Cayce Named Small Business Person of the Year

Beth Cayce, CEO for in Roswell, was named the 2012 Small Business Person of the Year by the on Tuesday morning.

The award is given each year to the most outstanding small business executive in North Fulton County. Cayce was one of five local business executives the chamber named as 2012 Business Persons of Excellence.

2012 Business Persons of Excellence

• Beth Cayce - CaraVita Home Care
• Mark Wyssbrod - ProActive CPA
• Melinda Willis - Rivers Academy
• Judy Meer - Meer Electric
• Hicham Azhari - F & H Food Trading Group

“I am honored to be named Small Business Person of the Year by the GNFCC, and consider the award a reflection of the excellent work of my entire team,” said Cayce. “For CaraVita, the goal has always been to help the families of Roswell and North Metro Atlanta meet the challenges of caregiving. We’ve worked tirelessly to help seniors achieve and maintain independence wherever possible."

Cayce founded CaraVita Home Care in 1998. It has grown to serve more than 16,000 seniors in metro Atlanta, providing in-home care services. Cayce herself trains caregivers after learning the responsibilities when she was still in high school and devoted several days a week helping her parents care for her grandparents. Making the task more difficult was her grandmother's Alzheimer's. The stress and hard work caring for her parents led to her mother's death when she was just 24. That eventually led to her founding CaraVita, with Cayce using the knowledge she gained in creating a company that lets aging parents stay independent longer, and stay in their homes longer, with custom-tailored care plans.

Julie Haley of Edge Solutions, last year's Business Person of Excellence along with her husband, Michael, introduced Cayce to the attendees at the chamber's Eggs & Enterprise Breakfast on Tuesday, Aug. 28.

Haley said Cayce decided to get into the eldercare business so other people wouldn't have to go through what she went through, lifting the burden of caregivers.

"She decided to find a better, more flexible model to help caregivers," said Haley. "Caregivers shouldn't have to throw out their backs, or worry about whether babysitters had the right training to take care of loved ones," or worry about whether they'll steal from your aging parents or just don't show up.

Cayce's licensed professionals are trained to take care of elderly loved ones, whether that requires 2 or 24 hours a day.

More than 300 are employed by CaraVita in North Fulton now, Haley said during her introduction of Cayce. She called the model special, and said even in a bad economy last year it grew 30 percent. Haley knows something about growth. Her , which celebrates companies with the fastest revenue growth.

But Cayce isn't satisfied with just this business. She started a business in Kenya to support ministry in Kenya. The Divine Providence Training Center, affiliated with Care to Learn International and , doesn't just send money to Africa.

"She saw a need for pastors who were trying to take care of their flocks. She started training the pastors in Kenya," Haley said.

More About Beth Cayce

Formerly the CEO for TheraTx, Cayce boasts more than 30 years experience in senior care, rehabilitation and health management services across a variety of senior living and health care settings, including , Piedmont Hospital, Northside Hospital, Wesley Woods and Community Home Health.

Cayce played a critical role in the passage of the Aging in Place Bill (SB178), which permits communities to provide additional services to seniors in a setting of their choice.

Cayce also serves as Legislative Chair for the Assisted Living Federation of Georgia, a board member for both Georgia Watch and Care to Learn International, Chairman of the Global Mission Team at Roswell United Methodist Church, and Management Agent for several senior living facilities.