Good Neighbor Podcast for the Greater Chattanooga Region

Brian Winton and TruBlue Home Service - Making Homes Safer and Accessible

• Scott Howell

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Ever wondered how to make your home safer and more accessible for the future? This episode introduces Brian Winton, the inspiring owner of True Blue Home Service Ally of Chattanooga, who joins us to share his journey into the home improvement industry. Motivated by a personal family tragedy, Brian has dedicated his business to making homes more accommodating for elderly individuals, ensuring they can live comfortably and safely in their own spaces. From widening doorways to installing grab bars, True Blue offers a comprehensive range of services to meet every client's needs.

Planning for future home modifications is crucial, and Brian provides invaluable insights into the importance of doing so. Listen as we discuss practical solutions such as roll-in showers, sensor-activated lighting, and building ramps instead of steps. Brian emphasizes a proactive approach to home adaptations, sharing real-life examples like assisting a man with Parkinson's disease. He also highlights the importance of consulting with physical therapists to create personalized home modification plans tailored to individual needs, ensuring long-term comfort and accessibility.

Throughout the conversation, Brian's commitment to community support and family bonding shines through. As a veteran and family-owned business owner, he underscores the significance of trust and reliability, especially when providing services in people's homes. Brian opens up about his love for outdoor activities and family time, giving us a peek into his personal life. We wrap up by encouraging our listeners to support local businesses like True Blue Home Service Ally, which provide essential services to the Chattanooga area. Don't miss this heartfelt and informative episode filled with practical advice and community spirit.

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Speaker 1:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Scott Howell.

Speaker 2:

Hello, friends and neighbors. Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast brought to you by the Friends and Neighbors Group of the Greater Chattanooga Region. My name's Scott Howell, as our announcer already told you, and I'm your host for today. The reason for the Good Neighbor podcast is because we desire to bring an awareness to the residents living in our communities regarding the locally owned and operated businesses in our areas, whether they be in our community, whether it be across town or all the way across the Chattanooga region from where you're living at. We want you to be aware of these businesses.

Speaker 2:

You know, a lot of times we forget, in this large corporate world that we're living in, that local businesses are the backbone of our communities and they still need our support today, and that's what the Good Neighbor podcast is here for. You know, every business has a story to tell and we want to help them tell it loud and proud so all you residents out there can know that they're there and they're available for you when you need them. We've got one of our good neighbors here today. His name is Brian Winton and the business he's with is True Blue Home Service Ally of Chattanooga. Brian, welcome to the show today. Glad to have you with us.

Speaker 2:

Well, thank you for having me Good to be here, Absolutely yeah, and Brian, you know that's a mouthful there. True Blue Home Service Ally of Chattanooga yes, it is. And you know we want to learn all there is about it and all that you do and offer you know to the residents out there. But before we dive into the business part, I would like to give you an opportunity maybe to share something personal about yourself or your family.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, thanks. Thanks again for having me, scott. Yeah, I'm the owner of True Blue here in Chattanooga. I'm married Three daughters, two granddaughters, one grandson. We finally got the grandboy, so that's pretty exciting. That's awesome. We've been here for six years now, okay, and we love every minute of it.

Speaker 2:

What part of the country did y'all come from? Brian Chattanooga? Oh, okay, you said you've been here six years. You're talking about the business.

Speaker 3:

I'm the business.

Speaker 2:

yes, okay okay, so you're an old Chattanooga boy.

Speaker 3:

I'm a Chattanooga boy, Tyler how's it going?

Speaker 2:

Well, you've had a lot of people moving into the Chattanooga area from all over the country, so I thought maybe you came from somewhere else. But you, you, you know this area like the back of your hand, then, don't you? Yes, sir, yes, sir, yeah. So well, brian, let's just dive in and I'm going to give you an opportunity to share with us about your company, and what we'd love to know about is, we'd love to know about you, know what you do and what you offer, but also your journey that brought you to being the owner of True Blue Home Service Ally.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, yeah. Well, we're a home improvement contractor so we do home renovations, agent-in-place modifications. We also offer residential and light commercial cleanings, so we do a lot of residential home cleanings and Airbnbs type stuff. The home modifications is really where we're focusing our most attention on here lately now because you know, as you know, we're all getting older, I'm getting there and it's just. It's just. You know where, where do you go when you can't live in your house? You know, and me personally, I'm a home, I'm a a homebody. I like to be at home. So we help. We help elderly and their kids get their houses ready that they can stay there indefinitely and enjoy their time that they raised their children in and made all their memories.

