Business briefs: Comfort Keepers adding 50 in-home aides

Published 12:00 am Sunday, November 15, 2015

For the past 14 years, families throughout Rowan County have relied on Comfort Keepers to care for their aging loved ones. Since opening their office in 2001, Comfort Keepers has experienced year after year growth and while they currently employ 175 in-home aides, due to increased demand for their services, Comfort Keepers has 50 additional in-home aide positions to fill by year end.

“Our ideal applicant is an “empty nester” or an active, retired, senior that wants something rewarding to do with their time,” says Lori Eberly, owner of the Salisbury Comfort Keepers, “So many people think that they have to have a medical background or CNA license to do this type of work. The reality is that we are looking for compassionate people with a desire to care for others. We hire people with a positive, caring attitude and we train the skills. Most of our clients just require a little extra help with routine daily activities like housekeeping, errands, and meal preparation.”

Comfort Keepers is hiring non-medical in-home aides as well as certified nursing assistants for part-time and full-time positions in Rowan, Davidson and Cabarrus County. Apply online at ck185.clearcareonline.com/apply/  or visit their office Monday-Friday, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at 512 Klumac Road, Suite 9, Salisbury.

Carolina Farm Credit officers

STATESVILLE – In an organizational meeting on Oct. 29, the Carolina Farm Credit Board of Directors elected L. Kim Starnes as the new chairman. W. Rex Bell was elected to serve as vice-chairman.

Starnes, 60, of Salisbury, is a full time farmer whose operation consists of row crops, beef cattle and poultry. Starnes has been a member of the Carolina Farm Credit board for eight years, and serves as vice chairman. He is a member of the Rowan County Cattlemen’s Association where he serves as president; Rowan County Ag Advisory Board, North Carolina Angus Association and Miller Ferry Volunteer Fire Department, where he serves as secretary and treasurer. He is also an active member at Trading Ford Baptist Church, where he serves as a deacon and Sunday school teacher, and is a member of the North Carolina Cattlemen’s Association and Gideon’s International.

Bell, 68, of Statesville, is a full time farmer whose operation consists of corn, soybeans, hay and wheat. He has been a member of the Carolina Farm Credit board for eight years. Bell is a graduate of North Carolina State University, where he received his bachelor of science in animal science. Bell is an active member of Oakdale Baptist Church where he is a deacon and Sunday school teacher.

Carolina Farm Credit is a stockholder-owned cooperative providing financing to full and part-time farmers and agricultural-related businesses and also provides financing for the construction and purchase of homes in 54 counties through 36 branch offices. Other financial services available are credit life insurance, crop insurance, appraisal services, leasing programs and financial planning.

Carolina Farm Credit serves over 9,200 members with loans outstanding totaling more than $1.4 billion. The association’s territory covers the western half of North Carolina, with branch offices located in Salisbury and many other towns.

Carolina Farm Credit was recognized as a 2015 Best Employer in North Carolina. The list of the Best Employers in North Carolina was created by Business North Carolina, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) – NC State Council and Best Companies Group.

Take Flight awards presented

Women Embracing Excellence held its first women’s achievement gala on Oct. 24 at Livingstone College. “Take Flight” recognized and awarded women excelling in four prominent areas: trailblazing, innovation, empowerment and spirituality.

Trailblazers were  Karen Alexander,  Salisbury; Dr. Nomsa Khalfani, Los Angeles, Calif; and Dr. Dianne Williams, Trinidad and Tobago.
Innovators were Alisha Byrd, Salisbury, and  LaPronda Spann, Charlotte.
Empowerment awards went to Natasha Liscomp, Charlotte;  Debbie Smith, Charlotte;  Maia Smith, Salisbury.
A Spiritual award went to Patricia Thomas, Concord.
This will be an annual event. Take Flight Awards will take place September 2016. More information will follow soon.
Women Embracing Excellence (WEE) is a group of professional and business women owners who assist you in learning new ways to break into your destiny. WEE challenges women to think outside the box to elevate the dream. WEE was created by Dr. Nicole Sherrill-Corry.
For information to become involved contact: Dr. Nicole Sherrill-Corry 706-603-6156 or drnicolescorry@gmail.com
Spalding treasurer of chamber group

Charleston, S.C.The Carolinas Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (CACCE) announced their 2016 Board of Directors at their Annual Management Conference on board the Carnival Fantasy on Oct. 26.

Elaine Spalding of the Rowan County Chamber will be treasurer of the 2016 Executive Committee.

Other officers are president, David Bradley, Greater Statesville Chamber; president-elect, Mark Owens, Greater Greer Chamber; immediate past president, Angelle LaBorde, Greenwood Chamber.

