Village Caregiving opens new corporate headquarters in Barboursville

Village Caregiving was founded in 2013 by three friends — Andrew Maass, Jeff Stevens and Matt Walker — who each had a family member who needed home care services. They opened up the original headquarters in Barboursville, at 650 Main St. Ben Keenan, COO of Village Caregiving, said the organization will keep the Main Street building to use for overflow.

Today, the company has grown to more than 60 locations — including in ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä — across 22 states with more than 3,300 caregivers serving more than 5,500 clients.

Village Caregiving offers non-medical care and assistance with daily needs, such as help with personal hygiene, light housework, meal preparation and companionship.

Jeff Stevens, co-founder and CEO, grew up in Barboursville. The idea of moving the company’s headquarters to another city was not on the table.

“When we take the values, Appalachian values, treating people the right way, do the right thing just because it’s the right thing to do. We take those values and they spread across the country. Everyone relates to that. It’s been a huge key component of our success and had we not grown up both personally and this company, right in this little pocket, I think there would have been a huge something lost. Especially given the fact that we’re in the home care industry,� Stevens said.

Could they be affected by Medicaid cuts?

Proposed cuts to Medicaid — a joint federal and state program that helps cover medical costs for qualifying individuals — could hurt health care companies like Village Caregiving, but the impact remains unknown.

“I haven’t seen anything specifically yet that would affect home care� Stevens said. “Probably depends on which version of the bill passes, how it plays out. It will obviously affect Medicaid in some substantial way, but I haven’t seen anything specific to home care yet.�

He estimates Village Caregiving currently has about 1,000 clients who rely on Medicaid to pay for services.

“Governor Morrisey has already in his very first budget done a good job of honoring the home care industry. I think he gets it,� Stevens said.

Morrisey, who attended Monday’s celebration, was asked if he would push back against President Donald Trump if federal cuts to Medicaid were enacted.

“I’m always going to stand up for West Virginia no matter what happens,� Morrisey said. “I think that President Trump is trying to lift West Virginia and every state up economically, and I think if we can lift our economy up, that’s going to solve a lot of problems. That’s a lot of what we’re focusing on from an economic development perspective.�

About the building

The building was designed and constructed by Cornerstone Builders. It was meant to add elegance to the corner of Central Avenue and Main Street, Stevens said, and resembles a high-end bed and breakfast more than a corporate office.

“It was more important to me that the people in town liked the way that building looked than that I liked the way it looked," Stevens said. "It’s going to be modern. There’s no way around that, obviously. But make it fit in as well as you possibly can so it’s something that they can be proud of instead of an eyesore."