Lisa Hollier saw a growing need for a senior-care housing advisory service in the Richmond area.“Most families don’t know what questions to ask or what to look for when visiting communities or comparing options,” Hollier said.Hollier decided to fill the need by starting Henrico County-based Choice Connections of Virginia in 2009.“I help families that are struggling with where to turn,” she said.Choice Connections offers a free senior housing search and consulting service to provide guidance and help families find an option that best suits their needs. Once a client is placed, she charges a referral fee to the senior housing community.Nearly 2 in 10 Americans age 70 and older say they either cannot live independently and accomplish daily tasks without assistance from caregivers or community resources, or find it difficult to do so, according to a June survey from the National Council on Aging, UnitedHealthcare and USA Today.“There are more than 120 licensed assisted living communities in the greater Richmond and Peninsula areas as well as many non-licensed homes offering care,” Hollier said. “Amenities and services differ between the communities.”Most often Hollier will respond to a call made from the daughter or spouse of someone who needs care.“I ask a lot of questions so I can understand the situation and then use that information to get an understanding of the communities I think are the best fit,” Hollier said, adding that she then discusses her findings with the family.Susan Wiley of Henrico called Hollier after her father-in-law died and she needed to quickly find senior housing for her mother-in-law.“There are so many different options out there,” she said. “I wouldn’t have known where to start and the questions to ask. I met with Lisa and we narrowed it down to three facilities within a couple of days. We were trying to get the best fit.”Hollier presented the choices in a candid fashion.“She didn’t recommend one facility over the other,” Wiley said. “She let me make that decision. I couldn’t have done it without her.”Hollier started Choice Connections of Virginia after working as a senior vice president for LandAmerica Financial Group, which filed for bankruptcy in late 2008 and shut down the business. After losing her job, she met with a business coach and decided to start her own company.“I like connecting with people and understanding what their problems are and then helping them find solutions,” she said. “I did due diligence on the front end to understand the need here in town.”At the time, only one Internet company was providing senior housing services.“No one was taking a personalized approach,” she said. “I educated myself on senior care issues and obtained the certification of certified senior advisor from the Society of Certified Senior Advisors.”Hollier accompanies her clients to each facility they want to tour.“I know so much about the different communities that people giving us the tour will say, ‘Lisa what am I forgetting?’ After the tour I debrief with my client,” she said. “Once they make the decision, I help them figure out what needs to happen to actually help the person move.”Hollier connects her clients with a variety of professionals, such as Realtors, when there is need for other services.“After the person moves, I check in with my clients on an ongoing basis. That lets me stay connected and still be their advocate if they need something,” she said.Most of her clients are in central Virginia, but Hollier expanded her business into the Williamsburg and Newport News areas in 2013. An independent contractor who works for her covers that region.She is hoping to expand to Norfolk and Virginia Beach, but has no plans for any other markets.“I am not out to grow to a size or pace where the quality of service we are currently delivering is threatened or jeopardized,” she said. “I love the part of helping families. I don’t want to give up on that for the sake of growing the company in too many markets.”Since 2010, she said the company has had an average annual revenue growth of 27 percent, and the demand for Hollier’s services continues to grow.Her revenue is generated by charging an undisclosed referral fee to a housing community when she places a customer there.“My biggest challenge is that people don’t know a service like mine exists,” she said.When Kathy Troxler of Asheville, N.C., learned about Hollier she asked her to help find a memory center for Troxler’s mother, who lives in Midlothian.“Lisa was so informative and so understanding during a time that is very difficult,” she said. “We talked almost daily until we found a place. I felt very supported.”A nurse, Troxler knows that families need the type of services Hollier provides.“I felt comfortable that I could leave town knowing my mom was safe and taken care of, and that meant a lot to me,” she said.