Speaker 3:

What got me involved in buying this business was my mom actually fell and broke her hip about seven years ago and going through the process of, you know, getting the house ready once she got out of surgery and got home and you're having to call four or five different places to to find anything. And it just hit me. You know there needs to be a company that does one call and that's what we are. We're a one call does it all type deal. Even if we don't provide that service. We've been in the industry so long I've got partners in every aspect of housing that I can refer them. They're like family to me. I can refer them to every client and take care of every problem they have to every client and and take care of every problem they have.

Speaker 2:

So so what you're saying is, if I'm hearing you correctly, is so if someone is, has maybe become a wheelchair bound or something, and they need to some things lowered to their, to that level and handicapped made, handicapped accessible or whatever the case might be in those situations. You said that's kind of where you're concentrating now. So, obviously you do a lot more than that, but that's a very good point of concern there. The baby boomer generation now is coming.

Speaker 3:

That and widening doors. You can't get wheelchairs and most indoors, so that goes along with our home improvement contracting. You know, okay, we can widen doors, we build ramps, uh, we lower cabinets, uh, grab simple stuff like grab bars, and you know big things you don't think of all these things that need to be done until it, until it happens yeah, and then you, then you look around and you can't even get in and out of my house.

Speaker 2:

I can't reach the sink, you know. Yeah, you can't get in the shower, so many things like that. So, yeah, that's, that's awesome to know. And when you say that you kind of are a one-stop shop, that meaning that if, if you don't offer and I don't know what you offer, but I'm just going to put it, put this out there so you don't offer the tile services, uh, but so, but so you know somebody in that industry that does. Just making that as an example.

Speaker 3:

Right Well. I think we don't. We don't do roofing. Uh, you know, we don't do major plumbing.

Speaker 2:

You know almost said plumbing stood tile yeah.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, we do tile, we do a lot of tile. Almost said how, yeah, yeah, we do tile, we do a lot of tile. Oh, you do tile. Okay, I almost said plumbing.

Speaker 2:

I thought, well, they probably do plumbing. I didn't know.

Speaker 1:

Or electrical.

Speaker 3:

You know I had electrical outlets. You know where you have to run lines out of the box and stuff. We don't do that. But I've got a great electrician that I've got a working relationship with that. You know, I don't even, I don't even take anything from it. I give the number to the, to the client, and just let them call and get it set up. Or I'll even call and set it up for them and not charge them just to help them out.

Speaker 2:

Okay, yeah, well, that's great. You know, when you, when you talk about all these things, what are some of the and I'm just going to let you kind of pick the category. Okay, but what are some of the myths and misconceptions that people have? When you're coming out to give them a quote, to help them, to make suggestions for them, what do you hear people talking about that they have the mistaken impression of?

Speaker 3:

You know, the biggest, I think, is cost. They think it's going to cost way too much money to get their house to where they need to be. It's like I explained to you. You know things like aging in place you don't have to generally speak it unless you've waited till the last. You don't have to do all everything at one time. You know we can schedule stuff. You know years out, just get a plan together and that's what you want. You want to plan so that you can start budgeting for stuff. And you figure, you know going into, uh, to assisted living. You know you're talking five, six, seven thousand dollars a month. What you know in in a month you can do to your house the last year, another 15, 20 years that you can stay in it you can do the modifications with. So I think that's the biggest.

Speaker 3:

I think that's the biggest is is is cost. They think it's just going to cost way too much money. But you know we've been around and we've done this long enough and we have found ways to help. You know our, our biggest mission with, with my company that I see, is that you know we yes, we provide all these home services, but we just use that to help nurture our relationships with the community. So you know, yes, we do do modification, but we're also here to help you to make the right decisions that you know you may have some. They may have something in mind that they want something and they don't really need that, and it costs. It would cost a lot of money, you know, and there's other ways you can go around it that can save you money. That'll be just as just as good.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it sounds like that you kind of not only do the work, but that you kind of act as a consultant to, or people that maybe, uh, you know, don't know what they're, they're looking for, don't know what to, maybe the right questions to ask you kind of help them, guide them down the path to, to you know, guide them to the place where they need to be. Uh, and is that? Is that pretty correct? You, you kind?

