral franchise business in the U.S., the company has pioneered its way to a national presence with 103 franchisees in 33 states and the District of Columbia.  

Assisted Living Locators awarded this landmark 100th franchise to John Weber, its Wichita, KS, franchise owner who will be expanding his business footprint to Topeka, KS.

“The hallmark of a successful business model is when your existing franchisees invest in more territories,” said Angela Olea, Assisted Living Locators CEO RN. “Our franchisees recognize the value of owning Assisted Living Locators territories, which is a true testament to their confidence in our company.”

Mark Alivero, Assisted Living Locators COO, added, “I also credit our investment in a proprietary, custom CRM platform, Assisted Living Locators Integrated Network (ALL-IN™), as well as our increased focus on franchisee training and support, business processes and lead generation expansion, as the building blocks of our success.”

 “We have a proven business model that is attracting qualified candidates to become business owners in the dynamic senior care market,” said Olea.

“The growth rate in the assisted living industry is unprecedented,” she explained. “Revenues are currently at $12-15 billion per year and are expected to increase. Every day in America, there are tens of thousands of families searching for assisted living homes and communities for their elderly parents. Our aim is to recruit business-minded franchisees who have a passion for helping this growing senior population.”

Former Lifestyle Consultant for Massage Heights Retreat in Omaha, Nebraska Joins USA Bobsled National Team

SAN ANTONIO — Massage Heights, a leader of professional, affordable and convenient therapeutic massage and facial services, announced today that it is sponsoring Nicole Brungardt, a USA bobsledder and former employee of one of its franchisees. Brungardt, who worked as a lifestyle consultant for Massage Heights West Maple in her home state of Nebraska, was recently selected to join the USA Bobsled National Team and will kick off the World Cup season in Latvia from Dec. 3-9, 2018.

“We are so proud of all Nicole’s achievements thus far and stand in awe of her relentless, unwavering commitment to pursuing her dreams. It truly feels that things have come full circle as we build this partnership together and support her the way she once supported Massage Heights,” said Shane Evans, co-founder and president of Massage Heights. “We’re so inspired by her and feel honored to stand behind her, cheering her on through this next journey with sights set on Beijing.”

Brungardt joined the Women’s Bobsled Team on the North American Circuit in Oct. 2017, and in her rookie season, won three gold medals making her an up-and-coming star in the sport. Prior to bobsledding, Brungardt played volleyball and ran track in both high school and college and was inducted into the Norfolk Catholic High School Hall of Fame, as well as the Wayne State Athletics Hall of Fame.

“Massage therapy has always played a vital role in my success as a collegiate and professional athlete. I rely on it for not only the physical benefits, but for mental relaxation, as well,” said Nicole Brungardt. “As a former employee of Massage Heights, I have a strong personal connection and great respect for the brand, and I’m excited about this new partnership together.”

New Orleans-Based Coffeehouse Chain to Award Franchise License to Deserving Veteran

NEW ORLEANS — PJ’s Coffee of New Orleans, a New Orleans-based coffeehouse that demonstrates better beans, superior roasting techniques, and pure passion for the art of coffee-making matter, has announced its second annual Veteran Franchise License Giveaway which will award one deserving veteran a PJ’s Coffee franchise license.

The popular coffeeshop is looking for military veterans to join the ever-growing $100 billion a year global coffee industry. PJ’s Coffee seeks hardworking, passionate applicants who align with its core values of delivering best-in-class coffee with the highest regards to service and hospitality.

If interested, veterans should visit https://www.pjsfranchise.com/vets/ to enter their contact information and receive a franchise brochure. Once received, they will need to submit a one-minute video explaining how military service has prepared them to be a PJ’s Coffee owner. The application is now open and will run through December 31. The winner will be announced in January 2019.

“PJ’s Coffee is grateful for every veteran’s service to this country and is honored to provide a sustainable career for those returning home from duty,” said David Mesa, Chief Development Officer of PJ’s Coffee.  “After awarding our first franchise license to Marine Corps veteran, Jeff Hateley, last year it became clear this was an initiative PJ’s Coffee had to continue. Jeff has blossomed as a formidable entrepreneur and we hope this annual giveaway will empower other veterans to embrace their entrepreneurial spirit.”

Hateley was chosen for his diverse military and professional background and infectious can-do attitude, Hateley served in the Marine Corps from 2001 to 2006 and specialized in Tactical Data Networks. During his service, he was deployed in Iraq and Japan and took on the role of a Primary Marksmanship Instructor. After serving, Hateley went on to receive his Bachelor’s from California State University Fullerton. After winning the license giveaway he opened his PJ’s Coffee location in Rock Hill, South Carolina earlier this year.

“I am forever grateful for the opportunity PJ’s Coffee has afforded me,” said Hateley. “I dreamt of owning my own business and with their backing my dream has become a reality. Via my franchise, I have been able to advance my career, engage the community and provide a superior coffee-house experience.”

PJ’s Coffee serves a wide variety of iced, frozen, hot, cold brew, and nitro-infused coffees using only the top one percent of Arabica beans, as well as organic tea and fresh breakfast pastries. The brand’s famous iced coffees are brewed daily using a special cold-drip process that protects the flavor and strength of the beans, while producing a coffee that is two thirds less acidic – a process pioneered by PJ’s Coffee founder, Phyllis Jordan.

A prospective franchisee can expect a total investment range between $178,900 – $373,000 for non-traditional franchise units, and $190,900 – $566,000 for traditional units. The operating model and menu is adaptable to any environment with different options including kiosks and free-standing locations with a drive-thru, ranging from a few hundred square feet up to 2200 square feet. PJ’s Coffee offers a proven franchise structure with strategic corporate support.

The PJ’s Coffee brand is passionate about giving back to the veteran community in any way it can. The company is an International Franchise Association VetFran member, proudly offering qualified veterans a 20 percent discount on the initial franchise fee.

Leading staffing franchise expands national footprint into Northeastern Florida

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — AtWork Group, a rapidly growing national staffing franchise, announced today the opening of its new office in Jacksonville, Florida, extending the company’s national reach into Northeastern Florida. The franchise location is owned and operated by United States Army veteran Mike Wynn and will offer staffing solutions to the greater Jacksonville metro area.

“With our expansion into Jacksonville we’re looking forward to continuing to develop our presence across the state of Florida,” said Jason Leverant, president and COO of AtWork Group. “By coupling a strong, local franchise owner with the experience, tools, and resources of AtWork’s national franchise network, clients and associates alike will be able to realize why AtWork has been named a Best of Staffing award winner for 5+ years!”

“I feel like this is a perfect opportunity for the First Coast market,” said Mike Wynn. “I intend on bringing my hard work, dedication, and passion to this business to serve the Jacksonville community!”

The new office is located at 8640 Phillips Highway, Suite 5, Jacksonville, Florida and will provide staffing services to clients in the light industrial and clerical industries, facilitating temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct hire placements. The business may be reached at 904-379-6159 or by visiting AtWork.com/Jacksonville.