by David Chapman
Staff Writer
Serving as a U.S. Navy nurse for 24 years until she retired in 1996, Kathryn Murphy developed the knowledge and passion to help others.
On her last tour in the Navy, when someone envisioned her being a business owner, she laughed a little, but didn’t give it much thought.
Then, in 2001 when her position as director of health services at Mayo Health Plan Inc. was being phased out, the idea arose again when a franchise business consultant spoke to her and others while teaching a job skills course.
Murphy talked with the consultant to find the best potential match for her skills and was led to Comfort Keepers, a nationwide business that provides care and services to seniors.
She was in.
Now the owner of two franchises that cover many parts of Jacksonville south through the Ormond Beach area, Murphy and her staff assist seniors with “in-home care solutions for senior adults that need a little assistance” as she puts it. Those services include companionship, medication reminders, meal preparation, and bathing and grooming, with a specialty in Alzheimer’s and dementia care.
While in the Navy, Murphy spent her free time working with seniors and loved it, she said. The company’s specialties also hit close to home for Murphy. Both her father and aunt had Alzheimer’s.
“It’s very tough,” she said of dealing with the disease personally.
Murphy has won numerous awards over the years and is the 2010-11 president of Women Business Owners of North Florida, and was its “Franchisee of the Year” in 2008.
The Small Business Administration North Florida District Office also announced recently that Murphy is the 2011 “Women in Business Champion of the Year” for the district and the state.
“Owning a franchise is like having a two-year jump-start on owning your own business,” she said.
When asked what the toughest challenge is for her business, she quickly said recruiting and keeping employees who are compassionate, nurturing and overall “the cream of the crop” in a very competitive field.
Some of her staff members are retirees. Some are working with Comfort Keepers as a second job.
She said all have a common trait.
“We make an impact,” she said.
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