Speaker 3:

of offer consulting. Yeah, yeah, we actually offer a free uh assessment. We'll come out to the house and we'll test the house. We write it all up. We give to the client. If you want to use us, fine. If you want to use somebody else, that's fine. But we can give you some give advice on what you need to do to change in your house.

Speaker 3:

That's going to be safer and that's what it's all about. Is this safety you just want. You want to take away the obstacles that could cause you that you might fall. You know a lot of people think it's because you know, maybe, that they're in a walker or they're having problems. But also you know you have to take in consideration medications. Medications will make you do you know, lightheaded or or different things. So we want to.

Speaker 3:

We want to make the house as safe as we can and biggest thing is declutter and good lighting and technology is awesome right now and it's only going to get better. But the home automation stuff is awesome. We can do an Alexa or a Google Home in your house with smart lighting, to where all the lights stay on in the house until you can actually get in bed and you're safe. Then you can tell alexa shut the lights off, and it'll shut the lights off, or you don't have to get back out of bed. Then, when you're ready to get out of the bed in the middle of the night, like most of us have to do, you just tell alexa turn the lights on and the lights come on for you so you're not fumbling around anymore. So it's all.

Speaker 2:

It's pretty good yeah, when I was a kid, I used to sit with my grandpa. He loved star trek and we watched all this stuff. And and then now here star trek's coming to life.

Speaker 2:

It's a, it's unreal, yeah yeah, oh, yeah, you know I, I didn't think about that until you brought it up about the home automation, you know, making it easier on a lot of people's lives. You know, I know like just recently I guess I'm a little slow to get the home automation, but just recently I bought the little smart plug they call it and had lights installed on the back porch. I've got a screened in porch, had lights installed on the back porch. Uh, you gotta. I've got a screened in porch, had lights installed on the back porch, and uh, so I thought, okay, well, I mean, I can go out there and unplug them and plug them up every time. But well, I'd be nice. And I so I was at the hardware store, I asked and they had this little plug. I plugged in the wall and and it was. It was amazing. And now, but it works off the app on my phone, you know, and uh, it's pretty cool, you know you can use off your phone or you can.

Speaker 3:

You know you can do it voiced where it's alexa or you know? Uh, like I said, google home, whichever. So you don't, you know I'm. I'm getting to the age that my kids have to show me things, the new technology. Sometimes I can't imagine my parents, you know, trying to. So if it's simpler we can make it, the better it is, because they'll use it I guess that's why I'm I'm so far behind brian.

Speaker 2:

I don't have any kids show me how to do anything. I tell somebody asked me about alex or whatever and I said is that kind of? Is that Ken the big brother? You know, I'm kind of still leery of all this stuff.

Speaker 3:

If you're carrying a cell phone around, it don't matter what you put in your mouth, but the Lex and stuff like that, you know it's very reasonable and for what you can do, you know we we did a home modification one time for a gentleman. Uh, we had to put a roll-in shower and redo his bathroom and they were having a hard time figuring out with lighting and everything and what we ended up doing was putting a sensor up in the bathroom. So when we put a pocket door in from his bedroom going into the bathroom so he could get roll in, as soon as he opened that door that triggered the lights and the lights and the fans come on automatically, so he didn't have to say anything he didn't have to do anything.

Speaker 3:

So even if it's people who who can't speak well or, you know, have an issue with speaking, then we can also put sensors in that'll do the same exact thing, and you can program those to stay on for however long you want them to so.

Speaker 2:

So the old clap on, clap off products have come a long way it's come a really good way you have to be. You're gonna have to be a certain age before you know what I'm talking about. I know exactly what you're going into detail on that because I'll lose way too many people.

Speaker 3:

We thought that. We thought that was how it was yeah, we sure did, oh my goodness.

