Working the 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. shift at Leprino Foods, Bertha Scott needs the daytime for precious sleep.

That leaves little time for the 57-year-old Lemoore resident to run necessary errands.

Scott found an answer to the problem when somebody handed her a flier for Save-U-Time Errands, a company that advertises its ability to solve everything from the time crunch of driving around town to the demand for house-sitting and service-call waiting.

The husband and wife team of Colin and Joni Meehan started the business last year out of their Lemoore home in the hope that legions of time-impoverished people like Scott will come forward to utilize the service.

"I just give (Colin) a list of things I need done," said Scott, who has used the business 10 or 15 times for things like dry cleaning pickup and paying the bills.

Joni, a former bookkeeper, stays in the couple's makeshift living room office while Colin runs errands for clients at $13 an hour for seniors and $16 for others, with discount packages available for those who want a two-month contract.

The Meehans serve Hanford, Lemoore, Stratford, Lemoore Naval Air Station and Laton, with talk of expanding to Visalia and even Fresno.

"Nothing is out there to help somebody who is housebound or crippled," Joni said.

She may be right.

"I think the usefulness could be great in this area," said Scott Harvey, community service specialist at the Kings County Commission on Aging.

Just over half of the Meehans' current load of 20 regular clients are seniors, and for good reason: Many elderly can't drive anymore, and those who can are often on fixed incomes that don't leave enough money left over for a vehicle.

Other clients are physically disabled by diseases or genetic conditions.

Caring for such shut-ins falls to spouses or other relatives who try to juggle the responsibility along with their own work and family lives.

Ditto for stay-at-home parents or grandparents raising kids.

The Meehans are hoping that businesses will use their service as well.

But despite the apparent market, there is no other company like the Meehans' out there locally, according to Harvey.

A variety of explanations have been offered.

One is simply the issue of gaining people's trust. There are a few organizations that provide volunteers in Kings County to run errands for seniors, but until the Meehans hit the scene, no for-profit enterprise had done so.

People, especially seniors, may be skeptical of an outside business running personal errands for them, according to Harvey.

"I think there's just a hesitancy to try something that would be newfangled or out of the norm," Harvey said.

Some of it is due to Hanford's small size. In metropolitan areas where driving is more difficult, companies like Save-U-Time have been around for years.

But with new growth and more traffic in Hanford, the market may be ripe for this kind of service, according to Hope Morikawa, executive director of Hanford Chamber of Commerce.

"Personally, (I think) it could serve businesses big and small. I think it could be well-embraced by everybody," Morikawa said.

Joni said the idea for Save-U-Time came from her hypoglycemia. While Colin was working as a financial aid manager at San Joaquin Valley College, Joni stayed home with their four children.

But her condition sometimes left her incapable of doing much, necessitating time off work for Colin to do some of the chores.

So they decided to start Save-U-Time in July 2006, thinking that if it would benefit them, it could benefit a lot of people in similar straits.

It was like jumping off a high dive into a swimming pool, hoping the water is deep enough to sustain the leap.

"We're taking a huge risk. I'm not going to lie," said Joni.

They need at least 30 contracted clients to make it work, according to Colin.

One of the biggest obstacles is getting the word out. To save money, the Meehans have been cold-calling businesses, passing out fliers and, yes, putting them on windshields.

"I said I'd never do it, but you know," said Colin with a laugh.

They're trying to keep costs down so that the service remains affordable.

"The people that most need this resource probably have the least finances to afford it," Harvey said, referring to seniors on fixed incomes.

"You know what, it's worth every penny," said Lisa Etchegoin, a client who babysits her 3-year-old granddaughter during the day.

"I think if more people know about his services and how reliable he is . . . they may be more likely to use it," Etchegoin added.

Colin and his wife remain hopeful that the business will grow to the point where they can hire independent contractors or even establish an outside office.

For now, it remains an entrepreneurial dream.

"I think if our name gets out there ... I'm thinking it will take off," Colin said.

The reporter can be reached at 582-0471, ext. 3061.

(Nov. 2, 2007)