Jim Wilson

By Kathi Edwards

BusinessRockford.com

Rockford resident Jim Wilson was elected by the Comfort Keepers franchises in the Midwest to a one-year term as its representative for the National Advisory Council at Comfort Keepers, a senior-care franchise network in North America. He will be one of 16 council members.

Wilson owns the franchise at 4835 Manhattan Drive, Rockford. For more information, visit comfortkeepers.com or call 815-229-9100.

What do you do on the advisory council? How were you selected for it? The National Advisory Council is made up of franchise owners of Comfort Keepers offices. There are eight regions in the U.S. system, and the owners in each region elect a representative every year for a two-year term. Our job is to communicate owners’ opinions to the franchise system and communicate the franchise company’s plans to the owner community. We try to make the system a close partnership, define our culture and plan our growth.

What’s new at Comfort Keepers? The newest thing is that licensure for home-care services in Illinois is coming to our industry. My wife, Anne, and I started this business because we needed help with Anne’s mother, who lived with us. We weren’t comfortable with what was available and saw a definite need for quality providers of nonmedical services in home care.

We weren’t in business very long before we realized that the situation was much worse than we’d thought because of the lack of oversight for providers and education for the public. The horror stories we saw and heard about elder abuse and exploitation caused us to join the National Private Duty Association. Through them, we became involved with their project to educate the community concerning the dangers and responsibilities of the underground economy surrounding home care.

We’ve been working on legislation for disclosure of the responsibilities involved in direct hiring of home care. Because of involvement with AARP, the legislation we were working on eventually evolved to a licensure law that will go into effect this year.

Are you hiring? We are always looking for caring people who want a career that allows them to make a difference. They are the people who make good Comfort Keepers.

Who could do your job? A person in this type of business has to be looking for more than just a job. Someone has to want to make a difference in the lives of the elderly and their families. Comfort Keepers is about helping people. It is a service business requiring a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week commitment. To be successful, a background in small-business accounting, marketing and management would be helpful. Experience in home health would be beneficial. Stamina and prayer also help.

How much do franchise owners make? Many small-business owners work for years without making any money. Home care is a growing industry. With perseverance, an owner can, in time, make a comfortable living.

Other than this job, what was your favorite job and why? I worked as a service engineer, traveling around the country fixing machinery. I enjoy fixing things. That is also one of the reasons I like this job; I’m solving problems.

What do you like best about your job? I’m solving problems and making a difference. The problems may be operational in the business, such as technical problems with equipment or software, or a customer’s problems that we can help solve.

You would never find me leaving this field to be ... a stand-up comic.

The ideal workday: Any day I can go home at the end of it and feel I’ve accomplished something.

The typical workday: There is no typical workday. I spend a lot of time at my desk analyzing the finances and processes, planning the future and working on the IT and technologies involved with our operation. I then may have to drop everything to help cover a shift for a client with an immediate need.

A business needed in the region: A quality hospice facility.

The best way to unwind after work: Anne and I do a lot of reading during the winter and spend a lot of time working in our yard during the summer. We have six grandchildren in the Rockford area, so we also attend a lot of games, concerts and church programs with the family.

Staff writer Kathi Edwards may be reached at 815-987-1364 or kedwards@rrstar.com.

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