By RACHEL BRANT

Staff writer

After only four years in business, Abiding HomeCare is making a name for itself in Western Washington.

Abiding HomeCare, located in Old Town Silverdale, received the Innovative Business Practices Award from the Better Business Bureau serving Western Washington. The 2007 Western Washington Business of the Year Torch Award winners were announced Jan. 23 at a luncheon in Seattle.

“We’re quite excited and pleased,” said Carl Johnson, Abiding HomeCare spokesman. “We certainly see it as a validation of the commitment that we’ve made since we’ve been in business to introduce innovative, creative ways to serve our clients.”

Abiding HomeCare is a licensed private in-home care business serving Kitsap County and parts of Jefferson and Mason counties. It provides seniors with services that allow them to remain independent and live in their own homes. Executive Director Randy Hardin and his wife, Jerrine, started Abiding HomeCare about four years ago.

Abiding HomeCare was one of 12 finalists that submitted comprehensive portfolios and were interviewed by a panel of judges. Finalists were judged on how they excelled in four areas: ethics, customer service, community involvement and innovative business practices.

“It was from that interview as well as the information we submitted that they used to evaluate how each business ranked or scored in those four areas,” Johnson said. “It was pretty comprehensive.”

Hardin and Johnson traveled to Seattle Dec. 4 for the interview. Johnson sat and listened while Hardin discussed Abiding HomeCare with the panel of judges.

Hardin said the interview focused on Abiding HomeCare’s use of technology to better serve its clients. Abiding HomeCare uses the VoiceCare Personal Emergency Response System, QuietCare Home Health Security System and Guardian Alert 911 to allow clients to access emergency services at the push of a button or allow family members to monitor their loved one’s movements in his or her home.

“I think the primary thing was our aggressive use of technology to further our ability to provide services to our clients,” Hardin said.

All of the finalists were in attendance, but did not know who won what award. In total, five awards were given out including Large Business of the Year, Small Business of the Year, the Community Involvement Award, Customer Service Award and the Innovative Business Practices Award.

Abiding HomeCare won a crystal trophy that now decorates the business’s Old Town Silverdale office.

“It’s quite attractive. It’s sitting by our front desk,” Hardin said. “It really is quite an honor to be recognized by the Better Business Bureau.”

Hardin said he hopes the award “encourages families to consider the option of homecare services for a loved one.”

Hardin added that receiving the Better Business Bureau award shows the hard work of Abiding HomeCare’s staff and companion aides and that The Senior’s Choice, the nationwide network the business belongs to, has played a large role in the homecare business’s growth.

“Without out membership in The Senior’s Choice we wouldn’t have been able to accomplish what we have so far,” Hardin said.

Johnson said there are opportunities on the horizon for Abiding HomeCare to continue to grow and thrive, but the business’s main goal is to provide superb care to its clients.

“It’s not that we want to be the biggest homecare business in the state, but we want to be the best,” Johnson said.