The Chamber of Commerce and the City of Hamlet welcomed Carolina Hearts Home Care to Richmond County Thursday morning at a grand opening ceremony at the Carolina Hearts offices.

“There was interest here in our business,” Brigitte Laney, owner of Carolina Hearts. “So, we thought we’d try out Hamlet and see.”

Carolina Hearts first opened its doors four years ago in Scotland County and has since grown to encompass an eight county area, opened a new office in Richmond County and plans to open one other in South Carolina by the end of the year, according to Laney.

“We outgrew Scotland County,” Laney said. “Thought we’d try to expand elsewhere.”

Over the past for years, the company expanded to over 170 employees in the offices and in the field.

Carolina Hearts focuses on personal home care for the handicapped and the elderly under the supervision of professionals and registered nurses. Their clients and families are allowed to remain at home, as opposed to going to a health care facility.

According to Meredith Bounds, community relations manager for Carolina Hearts, the company takes pride in the professionalism they offer to their employees, but also to their clients.

“Longevity shows that we’ve been doing something and doing that something right,” Bounds said.

Even in spite of cutbacks, due to other fraudulent home care companies, Carolina Hearts has managed to grow.

“We’re a legit company,” Sara Pemberton, administrative assistant for Carolina Hearts said. “We believe in taking care of our consumers and employees.”

Carolina Hearts is located at 805 W. Hamlet Ave., Hamlet, and can be reached at 205-1300.

n Staff writer Bryan Stewart can be reached at 997-3111 ext. 15 or by e-mail at bstewart@yourdailyjournal.com