New Burnsville Business Owner Desires to Make a Difference

Burnsville entrepreneur Shannon Klemann became drawn to BrightStar Care, an in-home care agency, after her grandmother died.

Her grandmother was “adamant that she wanted to be at home,” Klemann said.

Klemann began looking into franchises when she lost her job at Supervalu due to the 600 Minneosta jobs Supervalu shed earlier this year. Her career of 25 years in grocery began with a job bagging groceries. From there she moved up and reached the corporate world.

Despite her years in the grocery business, Klemann said that she was ready for something that would allow her to make a difference in the lives of others.

“I would want to be able to give back in the sense of hiring people in the community,” she said.

Through BrightStar, Klemann is able to provide in-home care services and on the business side, she is able to provide jobs to nurses and certified nursing assistants. BrightStar has services for seniors, disabled adults and newborns, as well as respite and staffing services.

To keep Klemann’s grandmother at home, the family hired caregivers for her. They had to hire multiple caregivers, Klemann said, because “she kept firing them.”

The caregivers just were not a good fit for her grandmother. So not only does Klemann look to hire qualified people with experience and compassion, but she also likes that the company guarantees compatibility. 

For example, if a client enjoys cooking, a good match would be someone who would enjoy helping the client cook or obtain groceries for particular meals.

It’s about person-centered care and looking beyond just simply the medical needs of clients, Klemann explained.

“Every single time that we perform a service, we want to understand medical needs and who they are as a person,” she said.

Klemann just celebrated the grand opening of BrightStar Care in Burnsville last week. Her office is located at 2414 East 117th Street, and her location will serve clients in Burnsville, Inver Grove Heights, South St. Paul and other cities in Dakota County.

As her client base continues to grow, Klemann expects to be frequently hiring. Current available positions are on Career Builder.

While Klemann is excited about many aspects of her new business, she is really excited about being able "to help people enjoy their quality of life wherever they call home as well as to hire people and give them a job and grow the business."

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