Last week we spoke with our 2014 Brokers of the Year, Ken and Amy Elias. They shared with us that they have seen so much success by becoming an Internal Rep for two franchise concepts Caliber Patient Care and SHIELD Security. This week we wanted to explore the Caliber Patient Care franchise and talk with Ken about his experience with them.
Caliber Patient Care is a non-emergency patient transportation company specializing in safe and reliable wheelchair and stretcher transport. The price point of the concept is very reasonable, and most of the investment goes to customizing your fleet of Dodge Caravans to be able to lock down and transport your clients safely.
Its founder, Klein Calvert, has a long history of success in the type of business this really is…logistics. For 27 years he was the largest independent sub-contractor for DHL. In that role he oversaw hundreds of drivers and trucks. When DHL moved their operation overseas Klein researched business opportunities that used logistics but would be resilient in recessions. In 2010, he opened Caliber Patient Care (formerly Medex) and with this business he is able to use all of his experience, history, and expertise in logistics to provide phenomenal service with unparalleled efficiency.
Making a Real Impact with FBA Franchise Brokers
Caliber has been able to grow their brand rapidly by using Franchise Brokers. They’ve done a great job of explaining their concept to our members and getting them excited to help promote it to their clients. At the time of this article Ken has been receiving Caliber’s franchise leads and serving as their Internal Rep for 2 months. Ken tells us that Caliber is seeing a lot of attention from FBA Brokers, especially from some of the trainers.
The Franchise Training Institute instructor, Al Lesko, has already made a successful placement with the brand. Certified Franchise Broker instructor, Todd Weiss, has been sending over several candidates as well. Over the past year Ken alone has already successfully placed five deals with Caliber, and another three to four are currently in the process of attending Discovery Days.
Caliber Patient Care joined the Franchise Brokers Association in May of 2013. By the end of that year they had sold 23 units, and 18 of them were sold by FBA Brokers. Their model was so unique and the franchise so favorable that they were voted by FBA franchise brokers as the 2014 Franchise of the Year.
Within our Association they hold the record for the most popular webinar for both Broker Only & Clients Welcome. This means that out of 525 recent franchise webinars they are #1.
Continuous Growth
But why this type of notoriety and success? The concept was only franchised in 2013 and is just now entering into their second year. According to Klein, “The reason for this rapid but steady growth is simple – the Caliber Franchise Model is a mobile franchise model that provides much needed medical transportation services.” According to Ken the model is one that truly is recession resistant.  “Some franchisors say they are recession resistant, but not all really are. Ultimately, consider the concept, getting people to the doctor and getting them back home will always have a need. This is a concept that will always be there.”
Today, in most markets, a trip in an ambulance will cost anywhere between $400 into the thousands of dollars. Even then these services struggle to be profitable. They want to focus on the emergency situations which is why you are seeing them turn to businesses like Caliber. With Caliber they charge around $150 for a one way ticket and see a profit. Delivering this essential service at a lower price benefits everyone involved and points to another reason for their rapid growth.
In just one year Caliber Patient Care has become the largest non-emergency company in the country.
About the Caliber Patient Care Franchise Opportunity
With fast growth a franchise concept needs to be sure that it has the infrastructure to support its franchisees. Without it a concept is sure to fail. Caliber is well aware of this and has invested 1/4 of a million dollars in developing a state-of-the-art logistic center in their home base of Nashville, TN. It’s a system that is easily expandable and robust for the franchisees within their system.
This business is one that is attracting executives who don’t want to focus all their time and efforts building up big venture or are still working in a job. The franchisor really handles most of the heavy lifting through their logistical center. Each day a premade schedule is sent out to the drivers through their cell phones. After the schedule is complete additional jobs are dispatched out to them through this same center. The franchisee is focused on handling the billing/books and the hiring of drivers. Caliber has already secured accounts with broker and national healthcare companies. These clients provide a consistent stream of clients and typically pay within 15 days of the service.
However, in order for this business to work you need lots of people. Ken tells us “The model is one that requires a large population around medical centers.” Many people who enter the business do so by purchasing a small territory within a large city and have just a few trucks. Over time, they begin to grow their territory and expand the number of vehicles in their personal fleet. There is no shortage of clients either. In addition to patients with just mobility issues there is a large pool of baby boomers who need regular and affordable access to health care. According to Pew Research, every day for the next 14 years, 10,000 baby boomers will reach age 65.
There are so many opportunities in this business and Caliber is poised to deliver in the years to come. The services they offered when they started already expanded from wheelchairs to stretchers, and it’s only going to continue to expand. Ken mentions that “Caliber is now looking into offering a service that would be able to take a patient to an event and assist them with their wheel chair needs for an hourly rate.”
The FBA and its members are excited about this concept and we’re proud to have them as a member. It’s always great to see someone like Klein Calvert be able to take their experience and passion to innovate such an important industry and be able service their communities.
If you’d like to learn more about Caliber Patient Care contact Ken Elias at Savvy Franchises. You can reach their office phone at 706-453-1404.