Like many people living in the 9-to-5 workforce, Nicole and Ron Greer felt cozy as cogs in someone else’s business machinery.

Risk isn’t a concern, day-to-day operations are someone else’s responsibility and the pay is steady.

Frustrated with constant layoffs as an executive in the corporate world, Tom Despres decided to set his sights on a completely new world.

For 25 years, John Finn, a stockbroker, and his friend John Lucchese fantasized about opening a business together while they carpooled to the New York Stock Exchange.  While they don’t know what business they wanted to be in, they did know that they wanted to stay put in the New Jersey suburbs and not uproot their families. 

When Barrington residents Ana and Diego Uribe were looking into owning their own business, they wanted a unique concept that fulfilled a need in the Barrington area.

Thanks to his grandfather, Kyle Hooker is convinced he has linked up with a new business model that -- as baby boomers morph into the senior generation -- provides a needed service at the right time.

A franchise of Synergy HomeCare, a provider of in-home, non-medical care to individuals requiring daily living assistance, is now open in Vancouver.

Seniors at Hearthstone Assisted Living facility celebrated “National Hug a Senior Week” with Hershey’s hugs and kisses and a round of root beer floats.

Providing nonmedical care for people in their homes doesn't sound like a typical franchise operation.

Nor does it seem like the kind of business that uses advanced information technology.

Synergy is defined as a partnership that is mutually advantageous to all parties.

So the name “Synergy HomeCare” should be a good indication of what you can expect if you are in need of trained caregivers.

Most people say business is business and it is not personal, but for Dennis and Angela Crippen, work is more than just a job. The couple found their calling to open a business through a very personal experience that left them touched and wanting to do more.

Synergy HomeCare, in Lakewood, has been accepted as a member of the AARP National Employer Team. The program connects workers 50 and older with employers who recognize the skills and experience many older workers bring to their jobs.

Ben and Kelly Gordon recently opened a Lakewood location for a business that specializes in non-medical home care. Trained caregivers help clients remain at home rather than moving into assisted living or nursing homes.

Baby boomers will start reaching retirement age in two years, beginning a trend that is forecast to increase the percentage of Americans over age 65 from about one in 10 now to one in five by 2025, according to the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College.