Mackenzie Holmes believes he is blessed. And with a quick look back at his recent years, one can understand why.

 

You remember Holmes? He was the 2013 Bridgeport High School graduate who became the first freshman in decades to see time as a starter – as Holmes points out, a blessing.

 

You also may remember another situation with Holmes in early September of 2020. At the time, the Glenville State football player wrecked avoiding a deer heading back to Glenville State and suffered internal injuries that required multiple surgeries – as he pointed out a full recovery later, a blessing.

 

While you may have heard those things, you may not have heard about the latest thing involving Holmes. Despite finishing in college at Fairmont State University and already making plans to get his master’s degree, Holmes is doing something else.

 

The 23-year-old is the owner and operator of the area’s newest business. In late March, he officially opened Kingdom Cleaning, LLC. And without a doubt, he believes the ability to get to this point is a blessing and has no problem letting others know about it.

 

“With how my life has gone, I make it a point always giving this glory to the Lord. My business runs on the principal of Colossians 3:17 and that is to do everything in the name of the Lord,” he said. “My business is based on that, and it allows me to work hard and treat my customers fairly and equally.”

 

Of course, getting to Holmes’ point to starting a business requires a bit of a rewind – actually back to that freshman year when every sports fanatic in Bridgeport found out about Holmes getting called up to varsity as a freshman.

 

The 2017 graduate remembers those grueling August days well. He was still practicing with the freshmen when then Coach Josh Nicewarner called him over to let him know he would be practicing with the varsity squad.

 

“My friends had told me they heard I was going to get called up, but I thought they were just saying that because I was always bigger than everyone growing up. When I got to BHS everyone was the same size and bigger,” he said. “But the buzz from my friends was real and the coaches told me they were going to give me a chance and I told them I would work hard to take advantage of it.”

 

The mantra has served him well. After starting out at West Virginia University, he ended up in Gilmer County for Coach Mike Kellar and the Pioneers. The football career would end thanks to the events of Sept. 2, 2020.

 

“It was 1 a.m. and I came around a curve and swerved to get out of the way and lost control on some gravel and went airborne, hitting a tree,” said Holmes. “I look back at the pictures of that car and it is unbelievable I have all of my functions I had prior to it. That was God. I know God was watching over me.”

 

If you do not believe in God, then you have to believe in good luck. Holmes somehow managed to walk to the road and flag a car down. The driver happened to be an employee of FCI Gilmer. He knew to get the proper authorities on the scene quickly – and shortly thereafter Holmes was life flighted to Ruby Memorial.

 

Although he knew something was wrong, he was not quite sure. There was no blood and did not appear to be anything broken. The problem, however, was internal.

 

“I was at Ruby for three and a half weeks and in the ICU for weeks. I had three surgeries and they eventually removed between three and three and a half feet of small intestines,” said Holmes. “All my injuries were internal lacerations from my seatbelt holding me in.”

 

Do not think for a moment Holmes is anti-seatbelt. Far from it.

 

“That seatbelt is the reason I’m breathing today and not a picture somewhere on a memorial wall,” he said.

 

Despite the time in Ruby, after his release he healed up quickly He felt good enough to do anything, including football. But, decided it was time to move on.

 

“I’m not saying it was a sign to quit football, but I decided to take the opportunity to finish school and not take any more risks than necessary,” he said.

 

That brings us to right now. He is planning to graduate next spring with a degree in Business Administration after transferring closer to home at Fairmont State. That will be followed by the goal of getting a master’s degree specializing in business.

 

For good measure, he has started the aforementioned business – meaning he is working and going to school full time.

 

“I never really had a committed job, always odd jobs. The last few years I got into soft washing and pressuring washing,” said Holmes. “It can be viewed as tedious work, but I love it and find it easy because I love doing it. I got the hang of doing it working with friends and other companies and decided to make the move.”

 

The move came when he decided he had what it took to manage himself and be able to manage a job and his schoolwork. So far, so good.

 

“It’s going great,” said Holmes. “I’m really hoping to serve the community with my business.”

 

Holmes has the equipment, the vehicle, and the will to get it done. He also said that was possible thanks to taking investment money he said God blessed him with to be able to “put myself out there as a business owner.”

 

The business based in Morgantown and doing business in Bridgeport and throughout the region, as one might imagine, includes soft washing, pressure washing of just about every type of siding. Holmes will clean gutters, brighten up gutters, clean windows, do roof cleanings, wash down driveways, patios, walkways, stone walls and more.

 

“Just about anything that is exterior on a building, I can clean,” he said. “I give people my word to do hard work because I am blessed.”

 

For those wanting to learn more about Holmes’ business, you can visit his Web site by clicking HERE. He did his first job April 10 and has had plenty more since. He can also be reached by phone at 304-672-1228.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Mackenzie Holmes in ICU after this car wreck, while the third photo shows the damage done to his car. In the second photo, Holmes is shown on the sidelines during one of the Indians' title seasons. Bottom two photos show Holmes on the job, and he hopes to be able to to the job for you.