CACCE is the professional development organization for chamber of commerce executives and staff members in North and South Carolina. CACCE equips chamber of commerce professionals with leadership skills and tools to build innovative chambers. The organization was formed in 1994 when the North and South Carolina state chamber associations merged. For more information on CACCE, or any of CACCE’s conferences or programs, contact Tiffany Fulmer Ott at 404-312-0524.

Gentiva Celebrates National Home Care & Hospice Month

Gentiva Home Health of Concord/Kannapolis and Salisbury, an affiliate of Kindred at Home, joins in celebrating National Home Care & Hospice Month.

Every November, this observance honors home health and hospice workers – including nurses, aides, social workers, therapists and administrators – who make a remarkable difference in the daily lives of patients and their families.

“We are thrilled to be celebrating the achievements of the hardworking employees of Gentiva Home Health during National Home Care & Hospice Month,” said Susan Wear, senior home health specialist. “November is a time to recognize and applaud the people who help improve the lives of patients by working with them in the comfort of their own homes.”

Wear pointed out that November also marks the beginning of the holiday period when patients especially want to be at home with their loved ones. “This is a time when we like to remind our patients, their families and their physicians that we provide care in the home setting throughout the holidays, every day of the week,” she said.

Home health is an often overlooked sector of the medical profession that merits increased attention for its ability to actually reduce the overall costs of healthcare, Wear said. “At a time when our country is searching for answers to a growing financial crisis, home health provides an effective, efficient healthcare alternative,” said Wear. “We make it possible for more of our citizens to recover from surgery or manage chronic illnesses at home – among family and friends – and avoid unnecessary visits to the hospital or other institutions.”

Wear points out that the goal of home healthcare professionals is to promote not only health but also independence and quality of life. “Thanks to clinical advancements in home health, more of America’s older residents are now able to remain mobile and energetic as they pursue life’s goals, from visiting the grandkids to traveling to staying on the job,” she said.

Hospice services involve providing medical care, pain management and emotional and spiritual support to patients and family members primarily in their homes or other type of residence. While hospice services continue to increase across the country, some common misconceptions that may prevent timely access to this important end-of-life care still exist. The annual celebration of National Home Care & Hospice Month serves to educate Americans about hospice service and dispel myths about it.

Allstate agents earn awards 

Allstate agency owners are being recognized by Allstate for outstanding performance and commitment to putting customers at the center of their agency’s work.

“These awards are Allstate’s highest honor for agency owners who demonstrate outstanding performance.” said Bob Holden, field senior vice president for Allstate’s Southeast region. “Their work highlights the importance of customer service and the dedication to our communities’ insurance needs.”

The Michael Insurance Agency, located at 454 Jake Alexander Blvd. W., received the Premier Agency Designation. Agency owner, Jim Michael can be reached at 704-642-0451 or jimmichael@allstate.com.

The Jason Allen Agency, located at 848 S. Main St., received the Premier Agency Designation. Agency owner, Jason P. Allen can be reached at 704-630-1120 or jasonallen@allstate.com.

Veterinarian joins practice

The Animal Care Center of Salisbury announces that Dr. Christian Anderson has joined the staff.

Anderson is a graduate of the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. During her career, Anderson has worked with dogs, cats, rats, mice, rabbits, ferrets and monkeys.

Anderson’s true passion is for cats. In recent years, her focus and all continuing education has been devoted to feline medicine, especially in the areas of preventative medicine, nutrition, internal medicine and geriatrics. She looks forward to serving feline friends.

D.G. Video Agency launched

Dan-Gar Productions of China Grove announces the launch of D.G. Video Agency, a division of the company which will now produce turnkey video solutions for business clients. The video wing of the Dan-Gar is designed to help businesses get noticed by producing quality audiovisual work.

“Our video production unit has a goal in mind of helping our clients stand out from the crowd,” said Dan Starrette, owner of Dan-Gar Productions. “Our agency takes the time to learn your business, while providing the story to tell. Since seven-eights of our knowledge is gained through sight, video is by far the best solution available.”

D.G. Video Agency is designed to offer turnkey video production solutions on a scaleable basis. No client is too large, no client is too small. In addition to production, agency staffers offer specialty value-added service in marketing videos to specific online social media channels such as YouTube, Google+, Facebook and Twitter.

D.G. Video Agency offers specialty counseling in the categories of custom video design, video marketing, animation and advertising. Full, up-front pricing information is available, with three separate video production packages to choose from.

For more information on D.G. Video Agency and Dan-Gar Productions, please visit www.dan-gar-productions.com.