Celebrating Caring – Annual Conference Round Up

In a business where it’s typical for franchisees and their staff to go above and beyond for their clients, it can be a real challenge to select just a handful to be awarded and recognized during our Annual Conference.

Franchisees are recognized for outstanding performances in the past year and caregivers are also honored during the four-day event in Denver, Colorado. The conference includes hands-on training, peer to peer meetings, corporate updates and this year’s keynote speaker was Troy Hazard.

Mr. Hazard is a former franchisee turned franchisor turned bestselling author and motivational speaker. He spoke to our network at the conference about his own business successes and failures in business as well as his experience in finding just the right caregiver for his elderly father. He understands both business and quality care.

Honoring Caregivers

Over 40 caregivers from nearly two dozen offices across the country were highlighted in a special booklet that included quotes about what made them outstanding. We heard glowing praise like this:

Sue Cook, owner of the Las Vegas, Nevada office said of Derrick, one of her caregivers, “Derrick is what I would want in a caregiver for my loved ones.”

Debbie and Doug Allison, owners of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania office said of caregiver Donna: “She is the best at keeping clients comfortable at home!”

Henry Haitz III, owner of the Lakewood Ranch, Florida office effused that Kasey, a relatively new caregiver was leaving a good impression with the people she works with: “Her clients request her by name and already consider her as part of their family after just a few months.”

Award-Winning Owners

There is recognition given for growth in the numbers of hours serving clients, induction in the Million Dollar Club and the Multi-Million Dollar Club, and for revenue increases, but the biggest awards of the conference are for franchisees who have truly shined in a specific way in the previous year.

Eric Malkin, owner of the Beachwood, Ohio office, was named “Team Player of the Year” for his “outstanding team work with peers” and the corporate office. He was served as the president of the Franchise Advisory Council in the past year and been involved in many pilot projects.

Wendy Raney, owner of the Dallas, Texas office received the “Trailblazer Award” for being a “pioneer in the implementation of strategies” in her business “that created opportunity for growth while preparing the way for others in the network to follow and gain from her knowledge.”

Lori Mgrdichian and Robin McLain were given the “Marketing MVP Award” while Anzor Gachechiladze, owner of two offices in North Carolina, received the “Sales MVP Award.”

Deb Nelson, owner of the Edina, Minnesota office got the “Champion of Excellence Award” for how she has fully embraced and implemented a person-directed approach to care in her office and shown true leadership and care of her office staff and caregivers.

The “Power of Perseverance Award” went to Donald and Nina Kissinger, owners of the Fairfax, Virginia office, for overcoming challenges in growing their business.

Lori Mgrdichian, who owns offices in Connecticut and Massachusetts, also received the “Founder’s Award.” Homewatch CareGivers founder, Paul Sauer, put forth a vision to be recognized as the premier provider of home care services worldwide. Out of the approximately 200 offices in the network, this one owner has exemplified this vision in year before.

The annual conference is an opportunity for all of the franchisees to come together and share successes, failures, knowledge, experiences, and build their local businesses through all of this active participation.

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