Busy Adults and Senior-Focused Home Maintenance Franchise, TruBlue Total House Care, Announces Signing for New Location in Midlothian, Virginia

Midlothian, VA – TruBlue Total House Care, the 80+ unit franchise that provides handyman, home maintenance and senior modification services for busy adults and seniors, has announced the opening of a new location in Midlothian, Virginia on May 1st. With an understanding that aging in place starts in the home, TruBlue is emerging as a leader in the booming handyman and senior home modification services industries. Entrepreneurs are increasingly recognizing the strength of the brand’s innovative business model, low startup costs and simplified operations. 

Some of these entrepreneurs are local couple, Brad McNamara and Amanda Etheredge - the franchise owners and local residents behind this upcoming TruBlue location in Midlothian.

“At its core, TruBlue is a handyman business, but I love that it has a focus on seniors,” said McNamara. “I knew the service would be exactly what my community needed. With this brand, we are able to provide a specific premium service, not only to seniors but to people who don’t have the time or the resources to maintain their homes. I’m excited about the opportunity to build a team environment for people who work in the home service industry. I think this industry is a lone wolf industry, but I hope to change that while providing great customer service.”

McNamara was born and raised in Canada but has lived in the Richmond, Virginia area for 20 years. In 2022, McNamara was looking for a change and decided to step away from the corporate world in order to open a small, community-based business. Etheredge was born and raised in the area and has long had a desire to directly support the needs of the community.  Her parents are long-time residents and are anxious to have a local resource for supporting the modification and long-term ongoing maintenance of the family home.

“I grew up in the contracting business because of my father’s career in painting and decorating for over 48 years,” McNamara said. “TruBlue seemed like a great fit because of the handyman aspect and the focus on senior spaces. It hit close to home because recently, I’ve been traveling to Eastern Canada regularly to help my own mother with the same services that TruBlue offers.” 

McNamara and Etheridge officially signed on to bring the TruBlue franchise to Midlothian earlier this year. As a local business owner, McNamara says his focus will be on hiring a great team of high-performing professionals to provide safe, reliable, premium-quality services to help them grow the brand. 

“We couldn’t be more excited to bring TruBlue to Midlothian, and we couldn’t have found a better partner to help us do it than Brad and Amanda,” said TruBlue President Sean Fitzgerald. “As a country, we are experiencing a change in how and where people want to grow old. However, almost no one is offering home assessment, modifications and maintenance programs for seniors, despite the staggering demand. We’re virtually alone in this segment, and we’ve seen tremendous growth as a result.”

An April 2022 report by the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation found that 88% of adults aged 50–80 “felt it is important to remain in their homes for as long as possible.” TruBlue offers support both inside and outside of the home to help those seniors stay in their home longer. From adding grab bars and replacing door handles, to renovating tubs for easy access, the list of possible senior home modifications for safety and ease of use is vast.

Along with its focus on senior safety, TruBlue is one of the first franchises to offer subscription-based home maintenance packages. Just like it’s important to maintain your car, it is equally as important to maintain your home, typically a client’s most valuable asset. For busy adults and seniors, it can be hard to keep up with the demands of their homes. With various customizable, subscription-based services, clients can select a TruBlue home maintenance service package that fits the specific needs of their home and family, so they can enjoy hassle-free living. 

One of the most popular TruBlue offerings is their Home Ally VIP subscription service, which ensures each client receives time with a TruBlue handyman each month to account for home maintenance services such as changing filters, shutting down hose lines and tackling to-do list items such as bringing patio furniture out of storage, changing batteries and lightbulbs, patching a hole in the wall or fixing a leaky faucet. TruBlue’s mission is to keep seniors off of ladders and away from doing maintenance items that could cause them harm.

So far this year, TruBlue has celebrated several new signings. For the low startup costs ranging from $65,000 to $91,000, TruBlue franchise owners can leverage a streamlined operational model to provide three in-demand services—traditional handyman services, new home maintenance & VIP service packages, and essential aging-in-place home assessments & senior modification services—to their community. This also makes the business a popular add-on concept for complimentary franchise owners and entrepreneurs who are already operating in the home services or senior services spaces.

Now, as awareness around aging in place continues to increase and TruBlue makes waves in the industry, Fitzgerald says the team is excited to continue welcoming new franchise owners like McNamara and Etheridge into their system. 

“The senior population is increasingly in need of our trustworthy home services, which is why TruBlue has been expanding rapidly over the past few years,” said Fitzgerald. “Now, we intend to keep that momentum going as we make major gains toward our goal of over 200 units by 2025. We are looking for qualified, passionate and community-driven professionals to help us expand our footprint and establish ourselves as the leading provider of home modification and  maintenance services for busy adults and seniors.”

About TruBlue Total House Care:

TruBlue Total House Care® provides a unique and affordable approach to helping busy adults and seniors live a worry-free life by offering trustworthy home maintenance services. Helping you maintain your home both inside and out, TruBlue’s services include: handyman projects and to-do list chores, preventative home maintenance, seasonal work, and senior modification services, all handled by a professional, bonded and insured Home Service Ally Technician. TruBlue franchise owners are required to complete the Certified Aging In Place program through Age Safe America. As certified specialists, TruBlue franchisees are able to perform Certified Aging in Place Home Safety Assessments and can make recommended safety modifications as needed.