From Software Engineering and Community Advocacy to Home Care Franchise Ownership with Griswold

For Chris and Elizabeth Uribe, owning a business meant finding a way to combine their professional experience with a shared desire to make a meaningful impact in the place they call home. Now, the husband-and-wife team is preparing to do just that with the opening of a Griswold franchise serving South Bay San Diego and Chula Vista.

Chris comes to franchising after a career in software engineering, where he learned that even in a highly technical field, success ultimately depends on people, collaboration, and the strength of the team around you. Elizabeth, meanwhile, has built a varied career spanning residential property management, higher education, tutoring, and research. Across those roles, she repeatedly found herself drawn to work that brought people together, understood their needs, and strengthened communities.

As they prepare to launch their business, the Uribes are thinking beyond simply providing home care. They want to create an organization where Caregivers feel valued, Clients and families feel supported, and employees can build long-term careers. For Chris and Elizabeth, Griswold represents an opportunity to build a business around the values that have shaped both of their careers: community, learning, service, and helping others succeed.

1851 spoke with the couple about why franchising made sense for their next chapter, what drew them to Griswold, and how they plan to apply lessons from two very different careers to building their business. Here’s what they had to say:

1851 Franchise: Tell us your story in one sentence.

Chris Uribe: I’ve spent most of my career building teams of smart, compassionate, and hardworking people who help each other succeed.

Elizabeth Uribe: I studied political science and public advocacy, and I’m always looking for ways to make an impact in my community.

1851: What was happening in your life that made you realize it was time to make a change?

Elizabeth: Everything was really leading up to business ownership. Over the years, I spent a significant amount of time in residential property management, and I really enjoyed my role there. A big responsibility was creating a sense of community, bringing people together, responding to their needs, and making their home feel like home.

I’ve also had the opportunity to work in higher education. I was an English tutor at our community college; I’ve been involved in several programs at the university level and I have experience in grant research. Business ownership really felt like a combination of all of those backgrounds.

Christopher and I share a strong value in serving our community, and we began to see franchising as a vehicle to make that happen. When you first think about franchising, you might think of brands like McDonald’s, but as you explore, you realize how vast the industry is and how many opportunities are available.

Chris: I was a full-time software engineer, so when I started my career, I assumed it would be a fairly solitary profession. But I learned that the opposite is true. Your growth depends heavily on the colleagues you work alongside, and I came to appreciate that success is often about the community you build around yourself.

When you want to become great at something, one of the best things you can do is learn from others who have already done what you’re trying to do. With franchising, you start with a proven playbook and have people you can learn from. That combination of structure and mentorship creates a tremendous opportunity.

1851: Why did you choose this franchise over every other opportunity?

Elizabeth: Griswold has a great system, but they are also very in tune with their purpose. Our values aligned strongly with Griswold's focus on serving the community.

I have a research background, and that really got me interested in Griswold. There is a culture of listening and continuous improvement. They’re always asking for feedback, and they genuinely want to understand what is and isn’t working, what they can learn, and how those lessons can be shared with others.

Coming from a customer service background in residential property management, I really appreciate that mindset. I’m looking forward to being part of that culture and growing from there.

Chris: One of the things that really attracted me to the brand was its use of technology and data to adapt to the way care is delivered. I was excited to see that same mindset at Griswold.

Seemingly small things can have a big impact on someone’s well-being, so I’m excited about utilizing technology and data to ultimately support Caregivers and Clients. Technology is most meaningful when it helps people. Being able to take the experience I’ve gathered throughout my career and apply it toward that purpose was one of the things that excited me most about Griswold.

1851: What are you looking forward to most?

Elizabeth: We’re excited to help Clients remain safely and comfortably at home while preserving their independence and quality of life.

When it comes to Caregivers, we want to create an environment where they feel valued and have opportunities to strengthen their skills and advance their careers. Caregivers have access to extensive support and ongoing education, including through the Jean Griswold Foundation.

Personally, I’m really looking forward to getting out into the community and creating strong relationships. We want to do as much outreach as we possibly can, and I can’t wait to get to know the families we’ll be serving.

Chris: I’m excited about building a company where people genuinely want to show up every day. The work we do won’t always be easy, and there will be challenges, but I want people to feel supported and confident they can meet them.

Our vision is to develop leaders from within and create an opportunity pipeline where someone could come into the organization as a Caregiver and eventually join our office team or take on other responsibilities. As people develop and take on greater responsibilities, we want the organization to grow alongside them.

1851: What’s the one thing you wish someone had told you before you bought this franchise?

Elizabeth: We’re very analytical, so one of the first things we focused on was figuring out what financing options were available. That became a bit of a rabbit hole, but ultimately, it was a good exercise.

Looking back, I would tell myself to be patient, remain open, and take in as much information as possible throughout the process.

Chris: One of the things that held us up at first was figuring out, “How are we going to finance this?” We didn’t initially know about ROBS, SBA loans, and the different options available to fund a business.

If we had understood all of those options earlier, we probably would have gotten into this sooner.

ABOUT GRISWOLD:

With over 200 locations across 32 states, Griswold is one of the country’s top home care companies, providing and referring professional, compassionate Caregivers around the clock. Griswold’s “Live Assured” promise gives both Clients and their loved ones peace of mind, so they can live without the weight of worry. Griswold helps adults maintain quality of life despite advanced age, onset of illness, or post-surgery recovery through services including companion care, home services, personal care, and respite care. Founded by the late Jean Griswold in 1982, the company has maintained its founder’s profound sense of empathy for older and disabled adults and those living with chronic conditions. Griswold has been recognized as one of the top 500 franchises in Entrepreneur’s 2026 Franchise 500® and named a 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026 Best of Home Care® Endorsed National Provider. For more information, visit www.GriswoldCare.com or call 215.402.0200.