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Who are they, these female Olympians of Washington, Canonsburg and North Strabane?
What drives them to succeed, often against tough odds? How do they define
their own success? Over the course of 2008, The Northern Washington SourceTM will profile
some of those in the arts, in business and commerce, in local politics, even in the day-to-day
struggle to make ends meet and raise families, who have made a success of their efforts.
Taking the Riskier Course
What drives
a mother of two
to exchange
the security
of a corporate
career for the
risk involved
in running
a business?
By Jessica Bruni
Sherri Hewitt-Laird isn’t afraid to take on a
challenge, even if it means playing in the
dirt. On the weekends, she and her boys,
ages 9 and 10, load up their dirt bikes and
head to their favorite campgrounds in
East Finley to kick up some serious mud
on their Yamahas and Kawasakis. Britton and
Brandon ride appropriate kid-sized bikes. Mama has
a Honda 350 all-terrain vehicle.
“It’s a great time,” she says.
However, the Claysville native’s biggest challenge
came eight years ago when she left her steady, secure
job as a regional healthcare manager to strike out as
the owner of a personal care business. “It was a risk,”
she admits now. “I was leaving a great paying job. It
was very nerve-wracking for me.”
Although the odds are against a new business
surviving its first year, much less succeeding, Hewitt-
Laird’s gamble continues to pay off.
Hewitt-Laird, 44, is the co-founder, president
and owner of Caring Mission Home Care, an inhome
service provider associated with the
Pennsylvania Department of Aging Waiver Program.
When she started her business in July of 2000, she
was the multi-tasking sole employee of the business.
Fast-forward eight years and Caring Mission Home
Care is a multi-million dollar business that today
employs more than 250 people and has offices in
Washington, Murrysville, Bridgeville and
Connellsville. Hewitt-Laird estimates more than 400
people use the services, which range from bathing
their elderly customers who have trouble taking care
of themselves to running errands for them and more.
In 2005, she started the Caring Network Inc., a
nonprofit organization designed to assist lowincome
families without prescription coverage
receive low-cost or free medications. In the
last two years, the Caring Network’s
Prescription Assistance Program has reached
more than 520 residents in Washington
County alone.
Her industriousness has not gone
unrecognized. In March, Hewitt-Laird was
named one of the 2008 Best 50 Women in
Business by Gov. Ed Rendell and the state’s
Department of Community and Economic
Development. Hewitt-Laird says she was
surprised when she received the call informing
her of the award. Actually, she was tickled pink. “I
was thrilled,” she says with one of her bright, white
grins. “It’s a really humbling experience to be
recognized for something you’ve strived so hard for.”
On May 19, Hewitt-Laird attended the award
ceremony in Harrisburg with her husband, Sam
Laird, and their sons. She was most proud to share
the event with her boys. “I think it opens their eyes
to the fact that there’s more out there beyond school
and playing ball,” she says. “They’re very proud of
their mom.”
It was because of Britton and Brandon that
Hewitt-Laird started her business in the first place.
At the time, the boys were age 1 and nearly 2 and
Hewitt-Laird was spending the bulk of her time on
the job traveling. Wanting to spend more time with
her family, Hewitt-Laird made what would become
the fortuitous decision to create her own business.
Trained in respiratory care with an associate’s
degree from West Virginia Northern Community
College, Hewitt-Laird had spent years working with the elderly as a
respiratory therapist before moving into management. Knowing that many
seniors required aid to be able to stay in their own homes, creating a
business that provided those services seemed like a natural next step.
In the early days, Hewitt-Laird would sit with one son in her lap
and rocking the other in a cradle with the toe of her foot while
she worked on the computer. A one-woman show, she also
provided the caregiver services for her customers.
Within a year, the business had grown to the point
where Hewitt-Laird was able to hire employees. Like
her, everyone at the company was required to start
off as a caregiver, that way gaining understanding
and empathy for their customers. In 2003,
Hewitt-Laird opened her first office on
Jefferson Avenue in Washington. That office,
which sits across the street from the
company’s current Washington location,
had two rooms. Today, Caring Mission
Home Care and the Caring Network
occupy two large Victorian buildings
connected by a sky walk.
Ironically, though Hewitt-Laird
started the business to spend more
time with her boys, she’s busier than
ever. Finding time to spend with the
family can be tough, but Hewitt-
Laird makes it happen. Besides dirt
biking, the family owns 40 head of
cattle on their farm in Claysville and
they frequently attend farm shows.
Though challenging, Hewitt-Laird
says she gets the most satisfaction
out of helping the company’s
clientele, many of whom would have
to transition to a personal care home
without in-home services.
Karen Zatta-Martin is not
surprised by her friend’s success. The
two have been comrades ever since
they attended the Entrepreneurial
Fellows Program at the University of
Pittsburgh in 2005. Bonding over their
experiences of being female business
owners, Zatta-Martin says she was most
impressed by Hewitt-Laird’s passion to
help others.
“She puts everybody in front of herself,”
she says. “Helping people is her business
as far as the healthcare and the home health
services, but she also helps the people
who work with her too. She is very passionate
about it.”
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