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Jeff Salter is the founder and CEO of Caring Senior Service. Caring provides in-home, non-medical homecare services to help seniors maintain their independence and quality of life. While working at a home health care company, Jeff saw that seniors and families were not able to handle the challenges of aging in place. At 20 years old in 1991, Jeff started his company to be the solution for local and long-distance caregiving. Within 5 years, he had opened an additional 4 locations and in 2003 started franchising.
Jeff brought a never-quit attitude to Caring that has added over 47 locations operating in 18 states. He recognized early on in his career that creating systems allowed for his operations to be predictable and thus franchise-able. Today all caring Senior Service franchise locations benefit from a systematic approach to what many consider a non-systematic business.
For 6 years, Jeff has served on the advisory council Private Duty Home Care at the National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC). He also serves on the NAHC Advocacy Council, helping to drive the legislative agenda and advocate for issues related to non-medical home care. Jeff has spoken at national conferences for NAHC and the Home Care Association of America (HCAOA) and is an active participant in the International Franchise Association (IFA).
In 2021, Jeff celebrated the 30-year anniversary of Caring Senior Service by launching a movement called “Close the Gap in Senior Care” to bring awareness to overlooked aspects of senior care. In April 2021, to kick-start this movement and national conversation, Jeff rode his electric bicycle over 9,400 miles to visit each franchise location — a 4-month cross-country journey that raised nearly $100,000 for the Close the Gap cause.
On a personal note, Jeff lives in San Antonio, TX, is married to Catriona, and has two adult sons. Jeff has enjoyed a lifelong passion for rugby and still plays Division 3 rugby for the San Antonio Rugby Club, where he was inducted into the SARFC Hall of Fame in 2016. Occasionally he gets to snowboard and even less occasionally gets to play a round of golf.
Ian Klaes : Vice President
Ian is responsible for overseeing the Franchise department. Ian has worked in a diverse range of settings providing physical therapy; including hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and sports medicine clinics. Ian opened the Caring Senior Service franchise in El Paso in 2005 with his wife Lisa. Ian was recruited to work with the senior management team at Caring Senior Service in early 2007, where his work has focused on business development and special projects before taking on leadership of the franchise division. He is a native Texan, born and raised in El Paso, TX. He earned his bachelors' degree at UTEP and UTMB at Galveston. He earned a Masters in Physical Therapy from UTMB in 1998. His experiences as franchise owner, corporate manager, and franchisor provide a wealth of knowledge.
Ben Cornu: Director of Special Projects
Ben Cornu, Director of Special Projects, is responsible for delivering project management and implementation support for key organizational initiatives. Ben serves as an expert in supporting the development of new processes and systems with a primary focus on supporting Caring Senior Service’s growth strategies through business process development and improvement. Prior to joining Caring Senior Service in 2016, Ben was a program manager and business consultant for a leading aircraft manufacturer. He has extensive knowledge in deploying project management best practices and in establishing and managing business transformation plans. Ben holds a master’s degree in Business Engineering from Kedge Business School (France).
Tina Patel: Accounting Manager
Tina Patel, Accounting Manager, is responsible for overseeing the accounting needs for Caring Senior Service. After gaining experience as a staff accountant at an Accounting firm in San Antonio, Tina joined the Caring Family. Tina was born in India, raised in Tennessee, and moved to Texas in 2007. She received her Bachelor's of Business Administration in Accounting from The University of Texas at San Antonio. To further her education she is pursuing her Master's in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting at Texas A & M University at San Antonio. Tina wants to take the Certified Public Accountant exam to move forward with Caring Senior Service and better serve the financial needs of the company.
Eric Carter: Director of Support Services
Eric Carter, Director of Support Services, is responsible for overseeing the Support Services department. In this role, Eric is responsible for managing and overseeing the full scope of human resources, regulation compliance, employee services and relations, and operational procedures. Prior to working with Caring, he helped research Alzheimer's, dementia, cancer, arthritis, and other health issues. Eric has many years of professional experience in medical research and was the Associate Vice President of Research and Operations for South Texas Radiology Imaging Centers.
Del Salinas: Director of Hub Services
Del Salinas, Director of Hub Services, is responsible for the growth and managing our services through our company’s Caring Hub. The Caring Hub supports our owners and franchise teams through services that include intake support from calls and on-line leads and recruitment services through staffing our locations across the United States. Del was recruited to work with Caring Senior Service from his previous roles in restaurant and service leadership that spanned over 20 years working with large companies implementing new systems to grow staff and profitability. Del stays active with his family of six boys with his wife Melissa.
Kimberly Johnson-Searcy: Director of Training and Development
Kimberly Johnson-Searcy, Director of Training and Development, is responsible for the creation, implementation, and improvement of all training efforts while ensuring a consistent GreatCare® culture. Kimberly earned her BBA at Northwood Business Institute, has over 25 years of learning and development expertise, has worked with small-box and big-box retailers, and has professional experience with franchise ownership. She joined the Caring Senior Service in 2019.
Michelle Cemental: Senior Marketing Specialist
Michelle Cemental, Senior Marketing Specialist, is responsible for providing a unified brand and message for the promotion of the company to its referral sources, clients, and employees. Michelle earned her BA in Journalism at Angelo State University and has over 20 years of experience in marketing and design. Michelle joined Caring Senior Service in 2010 and she continues to work hard to bring efficiency to our efforts and ensure our marketing is effective, accurate, and impactful.
