This article was originally published by 1851 Franchise.
Jay Kenney and his wife, Rosaleen Doherty, have been part of the in-home care franchise Right at Home since 2002, when they left corporate careers to build something closer to home. Over the past 23 years, they’ve grown from one small territory north of Boston to one of the largest Right at Home operations in the country. Now, they’re opening their fifth location — this time in Boston — alongside their daughter, Gabrielle Kenney, who was just six months old when they launched their first office.
The couple has dedicated their careers to helping seniors stay independent and connected to their communities. Today, they employ over 725 people and serve around 1,300 clients each week across New England.
Their new Boston office also marks the next chapter for their family. Gabrielle, who joined the business two years ago after graduating from Bentley University, is helping carry on the same mission of care and integrity her parents started.
1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?
Rosaleen Doherty: Jay and I are the original founders of our Right at Home. We started in 2002 which, funny enough, is the same year Gabrielle was born.
Jay and I were both in the high-tech field, mostly in sales and marketing. At that time, it was right after 9/11 and the dot-com boom — a lot was happening, and we were very close to all of it. I’m a native New Yorker, and we decided we wanted to start a business that was connected to our community.
We had these high-tech jobs that were fun and successful, but in the end, it was business-to-business. We wanted to create a company and provide a service where, on a day-to-day basis, we were working with our neighbors.
Jay Kenney: To echo what Rosaleen said, it was about not living on planes. Rosaleen flew a lot back then. We wanted something community-based. We were also experiencing some elder care needs in our own lives. 9/11 was a huge factor in our decision to stay grounded and focus on local impact and community.
1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?
Rosaleen: We chose them in 2002 because all the brands were pretty young in home care at that time. Right at Home stood out on the marketing side; they were professional and knew how to invest in those areas. They also came from an original home care business. The people who started Right at Home were real people of integrity who truly cared about their clients. If we were going to partner with someone in a caring business, dollars and cents mattered, but what we do touches so many lives. We needed to act with true integrity to stay true to that.
1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth?
Gabrielle Kenney: As my parents said, they started this business when I was six months old. Growing up, I always saw Right at Home as their third child. I saw the impact we made in our community. Some of my earliest memories are visiting clients in assisted living facilities and seeing our staff. I fell in love with the idea of helping people and realized you could actually do that as a job.
When I was about 12, I told my parents I wanted to take over Right at Home. They probably thought I’d change my mind and want to be a doctor or something, but I stuck with it. I graduated early from Bentley University and started working full-time two years ago. So, I guess the plan for the future is me.
Rosaleen: We started with one small territory north of Boston and eventually expanded into nearby areas. About two and a half years ago, we purchased the Portland, Maine, area because it’s a major destination for retirees. We know how to work with the VA there and handle private care, so it was a natural fit.
When it came to expanding again, we looked at the City of Boston. Jay grew up right outside the city, and I’m an urban girl. We had always avoided Boston, because the model is a bit different, and so had every other franchisee, so it remained an open territory. As a family, we decided to open a Right at Home there to better serve residents. We could already reach parts of Boston from our other offices, but this will be a full, all-in effort. We believe our brand, and the integrity with which we provide home care, makes us a great option for Boston families.
To read the full interview, click here. To learn more about franchising with Right at Home, visit rightathomefranchise.com.