As part of our ongoing "Getting to Know Your Local Businesses" series, this week we sat down with Kelli Hoffman of Concierrands.

Tell us a bit about your business: What does your business offer, and how long have you been around?
Serving Kingwood residents for ten years. Services offered include taking kids to and from school, tutoring, extra curricular activities, airport shuttle, errands, light housekeeping, occasional childcare, waiting on contractors, package deliveries, pet sitting, house sitting, kids carpool, adult carpool, designated driver, caregiver to ill, elderly or recovering clients and more! I can turn your To-Do to Ta-Dah! I have been labeled by many of my clients as that person they go to when they don't want to hassle their neighbors. I have had so many people tell me they didn't want to bother their neighbors to ask them to check their mail, water their plants, let their dogs out, etc. I will wear that role with pride.

How did you decide to get involved in this line of work? How did the business get started?
I started out part time during the summer while on break as a deaf interpreter for Humble ISD. I began offering services to neighbors who would refer me to others.

Tell us a couple things you are proud of about your business. What are you known for? What separates you from the competition?
I am known for helping others in various ways whether it be transporting someone's kids to or from school, sports, etc. to letting pets out when people who work downtown have to put in long hours. I enjoy dropping people off to and from their airport terminals so they don't have to mess with parking. I wear many hats for my clients, I am dependable and my rates are very fair.

What is your favorite part of running this business?
My favorite part of my business is applying all my experiences from previous jobs into what I love doing - helping people. I have worked with the elderly and disabled, with pets and children and the public in general. I love meeting my community and being THE go to girl! I meet so many interesting people.

Who is your ideal customer/client? Who do you serve best?
As a parent who tries to find a balance between career and making sure my kids needs are met, it makes me feel so good to hear that I helped another parent out. I have clients whose work schedule makes them unavailable to get their kids to early morning track practice or to pick up after school from football practice because busses aren't running during those times. I have clients who don't live in a bus zone who feel their kids are too young to walk to or from school or have no way to get their kids to school on Thursday, which is late arrival day. When I hear them tell me how I helped them out, it makes my job all the more worthwhile. My ideal client is someone who loves my service and refers others to me. I love helping people! I love when someone originally hires me for one thing such as taking kids to school and likes my service so much, they hire me for something else like looking in on their pets. Most of my clients are crossovers who have started out using me for one thing and then I help them with something else. They tell me they love having just one person to handle all their different needs. When they do this, that lets me know I have earned their trust.

Can you tell us something about yourself as the business owner? What is your background?
I worked in the Executive / Corporate offices in the hospitality industry. My degree is in Deaf Interpreting. I volunteer in various charities in the community. I have enjoyed working as a caregiver for the elderly as well as helping Mary Kay Ash with her favorite charities which include preventing women's cancers and domestic violence against women.

Are there any special promotions, annual sales, or special events that you'd like to mention?
There will be in the future.

Is there any other information you'd like your potential customers/clients to know about your business?
Although I primarily serve the Kingwood area, I work with residents who need rides downtown, to rodeos, Astros games, concerts and more! I will do anything I can to accommodate my clients. People love having me pet sit when they travel because their beloved furry companion can stay comfortable in their own home and my rates are more affordable than the cost of boarding. People who travel for weeks at a time also get the convenience of being dropped off at their terminal instead of paying for daily parking over a 3-week period. Same with waiting for contractors in the home. You know how they sometimes give you a 4-hour window? People lose more time and money taking off work to sit at home waiting when I can do it for so much cheaper. Parents feel more comfortable having me shuttle their kids, husbands feel better me shuttling their wives, and adult children feel better with me shuttling their fragile parents than they do hiring a stranger or having a different person show up each time.

How do you see your business growing and improving over the next couple of years?
My #1 goal is to be accommodating to my clients who live in the Kingwood area. I pride myself on the fact that I handle every assignment I have been offered so the client knows when they read my reviews and interview me, I will not be passing the assignment along to someone else. There have only been a couple of instances where I have needed to be in two places at once, in which I have asked my clients if they would mind if my family filled in for me and only after they have met them and felt comfortable. My teens have helped with child care, pet sitting and housesitting. My husband has helped me with transportation if I had clients needing to be somewhere at the same time. I have been approached by quite a few people offering to help me with my business and I have kept all of their numbers in the event I expand to the point of needing extra help. I try to keep my focus primarily to Kingwood residents because I believe in quality over quantity. However based on client referrals I have occasionally taken other assignments outside of Kingwood.

For more information about Concierrands, call 281-570-5102, visit

https://www.facebook.com/concierrands or Concierrands.com