116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
The Ground Floor: Sisters translate life experience into a business
One small act of kindness led to a new business for Kim Peterson and Shelly Erger.
“I was going into a convenience store to get my iced tea like I do every morning, and I held the door open for an elderly lady,” Peterson recalled. “She turned around to thank me and was so appreciative of that tiny gesture.
“At that moment it hit me - I had to do something to help seniors.”
After she got back to her car, Peterson immediately called Erger, her sister, to share her “aha moment.”
“Oh, my gosh, the same exact thing happened to me last week,” Erger told her.
After spending much of the past decade dealing with issues relating to their elderly parents, Peterson and Erger were left feeling unfulfilled in their respective careers - sales and education - and wanting more out of their lives.
They remembered how overwhelming it was trying to manage their parents' estate while at the same time coping with all the emotions that come with illness, death and other life-changing events.
“It would have been nice to have someone come in and take care of it all,” Peterson said of moving her father to a nursing home. “We could have focused more on him instead of worrying about his stuff.”
In April, Peterson and Erger went to Caring Transitions' corporate headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio.
“Everyone we talked to had the same moments that brought them there,” Peterson said. “We left feeling this is where we need to be.”
On July 1, they opened their own Caring Transitions franchise, specializing in senior relocation, downsizing and estate sales. Services include decluttering and staging to full and partial estate liquidation to moving oversight and preparation of the new residence.
“We know what our clients are going through because we've been there,” Peterson said. “We can do the dirty work so they can concentrate on the important stuff.”
- Owners: Kim Peterson and Shelly Erger
- Company: Caring Transitions of Cedar Rapids and Iowa City
- Email: kpeterson@caringtransitions.net
- Phone: (319) 774-2980
- Website: www.estatemoveiowacityia.com
Know a company in business for less than a year that should be considered for “The Ground Floor”? Contact business editor Michael Chevy Castranova at michael.castranova@sourcemedia.net.
Kim Peterson of Swisher (right) takes notes on room dimensions and density of items while her sister Shelley Erger of Rowley opens a cubby door during a home walk-through for their business, Caring Transitions in Cedar Rapids. Erger and Peterson co-own the local franchise of the business, which helps clean, move and sell furniture and other possessions when an older family member moves into a retirement home or dies. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)
Kim Peterson of Swisher (left) and her sister Shelley Erger of Rowley inspect the refrigerator during a home walk-through for their business, Caring Transitions. Erger and Peterson co-own the local franchise of the business, which helps clean, move and sell furniture and other possessions when an older family member moves into a retirement home or dies. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)
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