1851 Profile with George Brinegar and Jon Searles, Right At Home Franchisees in Central Texas

1851 George Brinegar grew up in central Texas and attended college at Texas A&M University. After graduating with a degree in agriculture with a minor in military science, he was commissioned in 1983 as a lieutenant and went on to graduate from the Army War College in Carlisle, PA. George was deployed in Korea and Iraq, spending the majority of his career as an Armor Officer, Tank Battalion Commander, Task Force Commander and finally Brigade Commander. He finished his career as a Deputy Commanding General of an army division overseeing operations. After spending a total of 28 years in the armed forces, he retired and moved back to central Texas in 2010. Jon Searles graduated with a food science degree from Texas A&M University, and spent the past 26 years in the Dairy and Food Manufacturing industry, working with such well-known brands as Bluebell Ice Cream. He spent six years owning and operating his own food manufacturing facility. How did you learn about Right at Home*? Both Jon and I had done quite a bit of research and were looking into owning our own business. I knew that I was dedicated to a life of service as a result of my military experience, and I wanted to continue to serve people in any capacity that I could. Initially, we never planned on going into business together, but we found that we could play off of each other’s strengths and create a strong business together. What was appealing to you about joining the Right at Home system as a franchise system? Joining Right at Home is a way for us to continue to serve the community we live in. We also get to serve a lot of veterans in the central Texas area in this line of work. We can use our combined expertise to bring in external support and the backing of a national brand. What makes your business different? Our genuine concern and our positive attitude to providing service really make us stand out. Since we are both from the community we are serving, we are committed to the location and serving the members of our community. We understand the community very well. What challenges have you overcome to get where you are now? When I was in the military, I saw the struggles that my own family went through caring for my grandparents. I see an opportunity with Right at Home to help more of the community in the same way. I have a strong feeling that I need to give back – I speak a lot about how I came from such humble beginnings to going to a four-year university and ending up as a general in the U.S. Army. There are very few places in the world that you can come from small beginnings and rise up to be something great. What are your expansion or development plans? Currently we are focused on building upon the central Texas area, but we would like to open an office in Bryan and an office in Temple in the next two to three years. Do you have any other interesting hobbies or passions? I really enjoy the central Texas area and the quality of high school and college athletics in our community. Both of us are very family oriented. I love spending time with my two daughters and Jon has three children.