Franchise Excellence: How Senior Helpers Achieved Fortune Recognition Across 380 Locations
Operating a franchise network across 44 states, Canada, and Australia while maintaining consistent workplace standards presents extraordinary complexity. Senior Helpers’ fifth-place ranking on Fortune’s 2025 Best Workplaces list demonstrates how the brand has preserved culture across its diverse ownership structure under Waud Capital Partners’ stewardship, with CEO Peter Ross continuing to guide daily operations alongside executive chairman Steve Jakubcanin (https://www.franchisetimes.com/franchise_mergers_and_acquisitions/senior-helpers-changes-hands-again-with-sale-to-waud-capital-partners/article_e12d1e1e-07f8-11ef-8d39-2b05efbbfbde.html).
The franchise model introduces unique challenges for workplace culture. Each location operates under independent ownership, yet employee satisfaction surveys aggregate experiences across the entire system. Achieving Fortune recognition requires excellence not just at corporate-owned locations but throughout the franchise network—a feat that demands sophisticated support systems and aligned incentives.
Franchise Model Complexity and Culture
Senior Helpers’ 380+ locations include both franchised and corporate-owned units, each with distinct operational dynamics. Franchise partners invest their own capital and manage daily operations while adhering to brand standards. This distributed ownership structure could fragment workplace culture, yet the Fortune ranking suggests remarkable consistency across the network.
Peter Ross, who co-founded Senior Helpers in 2004 and launched its franchise operations in 2005, remained CEO through multiple ownership changes including the March 2024 acquisition by Waud Capital. His continuity provides stability that franchise partners value, particularly given that Senior Helpers represents Waud Capital’s first franchise investment.
Ross acknowledged initial uncertainty about private equity franchise experience but expressed confidence: “With Jakubcanin, Waud Capital brings a lot to the table with a lot of healthcare experience, and they are already looking at ways to expand our service lines” (https://www.franchisetimes.com/franchise_mergers_and_acquisitions/senior-helpers-changes-hands-again-with-sale-to-waud-capital-partners/article_e12d1e1e-07f8-11ef-8d39-2b05efbbfbde.html).
Related: Waud Capital Partners Releases First Annual Responsible Investing Report
Standardizing Excellence Across Diverse Markets
Maintaining workplace standards across locations spanning from urban centers to rural communities requires sophisticated support infrastructure. Waud Capital Partners’ investment enables technology upgrades, training programs, and operational resources that individual franchise partners couldn’t develop independently.
The firm’s broader healthcare portfolio provides additional advantages. Best practices from other Waud Capital investments can be adapted for Senior Helpers, while the firm’s scale justifies investments in human resources systems, compliance tools, and employee development programs benefiting the entire franchise network.
Reeve Waud’s experience building multi-site healthcare businesses proves valuable here. His founding of Acadia Healthcare in 2005 required standardizing operations across behavioral health facilities nationwide—experience directly applicable to franchise network management (https://www.waudcapital.com/en/team/reeve-waud/).
Supporting Franchise Partner Success
Senior Helpers added 30 locations in 2024 and targets 35 additions in 2025, demonstrating continued franchise partner confidence despite ownership transition. With approximately 500 territories available for development, growth depends on maintaining strong relationships between corporate leadership and franchise operators.
Steve Jakubcanin’s appointment as executive chairman brings operational expertise without disrupting the franchise relationships Ross cultivated over two decades. This balance—fresh thinking combined with relationship continuity—helps explain the system’s sustained expansion.
The April 2025 formation of Altocare, combining Senior Helpers with MedTec Healthcare, creates additional franchise benefits through expanded service capabilities and operational support. Franchise partners gain access to resources and expertise from the broader platform while maintaining their local market autonomy (https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/altocare-a-newly-formed-home-care-holding-company-of-waud-capital-partners-acquires-medtec-healthcare-302432784.html).
Technology and Training Investments
Achieving consistent workplace quality across hundreds of locations requires robust training and technology infrastructure. Waud Capital’s resources enable investments in learning management systems, digital communication platforms, and performance monitoring tools that standardize excellence while respecting local market variations.
These investments particularly benefit smaller franchise partners who might struggle to develop such capabilities independently. By providing enterprise-grade systems across the network, Waud Capital Partners levels the playing field and ensures all locations can deliver excellent employee experiences.
Measuring and Maintaining Standards
Fortune’s assessment methodology aggregates employee feedback across all Senior Helpers locations, making system-wide consistency essential. The ranking suggests effective quality assurance mechanisms ensuring that workplace standards established at corporate translate throughout the franchise network.
Chris Graber, Partner at Waud Capital, emphasized the firm’s systematic approach: “Our partnership with Senior Helpers is another key example of the Waud Capital strategy of matching experienced executive talent with industry-leading companies in sectors where we have deep conviction” (https://www.waudcapital.com/en/media/waud-capital-partners-announces-the-acquisition-of-senior-helpers/).
This conviction extends to supporting franchise partners with resources needed for excellence. Regular communication, standardized training programs, and operational support ensure that workplace culture remains consistent regardless of individual ownership structures.
Competitive Advantages Through Scale
The Fortune recognition provides competitive advantages in franchise recruitment and retention. Prospective franchise partners seek systems with proven operational excellence and employee satisfaction—factors that correlate with business success and sustainability.
Existing partners benefit from the recognition through enhanced local market positioning. The Fortune ranking provides third-party validation useful in recruiting quality employees and attracting clients who value organizational culture.
Looking ahead, maintaining workplace excellence while nearly doubling the network size over coming years will test the durability of Senior Helpers’ culture. Success requires continued investment in the systems and support that earned Fortune recognition, commitments that align with Reeve Waud’s long-term value creation philosophy demonstrated across three decades of healthcare investing.
Learn More: Fortune recognizes 15 home care firms in 2025 best workplaces list