Speaker 2:

But uh, you know, going back to to that, to talking about the aging, you know it, you a person, obviously we all know this don't have to be, you know, elderly or older to become disabled either. You know, things happen in life that are totally unexpected. I've had, you know, I've had people I knew that found themselves suddenly at a young age in a wheelchair, and you know they still needed these type of things done, they needed modifications. You know, I have a slight disability that I've developed in the last few years and it hasn't affected me yet, but they tell me that great possibility down the road it might, and you know so you're talking about planning. These are things I really hadn't even thought about myself, you know. So I'm really glad you brought that up, because all the listeners out there need to, you know, we all really need to consider that. You know, be prepared for what might possibly come.

Speaker 2:

You know a lot of people are diagnosed with the autoimmune diseases and things where you know they may not be facing a disability now, but possibly later. It's a good thing to get a good plan in place, like you were talking about play later, it's.

Speaker 3:

It's a good thing to get a good plan in place, like you were talking about. Well, you know, we just did a a deck for a gentleman who has parkinson's. He's very, he's still good now. You know, he still gets around real well and everything else but building the deck I told him. I said you know we might want to think, rethink the steps. You know why don't we go around because as time goes on, you know uh yes it's going to be harder for him to come up and down the steps.

Speaker 3:

So we built a ramp for him and you think that's the greatest thing. But that was just that forward thinking that you know we could have just put steps on and then come back two years later and said, hey look we, we put a ramp in. Now, let's just go ahead and do the ramp now yeah, save him some money.

Speaker 2:

but and? But also you, a lot of times, when we don't, when younger and maybe we don't have problems we don't think about what's coming. You know, my mother never thought about steps on the house she was young. Now she has really bad knee problems and steps are hard on her. She can use a ramp easily, you know now, or a lot more easily, if I put it that way, than steps. So yeah, it's sometimes just thinking ahead to what might be, what might possibly happen.

Speaker 3:

We can sit down with the clients and, like I said, we can do a one year, two year, three year, we can go up five years. Here's what the steps you can take and by doing this it saves you money. And then you also have a plan ahead that you know what's coming. We work with a lot of physical therapists, with clients, and we actually talk with them as well to get their input to what could be done or what needs to be done or what we're looking ahead at with whatever might be there.

Speaker 2:

That's smart to do. Yeah, and you know that's a. I mean, I'm so glad that you brought that up because that's something I think that a lot of people don't think about. And you talking about providing that consulting to help people, not just waiting until you have to have it. But, you know, thinking ahead, yeah, that's.

Speaker 2:

You know, if anybody, if any of our listeners out there have been, you know, unfortunate I'm sorry if it has happened to you, it's happened to me, but unfortunate to be told that you've got a debilitating problem that may lead to, you know, life-changing events in the future. If you've been told that, you know it might be good for you to consider contact Brian and, you know, take advantage of the consulting services and consider what the future may look like and what to do about it. And because but you know, brian, that's I'm really glad you brought that part of your service up. That's that's awesome, it really is.

Speaker 2:

You know, uh, and and you know if, uh, I, I always like to ask this question before, uh, we, you know, we ever get off a podcast, so it seemed like it's a good segue right now to ask it If there was one thing that you wish our listeners knew about the heart of Brian Winton and True Blue Home Service Ally of Chattanooga. But they probably wouldn't know unless you shared it with them and you'd like to share it with them loud and proud here on the Good Neighbor podcast today. What would that be?

Speaker 3:

Well, the biggest thing is we're here to help people, we're here to nurture. You know, I'm a christian and, and and jesus tells us, you know that we're to help people, we're to be the hands and feet, and that's what we try to do every day. I mean, you know, of course we're business, of course we have to make money, but it's not just about the money, it's about actually helping our community. This is my community. I was born and raised here and I've been here my whole life, other than when I was in the Air Force. But you know, this is my home, this is where my family lives. This is where my grandkids were raised. I want the community to be great for them growing up. So that's really where our heart is. You know, my daughters work the maids housekeeping side. So we're family-owned, veteran-owned, and this is our community and we love it and we're going to stay here and help our community.

Speaker 2:

That's amazing. Those are good words because you know it really. It don't matter who you do business with. You want somebody who cares about what they do, and especially if they're coming into your home and you know you care about what you do.

