Fort Worth Business Press, June 2, 2014 Vol. 26, No. 22 | Page 12

12 FOCUS: ENTREPRENEURSHIP “It’s hard to think of another business where customer service is more important or one that could be more impactful than this.” photo by mayda arista – John Riggins, owner/president, ComForcare Senior Services John Riggins is the owner/president of ComForcare Senior Services serving Fort Worth and Northeast Tarrant County. Right at home Entrepreneurs find second careers in hot home care industry n Betty Dillard F [email protected] ort Worth businessman John Riggins knows firsthand the impact a home caregiver can make in a person’s life. He served as a conservator for an aging relative with Alzheimer’s disease and has a sister with Down syndrome who has received both home health care and institutional care for the last 50 years. His mother, who lives out of state, occasionally needs companion care and rides to the grocery store or doctor’s office. “Home care is something that’s been in my life since I was 8 years old,” said Riggins, 55. “I’ve seen the magical difference a caregiver gives my sister. I know what caregiving can do, what a difference it can make for a family. That was a motivation for me to start my own business.” Riggins, a business graduate of Christian Brothers University, served 22 years as president and chief executive for the Better Business Bureau in Fort Worth after running bureaus in Pensacola, Fla., and Memphis, Tenn. He resigned in January 2013 to focus on starting his own business. He looked for a company that would allow him to continue to help people, but in a more personal way. After extensive franchise shopping and research, he put up personal savings and opened a ComForcare Senior Services franchise in October. Serving the Fort Worth and Northeast Tarrant County territory, he’s one of 145 franchise owners for the Michigan-based company, which operates in 165 territories in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Riggins was familiar with the fran- chise model from owners he helped at the bureau. He operates his business in true entrepreneurial spirit but is glad for the foundation of systems, protocols and training that ComForcare provides. “Franchising was attractive to me because of the support that comes with it,” Riggins said. “It was a risky thing starting a new business but I was attracted to this because they’re concerned about service. It shows in their software and coaching. It’s very much See entrepreneurs u NEXT PAGE