When Tyler Kimura was named the 2022 Rookie of the Year for Always Best Care, the senior services brand noted that he got the fastest start out of the gate yet, breaking company records for his first year and coming in first for revenue growth. Always Best Care of Oahu officially received its home care license and began providing non-medical in-home care in January 2022, but Tyler and his team were able to start bringing in revenue even before that. 

While he was waiting for the licensing to be finalized, he developed staffing partnerships with several local nursing homes, assisted living communities and residential care homes. “Facilities in our community were facing labor shortage challenges, and we had talented aides and caregivers who were standing by until the agency opened. We began contracting with those facilities, providing the short-term staff they needed while giving our care team invaluable training,” Tyler notes. 

 

It’s that kind of entrepreneurial foresight that has been guiding his success for the past two years and has propelled him into the Top 13 of the Always Best Care system.  

Born and raised on Oahu, Tyler grew up with the belief that giving is better than receiving. He spent a lot of time at hospitals during his younger years, experiencing up-close the physical, emotional and psychosocial needs of the elderly and chronically ill. He graduated from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa and has flourished by building successful businesses and creating jobs. He worked in advertising sales and previously owned an insurance agency, growing it from the ground up to serve more than 3,500 households in just eight years. He currently owns a wholesale fresh-cut fruit business, in addition to Always Best Care of Oahu. “I’ve been able to combine my knowledge of the island and past experience with the proven franchising system that this senior care brand offers, providing quality, non-medical in-home care to the entire island of Oahu,” says Tyler. 

He employed 75 caregivers at the end of his first year and increased that number to 150 at the end of the second, in addition to doubling his revenue. Tyler’s team currently services over 100 clients, including many military veterans, who are a growing part of his business through partnerships with the regional Veterans Affairs office. Staffing still accounts for about 20% of his revenue as well. His next step is adding skilled home health services.

 

 

“Living and working in his community for many years has afforded Tyler a first-hand look at the increasing need for senior care to assist the aging population. The number of individuals 65 and older in the U.S. is projected to double over the next 30 years. By 2040, they will make up 20% of the population. With Always Best Care, Tyler is able to meet that demand by providing affordable and comprehensive solutions that can match a client’s particular physical or social needs,” says Jake Brown, President and CEO of Always Best Care. “These growing demographics are also fueling an increased focus on how to best use advanced technology to enhance the continuum of care available to this increasing population of seniors right in their own homes.”

By intertwining available technology solutions like a 24/7 AI Virtual Care Agent, Remote Patient Monitoring and a Balance Tracking system for fall risk assessment, Always Best Care franchise owners like Tyler have the ability to provide clinical insight into a client’s healthcare in an in-home setting and an individualized care plan tailored to their specific needs. The senior care brand continually introduces new programs and technology to help promote the safe and timelypassage of patients between levels of health care and across care settings. 

 As families entrust their loved ones to a caregiver, they have also come to expect more transparency about the care they are receiving. Technology has played a large role in the expectation of real-time information being available as well. At Always Best Care of Oahu, Tyler provides a Family Room portal that acts as an online hub of details about a patient’s daily schedule, meals, medication, care and health updates. His clients love the access and the peace of mind it brings them.   

This type of individualized home care takes a full-circle team that collaborates with attention to detail. “I believe the small things matter,” says Tyler. “Our team operates with persistence to get it right for our clients and their loved ones. We fill almost all shifts, no matter how short or long. We don’t have minimum hours or number of shifts, nor do we require long-term commitments. Our clients appreciate the flexibility.”

 

Tyler also has another formula for success: happy employees = happy clients. He believes if he takes care of his employees first, pays them well and treats them well, they will take care of their clients to the best of their ability. His vision is shared by his caregivers, who are meticulously selected to ensure their clients are treated with the highest level of care, dignity, respect, professionalism and Hawaii’s famed “aloha.”  

Whether it’s breaking company records in his first year or shooting to lucky #13 in the system and second in revenue growth after year two, Tyler Kimura has shown what is possible when combining the national strength and standards of a brand like Always Best Care with accessibility and outstanding personal service.