GRAND FORKS — A Grand Forks business owner has been named North Dakota Small Business Person of the Year.
Dee Holmes, founder of All Embracing Home Care, was honored in Washington, D.C., by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Holmes began the business in April 2019, taking on her first client after developing a passion for home health care as a full-time caregiver for her niece. She also recalls her grandfather’s struggles after entering a nursing home.
“My grandpa had to move into the nursing home and he just declined so much because he couldn’t sit in his pickup, he couldn’t do what he wanted to do on the farm anymore,” Holmes said.
Six years later, All Embracing Home Care has nearly 100 clients and 100 employees. The company serves residents in Grand Forks, Fargo and Bismarck. With many snowbirds, Holmes also opened an office in Phoenix.
“I thought I would have maybe a couple of employees, I thought I would support a handful of people, but the more people I started supporting, the more people I wanted to go find people who wanted to stay at their home,” Holmes said.
Services range from full-day care to a few daily visits to help with tasks such as getting in and out of bed. Clients may be elderly or living with disabilities.
Holmes said the recognition in Washington was unexpected.
“It was phenomenal because I wasn’t expecting it,” she said.
According to the SBA, there are more than 75,000 small businesses in North Dakota. Holmes’ business was selected for this year’s top state award.
“The passion that I have for this community and up and down the Red River Valley, I love this community so much and I want it to thrive,” Holmes said.
Holmes added that her real award is serving North Dakotans.
“When you take away somebody’s independence, when you take away their car keys, when you put them in a new environment that they aren’t used to, there’s numerous statistics and we have seen it, too, where they just decline,” she said.
In addition to her home care business, Holmes also runs a day care and cleaning company in Grand Forks.
Matt Henson is an Emmy award-winning reporter/photographer/editor for WDAY. Prior to joining WDAY in 2019, Matt was the main anchor at WDAZ in Grand Forks for four years.