Celmer Previously Served as Senior Vice President of Marketing
BrightStar Care, a leading home care and medical staffing agency, promoted Teresa Celmer to chief marketing officer (CMO). As CMO, Celmer will execute all of the marketing initiatives and programs under the BrightStar Care Group Holdings umbrella. In addition to BrightStar Care, this umbrella includes BrightStar Senior Living and BrightStar Care Homes. Celmer will also be at the forefront of developing and executing BrightStar Care’s short- and long-term goals to grow brand awareness. She previously served as senior vice president of marketing.
“I am thrilled to be stepping into the role of CMO of BrightStar Care and am expertly positioned to continue leading the BrightStar Care marketing team with passion and resilience. From the start, I have been committed to BrightStar Care’s vision of enriching lives, and I am ready to continue leading the brand forward through creative and innovative channels,” Celmer said.
She joined BrightStar Care in 2019 as vice president of marketing and was excited to join a company with a mission to provide a higher standard of care. She also viewed BrightStar’s nurse-led care model and Joint Commission accreditation as key differentiators that will accelerate BirghtStar’s growth.
Celmer has admiration for BrightStar founder and CEO Shelly Sun, who looks forward to Celmer’s new role. “The state of the healthcare workforce has fluctuated over the years, and being the solution-oriented professional she is, Teresa has swiftly pivoted marketing efforts towards attracting healthcare workers. Teresa is a trailblazing marketer who focuses on the interconnectedness between our customers, staff, and partners and strategically aligns marketing to fit each audience seamlessly.”
BrightStar Care’s Growth
Since she joined the team in 2019, BrightStar Care has undergone immense growth, Celmer said. For example, BrightStar Owned (BSO) was launched in early 2022 to test new technologies and processes, set up national account referrals, and try out new payer and reimbursement models at company-owned sites. There are 28 BSO locations today, Celmer said.
Moving healthcare into the home really took off since Covid-19 pandemic. To stay in operation during that time, BrightStar Care adapted and continued to provide assistance to clients. Celmer notes that the home care industry is moving towards widespread Medicare Advantage acceptance. That’s a large reason for the BSO strategy, to pilot new reimbursement models and Medicare Advantage, she added. “This allows us to target the addressable market of consumers eligible for home care services.” Celmer has also seen a trend towards more Medicare Advantage plans including home care benefits, which BrightStar Care is prepared to address and will adapt accordingly.
Celmer and Franchising
Celmer has always wanted to positively impact lives, which inspired her to enter healthcare. Prior to joining BrightStar Care, she was the director of consumer marketing at Ace Hardware. During that time, she developed her skills as a franchise marketer and built processes and platforms across the company’s nationwide consumer retail locations. She is passionate about serving others and appreciates how the franchise business model provides entrepreneurs with a blueprint to launch their own businesses. Nothing is more fulfilling than when a brand reaches more customers and franchise owners drive incredible business results, she said.
Celmer believes that new entrepreneurs should have an understanding of industry data and the franchising sector and ask franchisors many questions to get a sense of what the brand is like. To her, franchise marketers need to establish brand cohesion with franchisees. “Marketing should set the groundwork for the entire franchise network and uphold consistency. All locations should be equipped and well-versed to deliver the same type of high-quality service and excellent marketing can help establish that.”