Franchisees to Know: The Santoros Open Right at Home in Florida

Two Italian brothers from São Paulo, Brazil move to Florida to start their own business in the home care industry.

This isn’t the beginning of a bad joke—it’s the story of Victor and Vagner Santoro, a team of brothers who opened their first Right at Home business earlier this month. While the duo comes from different backgrounds, they share the same strong values. That’s why the Santoros have decided to combine their collective knowledge in medicine and marketing to offer the best home care available to Sun City Center, Florida.

Before joining Right at Home, Victor’s life has been focused primarily in the medical field. After obtaining his Medical Doctorate from the University of São Paulo, Brazil and a post-Graduate in nuclear medicine with a specialization in diagnostic oncology, Victor took on several leadership roles in hospitals across the country. For nearly 10 years, Victor kept himself busy as a physician and health care team manager, starting three small companies—two of which were in the medical industry. The experience gave him a deeper knowledge of business operations, while on an emotional level, Victor began to understand the importance of developing connections with patients.

“Coming from this experience with both business knowledge and medical knowledge, the most important thing I learned was how important it is to really get to know your patient—not just as a doctor, but as a friend,” Victor said. “You truly become invested in promoting a better quality of life for those in need.”

Coming from a much different world, Vagner earned his degree in advertising and marketing from Paulista University in Brazil. After spending years working with other people, he decided to become an entrepreneur and started his first two companies—SVS Brazil and Docca HQZ, an industrial consulting company and a mineral distribution business.

The two both worked their way up to tremendous success, but ultimately, they were ready for something more. After a long discussion about their lives and plans for the future, the Italian brothers decided to take the leap—and they landed in the United States with Right at Home.

“Since we were new to the United States, we wanted to be part of a well-structured and successful corporation. We decided to join the Right at Home team because of the huge franchisee satisfaction with their system,” Victor said. “We also loved the business model and the support from corporate staff, and we became really confident after we witnessed the happiness of the other franchisees we spoke with. We saw the success rate of the brand in all those aspects, and we just knew that this was something we were supposed to do.”

Their reasons for getting into the Right at Home business were personal, too. Being a doctor, Victor provided care for many elderly patients. But when he and Vagner were younger, their grandmother was diagnosed with lung cancer and Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 75. She lived nearly two hours away, and it was difficult for them to get to her and ensure she was receiving the care she needed. Eventually, the family moved her into their home to take care of her—a decision that made all the difference.

“We were able to be with her 24/7, whether she needed help taking her medications or simply needed someone to talk with or a laugh with. We were able to experience the difference home care really makes,” Victor said. “Right at Home puts in that same kind of time, care and commitment to each of their clients. Being able to be a part of something that’s revolutionizing the way we care for our elders has proved to be our best and most rewarding career move yet.”