Speaker 3:

That's the thing about our employees. You know we do everything we can to help our employees and help them grow as well, but you know, know they're background checked, they're, you know, bonded. We do it all because I'm putting somebody in my mom's house, you know. So I want to make sure, whoever I'm putting in somebody's house, they're my employees and and I know that they're not, you know, a problem absolutely, yeah mean totally, understand that Totally.

Speaker 2:

And uh, well, well, brian, just just real quickly, you, you had mentioned that you're married and you got kids and grandkids and uh, I've got friends of mine that said, if they knew how fun the grandkids were going to be, they'd had them first. I guess that's really possible. It was a good thought. But what do y'all like to do for fun? When do y'all get together?

Speaker 3:

You know, being being a dad of three daughters, I'm a big outdoorsman. I hunt and fish. That's what I love to do, and you know the girls did too, till you know the boys come in, till the boys came in around, so then they quit doing it with me. So now I've got my grandson, who's two years old, so his first. The day he was born I actually took him a fishing rod to the hospital, so he's got his first fishing rod already.

Speaker 2:

So yeah, be careful, they call that grooming, okay. I guess that's a right kind of grooming, though I love hanging out with my wife.

Speaker 3:

You know we're empty nesting. Now Our youngest daughter is in her junior year now in college. She plays volleyball at Bryan College. So you know we're kind of empty nesting. So you know me and my wife are really kind of digging it. You know, just me and her getting to hang out?

Speaker 2:

Did y'all do like that one family that they told about just the day that that last child moved out? They knocked the wall of their bedroom out that very day Like you can't come back now, Sorry, the bedroom is gone.

Speaker 3:

She still comes home in the summers and on holidays. But yeah, it's nice. I mean it's just fun being married to your best friend and getting to spend that time. You know, now it's not about everybody else, now it's kind of about us. Now we love it.

Speaker 2:

That's awesome. That's great. Well, brian, before we get off the podcast here, I'd like for you to take a moment and just tell everybody how to contact you, whether online or offline, or maybe somebody would like to you know. Look at some pictures of your jobs or something. If you've got anything posted, tell us where to go find it at.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, our website is TrueBlueAllycom slash Chattanooga. We're located in Hickson, tennessee. We're at 6503 Hickson, tennessee. We actually have a showroom here so you can actually come here and look at the grab bars, the, the showers, the, just about everything, the cabinetry, all that. So it's a good place to start if you want to look at uh products let me stop you right there, brian.

Speaker 2:

I know you didn't mean to, but you didn't tell us what street you're on 6503.

Speaker 3:

Oh, Hickson Pike.

Speaker 2:

Hickson Pike.

Speaker 3:

Okay All right, you said Hickson Tennessee, so I just want to make sure, all right, go ahead and finish. 6503 Hickson Pike, hickson, tennessee. Phone number is 423-541-2703.

Speaker 2:

Okay, and for all them, social media butterflies. Are y'all on social media anywhere out there?

Speaker 3:

Yes, facebook, instagram. The daughters do all that Okay.

Speaker 2:

Tell them to call me when we're done. I need somebody to look at mine too, oh, my goodness. Well, thank you so much, brian, for being with us today. It's been our pleasure to have you on, and share your story.

Speaker 2:

It's our pleasure, sir, to have you today. And to all the good neighbors of the greater Chattanooga region, you know, I know after hearing Brian explain about you know True Blue Home Service Ally and what they do, their consulting services and how they can kind of get you prepared for the future I know that he hopes that you'll give him a call. And they said also they have the house cleaning services for homes, businesses, airbnbs, things like that. So I know he hopes that you'll give him a call, give him a chance to earn your business, let him do the consulting for you, see what they can offer you and keep them in mind when you need them.

Speaker 2:

And I'd like to thank all you listeners out there today for taking the time out of your busy day and spending it with us here at the Good Neighbor Podcast. Always remember to support the locally owned and operated businesses in the greater Chattanooga area and, as I always like to say, from Cleveland to Dalton, from Jasper and Trenton all the way out to Benton, it's a beautiful place, this Chattanooga area. So let's do all we can to support all our local businesses. And at that my name is Scott Howell with the Friends and Neighbors Group. Everyone, go out and make this a remarkable day.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNPClevelandcom. That's GNPClevelandcom, or call 423-380-1984. Thank you.

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