Vince Maffeo embarked on his franchising journey almost 15 years ago, leaving his sales and marketing career in Florida to assist his father in managing multiple Comfort Keepers franchises in 2008. Over the years, Maffeo has expanded his footprint in the non-medical home care sector, now overseeing 10 Comfort Keepers locations throughout California. When the Comfort Keepers brand announced a strategic alliance with TruBlue Total House Care, a national franchise specializing in senior-focused home maintenance and handyman services, Maffeo recognized a golden opportunity to create a comprehensive service hub for his clientele.
Maffeo explains, “I knew it would be more beneficial to own a TruBlue location and more convenient for our clients. Buying a TruBlue means that my Comfort Keepers locations won’t have to refer out the handyman and home services as we’ve done in the past. It’s now a one-stop shop. Comfort Keepers provides care for the individual, and TruBlue provides maintenance to the home.”
A Strategic Partnership with Comfort Keepers Senior Care
This strategic partnership between Comfort Keepers and TruBlue, established last year, designates TruBlue as a preferred provider of handyman services and senior home modifications within the Comfort Keepers network. Taking this alliance a step further, Maffeo has decided to invest in his own TruBlue location, a move aimed at further immersing himself in the senior industry.
Maffeo emphasizes the importance of reaching the aging demographic, stating, “It’s an important age group to reach because we have so many seniors that are aging. My average Comfort Keepers client is between the ages of 80 and 83. There are over 10,000 people a day turning 65 in this country. That age group, the baby boomers, aren’t even our clients yet. If you think we are busy now, just wait until that age group begins to need our services. They will need professionals to provide individualized care and home repairs and care in the future.”
TruBlue uniquely addresses this growing demand as the sole franchise system dedicated to ongoing home maintenance services for seniors and busy adults. Their Home Ally Maintenance & VIP Service subscription program encompasses a range of services, including to-do list chores, handyman repairs, and basic maintenance tasks often overlooked or challenging for seniors to perform. TruBlue franchisees, as specialists, also conduct Senior Home Safety Assessments and implement recommended safety modifications.
Maffeo is committed to maintaining a client-centric approach in his new venture, stating, “I’m all about executing and being able to understand how to provide the best service, whatever that means for the client. At Comfort Keepers, we tailor our caregiving approach to the individual client and then execute it. I want to keep that same mindset going into owning TruBlue. We’re going to assess the needs of our clients’ homes, make a plan and then execute it properly.”
A Scalable Franchise Opportunity
While Maffeo has officially signed with TruBlue to launch one location in Modesto in 2023, he envisions continued growth in partnership with TruBlue. He sees the benefits of providing seniors with personalized health and home services and aims to leverage TruBlue’s established marketing plan while incorporating his own company's unique approach.
TruBlue President Sean Fitzgerald sees Maffeo as a prime example of an entrepreneur looking to enhance their senior business portfolio with a complementary service. Fitzgerald explains, “TruBlue was created to complement the senior industry. The main challenge seniors have with aging in place is maintaining the home environment. So by being able to provide those home assessments and modification solutions, it ensures senior care operators can add another value to their business.”
Why TruBlue is a Great Add-On for Senior Industry Portfolios
Highlighting the scalability of TruBlue as a franchise opportunity, Maffeo affirms, “Expansion is always the plan. My main goal is to take advantage of the marketing plan that is tried and true with the brand and apply it successfully to the client base I already have. I want to make a dual marketing approach by applying the TruBlue tactics but adding the twist from my own company.”
Fitzgerald echoes the sentiment, emphasizing the appeal of TruBlue as an add-on for senior industry portfolios. He states, “By adding TruBlue to their portfolio, senior industry operators can also maintain a larger percentage of their clientele. The top reasons someone loses a client in the senior care industry are hospitalization, transitioning to assisted living, or passing away. Many of those issues could be a result of falls. With TruBlue’s three-step process, senior care operators can better prepare their clients for aging in place.”
TruBlue's approach aligns with the broader goal of supporting aging in place, leading to collaborations with major senior companies like Comfort Keepers nationwide. Fitzgerald notes, “Big companies much larger than us are partnering with us because they see how our service is needed and related to their business. They are utilizing our network of franchisees to provide those services, and it will only become more prevalent as awareness around aging in place grows.”
Maffeo stands as a testament to the success of incorporating TruBlue as an additional service within an existing senior industry franchise. Fitzgerald concludes, “We have partnered with companies like Comfort Keepers to further our mission of educating families and seniors on how to age in place successfully, and having someone like Vince take that partnership to the next level by investing in TruBlue is a great testament to the strength of our brand.”