By Judy Waggoner
For Fox Valley Inc.
Who: Lynn Wilson's father suffered from congestive heart failure in 2002. Family caregivers encountered frustration when they tried to get answers about his care.
The CareGiver Partnership
Locating and buying the right supplies that he needed resulted in endless trips to stores. "I found that no one in the stores seemed knowledgeable; I thought there has to be a better way," Wilson recalled.
What: Wilson's limited business background was in customer service, so she relied heavily on the expertise of her husband, a former Kimberly-Clark Co. executive. She began extensive research into the home health care market in April 2004 and learned some interesting facts.
Unpaid caregiving provided in the home have a monetary value of $257 billion. About 21 percent of U.S. households provide some sort of caregiving and 83 percent are helping relatives.
The average age of a typical caregiver is 46 and of the typical age of someone receiving care is 75. More than 60 percent of both caregivers and recipients are women.
"In late January 2006, we began business operations as The CareGiver Partnership, a direct-to-consumer retailer of home health products," said the Neenah resident.
Wilson, who owns more than 60 percent, and 11 other investors set up the company after conducting focus groups to see what types of products people were looking for.
Customers select from 1,800 items on the company's Web site, and the company has access to more than 20,000 products in six warehouses owned by its major distributor, San Francisco-based McKessen Corp.
"Over 80 percent of our business is in incontinence products," shipped in unmarked or discreet cases, Wilson said.
Why it's important: Although the fulfillment side of her business is definitely high-tech, including a Never Run Out program, Wilson keeps the customer interface decidedly personal. Five part-time contract employees strive to answer phone calls by the second ring.
"Our customers can talk with us in a safe, nonthreatening, pleasant environment where we can thoroughly answer their questions," Wilson said.
