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This article explains more about a new and coming franchise company in the franchise industry. If you want to franchise your business go to www.francorp.com.

Irving franchisor brings assisted living to small towns
07:19 AM CDT on Wednesday, April 30, 2008
By BOB MOOS / The Dallas Morning News bmoos@dallasnews.com
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/043008dnbuscountryplace.3b91280.html

What McDonald's legend Ray Kroc once did for burgers and fries, Dallas-area entrepreneur Jack West hopes to do for retirement living.
Franchising has been used to sell everything from fast food to maid service to child care. Now Mr. West's company, Country Place Living, is using it to help bring assisted-living centers to small-town America.
"If you've lived in the same town all your life, you shouldn't have to leave it for the big city when you can't care for yourself anymore," he said. "You should be able to grow old with your family and friends nearby."

Elizabeth M. Claffey/Special Contributor Jack West, founder of Country Place Living, has five assisted-living centers and two group homes in small Kansas towns.
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Mr. West founded the company five years ago and has opened five assisted-living centers and two group homes in small Kansas towns.
The privately held company has relocated its main office to Irving and set its sights on expanding in Texas and other states.
Country Place will build a number of assisted-living centers on its own in North Texas and elsewhere to "prime the pump" and introduce the brand, but most of its expansion will be through franchises.
Since its franchising push started early this year, Country Place Living has received four applications from Texas.
The prospective franchisees include a developer, a former nursing home administrator, a homebuilder and a physician.
Though the aging population has spawned hundreds of franchises that provide in-home care, Mr. West's Country Place communities will be among the first franchises to cater to seniors moving out of their houses.
"It's a logical next step in franchising, given the expected doubling of the older population over the next 25 years," said Alisa Harrison, an executive with the International Franchise Association. "Mr. West is on to something."
Almost 1 million Americans live in more than 38,000 assisted-living communities, most in cities or their suburbs, according to the Assisted Living Federation of America.
Assisted-living residents get help with day-to-day tasks but don't require round-the-clock skilled nursing care.
Twenty-five years in the senior living business have taught Mr. West that older adults prefer homelike settings. So his company is franchising eight-bedroom group homes and 18-unit assisted-living apartments.
Small towns
Small towns tend to have older populations but often lack senior care facilities, which could be lucrative for companies like Country Place Living, said Paul Williams, the assisted-living federation's director of public policy.
"They'll fill a niche passed over by others," he said.
Mr. West said his company is seeking highly motivated, altruistic franchisees who want to make an investment in their communities.
Country Place Living's marketing pitch to prospects plays off that goal: "Do well while doing good."
Getting into the senior care business is not for the fainthearted, industry officials say.
"A group home is about more than providing room and board. It's about caring for residents as their health declines," said Robert Kramer, president of the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing and Care Industry.
"This isn't just a real estate proposition," he said.
Buying a franchise will appeal to people who might hesitate to build a business from scratch, Mr. West said.
Country Place Living franchisees can turn to corporate staff for help with finding a building site, securing financing, overseeing construction, applying for a state license, training employees and promoting the residence, he said.
"Our franchisees will be expected to follow our already successful business practices," he said. "They won't be reinventing the wheel."
Corporate expertise
Before entering the senior living business, Mr. West owned a number of KFC franchises, where he learned the value of relying on the corporate headquarters' expertise when he had questions, he said.
"I didn't know the first thing about running a chicken restaurant when I started, but I always had the corporate team to support me," he said.
At Country Place Living, franchisees can expect to pay $37,500 upfront and 5 percent of gross receipts as a royalty fee.
An eight-bed group home requires an overall investment of $600,000 to $1 million.
An 18-apartment assisted-living center runs from $1.8 million to $2.3 million. Small-business loans can cover most of that.
Mr. West said a franchise would be a good fit for boomers looking to invest in something that will provide a steady income during retirement.
The company's first franchisees are Diane and Rob Floersch, a 40-something couple who intend to open a group home this fall in her hometown of Scandia, Kan.
The couple said they bought the franchise so families in Scandia can enjoy the same homelike care that Mr. Floersch's mother receives at one of Country Place Living's company-owned residences in another Kansas town.
"People in Scandia cried at the news that we're building a place for seniors," Mrs. Floersch said. "We already have a list of prospective residents."
To finance their investment, the Floersches applied for a low-interest loan through the county's economic development agency.
They will keep their current jobs – he's a grocer and she's an office manager – and hire a staff to operate their new business.
Mr. West hopes to dot the countryside with 200 to 300 Country Place Living residences within five years.
"It's the perfect time for something like this," he said. "Nursing homes have become outdated. People now prefer someplace where they can feel a sense of community. That's what we're creating."