Pastor and Veteran Robert Campbell Opens TruBlue Franchise in Wilmington, NC

I have spent my life in service. After growing up in poverty and serving more than two decades in the Marine Corps, I went on to lead a growing church and develop affordable housing for seniors and veterans. When I began searching for a business that could support my long-term vision for workforce development and community impact, I wasn’t looking for just another company. I was looking for purpose.

That search led me to TruBlue Home Service Ally, a premium handyman franchise focused on helping seniors and busy adults stay safe, comfortable and confident in their homes. For me, TruBlue is an extension of who I am, how I serve and the five-star standard I believe people deserve.

• I grew up in Missouri in poverty.
• I joined the Marine Corps and served in two wars.
• I spent over 20 years and retired as a major with a master’s degree.
• It wasn’t easy.

After that, I came down to Wilmington, North Carolina, and became a pastor at a small church. We grew that church and built a multi-million-dollar complex. Since I got here, I’ve always been trying to help people.

I had a vision for building affordable housing. We built affordable housing for senior citizens using low-income tax credits. We went on to buy and build a couple of multifamily homes and lowered the rent. In trying to buy housing and build affordable housing, I was also looking to start workforce development. I thought I would train people to fix houses and give them jobs.

When I was starting our church, we were in the inner city. We had bars on the windows, and people were afraid to come there at night. But I shared with our people that we were going to build a five-star church.

And TruBlue is a five-star premium service. We go a step above. We sweat the details. We come into people’s homes, and we respect it. It’s not finished until we do our five-star walkaround.

In the last 21 years, I’ve been involved in several things, but TruBlue gives me the opportunity to not only help our premium customers, but also to help the marginalized. I know how to write grants. I know how to serve people. The name of my non-profit is New Hope CDC. I want to help ordinary people excel.

I thought I would buy this business for myself and use it for hope.

I’m a senior. I’m in real estate. I own personal real estate in five states. I understand the entrepreneur who has to get his house ready for a flip, and I understand providers. We provide a premium service. What’s going to determine how the client feels about the job is how they feel about you. That’s why I teach five-star service. It’s about relationships. If we make good relationships, we can bring in repeat customers.

My goal is to expand with TruBlue into other states. I believe that when I talk to them this time next year, we’re going to outperform most franchisees. I’m an overachiever, that’s what I do. We’re starting out slow but we will excel to lead, it’s just a matter of time.

We are a home service ally for people. One call does it all. Our school is creating young men of character, education and leadership for life, and the good part about it is we can employ these young men and help them reach their dreams. This is part of my life’s work, it’s who I am — and I’m loving it!