In-home care firm expands

An in-home health care agency has extended its caregiving reach to Gwinnett County with the recent opening of two franchises in Duluth and Lawrenceville.

The expansion into Gwinnett is part of BrightStar Healthcare’s national growth plan, which calls for 400 new franchises by 2010. The company has 75 locations and is adding about five a month.

In Atlanta, five franchises have the rights to open 13 locations, so expect to see multiple franchises in 2009, said Shelly Sun, founder and president. “It’s a very hot market,” she said.

Based in Chicago, BrightStar Healthcare started in 2002 and provides around-the-clock, in-home medical and nonmedical care.

Although seniors represent the majority of its clients, the company also works with children, veterans, school nursing programs, health clinics and day-care services, Sun said.

Scott and Suzanne Morrison opened the Duluth location in early September and have about 50 employees, from registered nurses to medical assistants.

Sun said as economic conditions hammer other businesses, “we think the economy is working in our favor.”

That’s because the national housing crisis has forced more elderly people who can’t sell to stay and receive care in their homes, chipping away at business for BrightStar’s chief competitor, assisted living centers, Sun said.

Company revenues are expected to exceed $30 million this year. “None of us are getting younger.”