Meet the Griswold Home Care Marketing Team

Griswold Home Care, the non-medical home care franchise with more than 170 locations, is gearing up for major franchise expansion as the growing senior population creates a steadily increasing need for quality home care. To provide both incoming and established franchisees with everything they need to run a successful business in their market, Griswold Home Care features a robust marketing team. 

Here are some of the Griswold Home Care marketing team members and how their role helps support franchisees.

Griswold Home Care VP of Marketing Shelley Kanther

Shelley Kanther, Griswold Home Care’s VP of Marketing, has spent her career working extensively with local, independent business owners. Before Griswold, Kanther worked in the appliance industry as a regional marketing director, setting strategies, developing programs, and installing platforms to help local business owners implement marketing strategies easily. From there, she moved on to a marketing consultant role for a cooperative buying group in New England, which consisted of over 200 independent retailers. In November 2020, Kanther was recruited to Griswold and set out to bring that same strategy to the franchise. 

“What appealed to me about Griswold was its purpose: We are helping people live where they love, for longer,” said Kanther. “There are not a lot of resources in place to support the aging population in a meaningful way. Griswold Home Care has 40 years of experience doing just that: providing care with dignity, compassion, and integrity. I was really drawn to that purpose.”

As the VP of Marketing, Kanther’s primary role is managing all members of the Griswold marketing team and making sure franchisees are aligned with brand standards, messaging, and communication. 

“Our franchisees have to wear a lot of hats, and they may not necessarily have experience in marketing,” said Kanther. “And with the digital landscape changing constantly, it is hard to keep up. So, we try to make marketing easy, using technologies and platforms that are turn-key and simple. We pride ourselves on providing extensive, hands-on support for our franchise network. The marketing department is full of talented people who go the extra mile to help franchisees succeed. We provide one-on-one training, webinars, and on-site franchise visits, covering everything from social media platforms and micro-sites to reviews and reputation management. We are a very hands-on group of people that just want to help franchisees thrive, because when they win, the whole company wins.”

Kanther says her goal is to be a leader with a vision — someone who isn’t scared to try new things and learn. “You never know what could work,” she said. “If we are going to fail, it is better to learn new things and try again than to just be mediocre along the way. We want to touch people's hearts, and the ability to embrace new ideas and take risks is probably my greatest asset.”

Griswold Home Care Senior Marketing Manager Angela Baker

Angela Baker, Senior Marketing Manager with Griswold, has spent her career primarily in the marketing world, including five years coordinating all marketing efforts for a manufacturing company, as well as handling social media for a modeling agency. After deciding it was time for something new, Baker came across an opportunity with Griswold in early 2022 and immediately connected with the brand’s core values. 

“The Griswold service was really dear to my heart, and the team seemed fantastic,” said Baker. “My grandmother had ALS, and I watched my mom take care of her. After grandma passed, my dad got diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. My mom was an at-home nurse for the majority of her career, so I feel I have a unique understanding of what that entails. I see those values of care throughout every level of this company, from the CEO to caregivers. They all care for people so deeply.”

As the senior marketing manager, Baker’s main focus is on digital marketing support for both the corporate team and the franchise network. “I am the liaison with our website designer,” she said. “I work with them on updating our website, which includes all franchisees’ local micro-sites. I recently created a micro-site best practices document, for example, which is a questionnaire form to help guide franchisees through the process of optimizing their website. I help franchisees edit their individual websites, add information, etc. Also, I assist franchisees with reputation management, training franchisees on how to ask for Google reviews and manage that platform. For example, we are planning a webinar series about reputation management to ensure franchisees are implementing the processes to obtain reviews consistently.”

Overall, when it comes to marketing support, Baker says the greatest asset she brings to the team is her data-driven ability to figure out what works and what doesn’t. “I love to describe myself as a mix of left and right brain,” she said. “With marketing, there are a lot of crazy ideas, but it is important to see what really works. It might seem like a good idea, but you have to have those numbers to prove it. I really understand the life of a franchisee and am always there to pick up the phone and help them with anything they need.”

Griswold Home Care Marketing Manager Charles Stewart

Charles Stewart, Griswold Home Care Marketing Manager, came to the marketing world through the avenue of film and media. After studying film in college, Stewart became interested in marketing and advertising and thought of it as a good way to utilize his education towards a more stable career. Stewart worked for a few digital marketing agencies before joining Griswold in 2016. 

“I was a military brat, and I grew up far away from my extended family, so when my maternal grandparents passed away, I wasn’t close by,” said Stewart. “When I learned about Griswold, it sounded like a great way to be included in the care process. This was an opportunity for me to help families, provide stable jobs to caregivers and assist franchisees in building local businesses in the community. That is what keeps me here every day. I empower directors to go and execute their marketing strategy, which allows them to grow their business and help more families. It's a snowball effect.”

In his role, Stewart says each day is a little different, but his primary work revolves around managing all aspects of production. This could include adding video to the brand’s monthly webinar or assisting franchisees with social media production. 

“Anything you watch, I am in charge of that,” Stewart said. “Graphic design, video, audio. I want to make sure all assets are not only top-notch and well-designed but also helpful. If a franchisee comes to me for a custom-designed flyer for an event they are hosting, I will help ensure it fits with brand standards and communicates a clear message. When you buy a franchise, you may not be an expert in every aspect of running a business, including marketing. That is what we are here for. You know how to run your business, we are here to help market your business in the community.”

Griswold Home Care Marketing Coordinator Sarah King 

Sarah King, Griswold Home Care Marketing Coordinator, started her career in college, working as the marketing intern for several nonprofit organizations. After graduation, she worked as an office coordinator for a construction company, supporting business development, marketing, and HR. In April 2021, she joined the Griswold team after connecting with the brand’s mission.

“I love working with people who are community-oriented, and I love to give back to those who are supporting others,” said King. “With Griswold, I can support those who support their communities. When I learned more about Griswold, it really spoke to me personally, because I grew up in the same house as my grandparents and was a caregiver for my grandma after she fell and hurt her hip. Being able to provide relief and support for others who went through the same thing really resonated with me.”

As the marketing coordinator, King says her main focus is on copywriting, communication, social media management, and content creation. “Day to day, I am coordinating with blog writers and scheduling out various emails, both internally to franchise owners and externally to clients who are subscribed to our newsletter,” she said. “Franchisees are also able to reach out to us with any questions regarding marketing strategies, issues with platforms, etc. I am actively making sure that I am up-to-date with any and all inquiries.”

King says she is there to assist franchisees with all copywriting needs, whether it be working on their employee bio, their own blog post, a social media post or anything else. “I work with them to help achieve their goals,” she said. “Franchisees have so much to deal with day-to-day, the last thing on their mind is marketing. Our role on the corporate marketing team is to make their life easier. I am determined to ensure  that I always have an answer for them. I feel very lucky to know these franchise owners, and it is really an unbelievable system.”

For more information on franchising with Griswold Home Care, visit: https://www.griswoldhomecare.com/franchising/