Finance & Healthcare Power Team Open New TruBlue Franchise to Serve Northern New Jersey

Liz Rabban and Craig Rubinstein, both seasoned professionals in their respective fields, have embarked on a new journey as franchisees with TruBlue Home Service Ally, a prominent name in the home maintenance and senior modification services industry. Their two locations will cover the Northern New Jersey territories of West Essex and Montclair, including Western Essex County, and multiple towns in Union and Morris Counties.

Rabban is currently a financial services executive, whose career also includes over 25 years in business development and management roles with various tech, growth stage and entrepreneurial companies. Her decision to own a TruBlue franchise was fueled by personal experiences in elder care and senior home property maintenance, aligned with her assessment of a market gap for reliable, consistent home repair and handyman services.

Rubinstein brings a wealth of experience from the health care sector, where he managed medical offices. It was here that he developed a deep understanding of the challenges faced by seniors, which sparked his interest in helping them age comfortably in their homes.

As partners, they chose TruBlue as the winning model to bring their communities a much-needed level of professionalism and expertise. Looking ahead, Rabban and Rubinstein plan to expand their business across Northern New Jersey, aiming to make TruBlue a respected regional name in home maintenance.

1851 Franchise spoke with the duo to learn more about their backgrounds, what drew them to TruBlue, their plans for the future and more.

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Rabban: For more than 25 years, I’ve worked with new or growth-stage businesses, but TruBlue will be my first wholly-owned venture. I’ve scaled companies across multiple verticals; I’ve been in business development, fundraising, strategy, sales, and marketing - you wear many hats in younger companies. At the end of 2021, I pivoted into investment banking to help primarily middle market, larger companies source creative financial solutions for their goals.

Here is something many people don’t know about me, and what you won’t find on my resume: I am handy and know how to fix things around the house — I have also been a residential realtor, and grew up in that business. I enjoy crafts and working with my hands, and intend to hire a team that shares the satisfaction of a finished project done well.

So how does my background lead to a home repair franchise? Two main events precipitated this decision: elder care emergencies in our own family, and frustration with the current marketplace for simple and recurring home repair options servicing busy families of all ages.

Rubinstein: I spent several years in the healthcare industry, working for a large healthcare group in New Jersey and managing a few different medical offices. I worked closely with a lot of seniors and, frankly, realized that they needed a lot of help with daily tasks both inside and outside the home. I’ve always enjoyed working with seniors - and families of all ages. Prior to working in healthcare, I was in management at several sleepaway camps in the Northeast. Operations, facilities, staff, and caregiving all overlapped in my roles across multiple companies.

 As Liz and I thought about how to merge our skill sets, we started to do some research and found that there was a need in the area to help people age in place.

 Outside of work, I am a youth sports coach — that is my favorite activity by far!

1851: What was your perception of franchising before becoming a franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?

Rabban: I’ve built a number of businesses in the past and I knew I did not want to implement a back office from scratch. With TruBlue, their support is comprehensive, they are growing fast, they’ve perfected the model, and they have affiliate relationships that we can leverage to benefit our customers. I wanted a turnkey operation with a quality team, and we found that in TruBlue.

Rubinstein: I have been thinking about a local franchise for a long time - my friends built some successful franchises and I spent time learning about their successes and challenges. TruBlue has a great team, and I like spending time with them - you have to build a community internally to help your community externally, or in other words, work with nice people. We are a new franchise - will have to keep you updated as we grow!

1851: What made you choose this brand? What excites you most about this company?

Rabban: Our big “why” is that over the past few years, particularly with our extended families, there have been challenges with elder care and safety. And a significant amount of time and effort was expended on property maintenance - senior home modifications, deferred maintenance, regular seasonal needs, and moves. Multiple emergencies can occur at the same time: health and housing needs can change on a dime. TruBlue of West Essex and Montclair is here to help with home safety and maintenance situations that arise as people care for their elders - and by extension their entire families. I am the sandwich generation, I deeply understand the needs of multi-generational families.

Craig was instrumental in helping me care for my dad during the last years of his life, especially in managing the housing situation. We decided together that this was something we wanted to explore.

Rubinstein: The other piece of this is that we are homeowners ourselves — a home requires ongoing maintenance and it is challenging to find qualified home repair professionals. When I started digging into TruBlue corporate, it sounded like a great company.

Rabban: In fact, we found TruBlue because we were looking for companies in our area that offered vetted, reliable, and comprehensive repair services and senior home modifications.

1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth?

Rabban: Simple: we want to help families across Northern New Jersey manage their homes. We intend to make TruBlue of West Essex and Montclair the go-to company for home repair and senior modifications, and to earn our customers’ trust as a well-respected, enterprise-grade service business.

Subscription services will also be a value-add offering, and something new in the home repair space. Our quarterly maintenance plans are designed for peace of mind - and service plans are a great way to make sure that your most valuable asset is kept in excellent working condition.

1851: What is the one thing about your story you want us to know?

Rabban: I am technically the sole owner - we are a female-owned business. I’ve always worked in male-dominated industries and have excelled - so I am used to it! I love the construction and residential real-estate trades — keeping your environment more beautiful, functional, and satisfying allows us to give your family something truly precious: time.

Rubinstein: One thing I've learned from my medical background is that everybody trusts their doctors. I want to bring that level of trust to this business — we are going to be reliable, professional and compassionate. You might not expect that from the person coming to fix your drywall or do some maintenance, but we do.

1851: What advice do you have for others thinking about becoming a franchise owner?

Rabban: Carefully vet the franchise — talk to the C-suite leadership, dive into the financials, understand what your obligations are. You will need to be committed to the 24/7 startup business life. It's not going to be a business in a box. They give you the tools, but it's up to you to use them. I believe that if you partner with the right franchise, then the sky’s the limit.

The total investment necessary to begin operation of a TruBlue franchise ranges from $70,050 to $96,400. This includes $49,900  that must be paid to the franchisor or an affiliate. For more information, please visit https://1851franchise.com/trubluehousecare/info.

 About TruBlue Home Service Ally:

TruBlue Home Service Ally® provides a unique and affordable approach to helping busy adults and seniors live a worry-free life by offering trustworthy handyman, home maintenance and senior modification services. Helping you maintain your home both inside and out, TruBlue’s services include handyman projects and to-do list chores, preventative home maintenance programs, kitchen and bath remodels, seasonal work, and senior modification services, all handled by professional, bonded and insured Tru-Pro® Technicians. TruBlue franchise owners are required to complete senior home safety certification programs through the NAHB and Age Safe America. As certified specialists, TruBlue franchisees are able to perform aging in place home safety assessments and can make recommended safety modifications as needed.