Looking for Love (Page 3 of 4)

The Love Doctor

Hollifield might have seen his fair share of post-Internet dating trauma, but 884 marriages, an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and 20 successful years in the business of matching people isn't too bad a record for Matchmaker International. Hollifield concedes Internet dating is successful for some, but he's confident his services can be successful for all who use them. "[Members] like the fact that I do police background checks on everyone, and there's not an Internet site that does a background check," he says. "But more than that, I've physically met and interviewed everyone that's a member. And that means that I have physically seen them, and that takes away a lot of the games."

He estimates Matchmaker has roughly 5,000 members in Knoxville, with 21 the youngest age and 88 the oldest. Thirty to 65 years old is the main age group and rates aren't fixed but vary depending on your “matchability.” "Some people walk in the door and I may have over 100 of what they're looking for, and some people may walk in and I've only got two of what they're looking for … if an 88-year-old and 21-year-old can afford me, it's kind of an indicator it's not something you need to take out a second mortgage on your home for,” Hollifield says. “We try to work with people, we try to work for the economics."

Not every group of daters can expect accommodations through the company, however. Hollifield says he's not able to accommodate same-sex dating at this time.

After the initial interview and background check clears, Hollifield says he'll have members matched with a first date in less than 10 days. One way he matches people is by considering what he calls “common ground,” which includes intelligence, beliefs and interests. "My average client has a [Bachelor of Science] or better, so I do lean a little more toward the professional [demographic]," he says. "When you've worked very hard for a Ph.D., that's usually the caliber of person they're looking for — someone with the same education, goals, ambition, drive — that's the common ground we're looking for. That opposites attract applies when we're younger because of lust, but as we get older we find it's the common ground that matters more than anything."

Another unique feature to Matchmaker is both dates report back to Hollifield with feedback before they're matched again, to determine what clicked for each person and what didn't. If the match is someone both members want to get to know better, the memberships go on hold for as long as they request. "I have some members who've been on hold for 15 to 16 years, that is usually a sign they're living together when it's that long," Hollifield laughs. Membership can be resumed at any point, and he estimates it takes roughly nine matches before  singles find someone they want to form a meaningful relationship with. "The process is that we made it to number nine … patterns will start to develop," Hollifield says. "But it's easier to match you with [date] seven and eight than one or two because we're learning as we use the service."

There are two extreme ends of the matching spectrum for Hollifield. "I've made one marriage to the first person I'd ever introduced them to, and then I've got one gentlemen who holds my record, it took me 40 [matches] and four years to find what he was looking for."

Amy and Tony Williams was the couple that found each other at first match. The two will have been married nine years in April. Amy, 34, works at Powell Elementary School and says she tried the service when Hollifield's wife, Cindy, was a coworker. "When Tony came in, she said he'd be perfect for me. Our first date was at Grady's on Cedar Bluff, and it just clicked for us." Both big NASCAR fans, the two were wed about a year later at Talladega by the NASCAR chaplain. Now, nine years later with an adopted son, Amy says she highly recommends Matchmaker. "This was the first thing I tried. I was real pleased."

Four things draw clients to Hollifield’s business — the first, Hollifield explains, is they're done with the uncertainty of trying to meet people at the bar scene. "A lot of people have careers and can't do that. When you have nuke clearance at Oak Ridge, or work for the federal government, you can't go out with someone who has three drug charges," Hollifield says. People’s position in the timeframes of their lives — either having kids or caring for elderly parents — is a factor, as is fear of the Internet and being just plain picky. But his business’s strength continues to lie in  background and investigative services prior to setting up dates. "The divorce rate in the area is over 50 percent, and it's the highest in every age group than it's ever been. There's a bigger singles market now than there's ever been in the history," he says. "We do confirm divorces, we do background checks. It becomes very important, especially when you fall for somebody and then find out they're not even trying to get a divorce — it's very discouraging and very hurtful."