Meet Our Team
Welcome to Accent Window Fashions! As your local, independently owned window treatment specialists, we love creating the perfect look and feel for every room. Our process keeps it simple: we design custom solutions, we measure with precision, we install with care, and you relax and enjoy your beautiful new space.
From sleek blinds and elegant shades to stunning shutters and beautiful drapery, we'll match your style and your lifestyle. Looking for energy efficiency, privacy, room darkening, or child safety? We have practical solutions for all of it. Dreaming of automation? As your local smart home experts, we'll bring your windows into the future.
And we don't stop at the back door! Our outdoor living lineup includes MagnaTrack motorized screens plus SunPro patio shades and retractable awnings, so you can enjoy shade, comfort, and bug-free evenings on your patio or deck all season long.
Let us handle the details while you enjoy your transformed home, inside and out!
Don Helms, Owner/Designer/Installer
Don grew up in Northeast Nebraska's farm country, and that farm boy spirit shows in everything he does. Between farm life and 21 years of military service, he developed the qualities our clients value most: honesty, attention to detail, hard work, and good old practical common sense.
When it comes to window coverings, Don knows his stuff. He has a natural eye for helping you find the right style, color, fabric, and options to match both your taste and the way you actually live in your space, and the knowledge and expertise to know what works and what doesn't. Whether it's residential treatments, commercial shades, or outdoor solutions, you can count on Don for recommendations backed by training, experience, and a deep understanding of the products. As a Hunter Douglas Certified Installer with well over a decade of experience, Don is personally involved in most of our projects, so you know every measure and installation is done right.
Away from the showroom, Don treasures time with his kids and grandson, whom he loves watching grow into the smart, funny little person he is. He also enjoys yard care, cooking, sports, and yoga, along with scuba diving, which comes with a nice bonus: the travel he loves is part of the deal, since you have to go where the water is!
Julie Helms – Owner/Designer/Director of Ops
Julie grew up on her family's farm near Columbus, Nebraska, she's a farm girl at heart to this day. And yes, she and Don have been happily married for many years! After eight years of service in the Army, she earned her degree in Accounting along with her CPA. She worked as an auditor and cost accountant for several years before opening her own company, building a 25+ year career as a business consultant helping small businesses grow from first idea to lasting success.
These days, Julie brings that same care and know-how to helping clients create homes they love. Julie wears a lot of hats around here so from the showroom to home visits, no two days look the same. She's earned multiple Hunter Douglas certifications and is always deepening her knowledge of how the right window coverings can transform a space, but ask her what she enjoys most and the answer is easy: the people.
Outside of work, Julie's greatest joy is time with family, especially her two kids and her grandson, whose smarts and humor keep her laughing and her heart full. She also loves traveling, cooking and baking, reading, yoga, and tending her flower garden, and whenever she and Don can get to the water, you'll find them scuba diving together!
Jill Wheeler, Showroom Coordinator
Jill is a Nebraska native who grew up in Fremont and Millard. After graduating from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, she built a successful career as an executive in retirement living, serving seniors and their families across independent and assisted living, memory support, and skilled nursing for over 30 years. Along the way, she gained deep experience in administration, operations, sales, and customer service.
As her children grew up, Jill was ready for a new adventure, and Accent Window Fashions turned out to be the perfect fit! You'll find her in our showroom welcoming customers, managing appointments, and keeping our operations running smoothly. Whatever Jill takes on, she handles with skill and grace, and she's become the glue that holds our day-to-day together. With her background caring for families through big life decisions, she brings a warmth and attentiveness to every visit and phone call.
Jill has four children and four grandchildren who are the light of her life. In her free time, she and her husband love family time, watching college sports, and spoiling their goldendoodles, Vinny and Bella, and their Russian Blue cat, Luna.
Grady Woolery — Installation & Service Professional
Born and raised in Omaha, Grady brings a strong work ethic, a positive attitude, and a genuine desire to learn and grow as a member of the Accent Window Fashions team. He loves working with his hands and takes real satisfaction in seeing a job come together from start to finish. Detail-oriented and dependable, he's always ready to jump in and help wherever he's needed.
Grady is quickly discovering just how complex the world of interior window treatments, exterior shades, and awnings can be, and how important it is to make the right selections for your style, decor, and lifestyle. While you may spot him in our showroom from time to time, you'll most often find Grady in our clients' homes and businesses, where he's the friendly face behind our installations and service calls.
Outside of work, Grady enjoys time with friends and family and getting out on the golf course whenever he can. A fan of just about every sport, he also loves a good board game and likes to cook, and of course eat, good food. Always up for a new adventure, Grady rarely passes on the chance to try something new.
Larry Klein, Installation Professional
Larry brings a fun claim to fame to our team: he's a former MLB player for the Texas Rangers! These days he puts his talents to work as a Hunter Douglas Certified Installer with more than 30 years of experience. As an independent installation professional, Larry has worked with us for years on many of our projects, specializing in shutter installations and the really "high up" work that keeps the rest of us on the ground. Clients trust and appreciate Larry as much as we do for his friendly smile, expertise, and professionalism.
Oliver, Official Greeter and Top Salesman
Oliver is our beloved showroom mascot as well as Don and Julie’s family pet. He welcomes our showroom guests most days, creating smiles and sometimes even receiving a belly rub or a special treat in return. People often guess that he is a Maltese or other similar breed, but he is actually a Coton de Tulear, also known as the “Royal Dog of Madagascar.” Cotons are immensely charming, intelligent, and always ready to play and have fun. Their coats are profusely white and as soft as cotton (or, as the French say, “coton”). As a breed Cotons love their “people” and Oliver is no exception. He is happiest when he is wherever Julie is hanging out.
