Over the past 20 years, Maureen Wagner has established herself as Calgary’s premier professional matchmaker.

When it comes to helping business people find compatible partners, Wagner is simply beyond compare.

Indeed, her list of highly satisfied clients at Empresario Matchmaker Inc. is the stuff of legend.

Maureen Wagner, Empresario Matchmaker Inc.

She regularly receives gifts, cards – even baby pictures – from former clients who have found a new lease on their love life.

Yet despite a remarkably successful matchmaking career, she continues to face a nagging challenge:

“Men over 40,” sighs Wagner. “They are very highly sought-after but often equally evasive.

“Every other segment of my business is booming.”

In fact, Wagner turns away a staggering eight to 10 women a week because of the shortage of over-40 men in her database.

“These men are professionals with a nice home and a nice car, but they’ve been bitten once, sometimes twice, and therefore are very skeptical about matching up with another woman,” she says.

“The pain from a divorce isn’t just emotional – these men have been hit in the wallet, too, and they don’t want that to happen again. “But guess what – the women with whom I work don’t need your cash. They are high-achieving professionals who are doing just fine.”

They also see the benefits of working with Empresario to dramatically improve their chances of finding a suitable mate

. The advantages of going to Empresario are many and varied.

“People love the fact that I’m working with the highest-quality people, but our biggest secret to success is the extent to which we go to match values,” Wagner explains.

Wagner does not use pictures as a way of selection. People want their confidentiality respected and do not want the shopping-centre mentality.

“Both sides would hear full information on each other, then you are left with a decision.

“If this sounds right for both of you, then we give you both a name and a number, and a time for you to contact the person. Lunch or something casual in the middle of the day works well.”

We tend to judge in 30 seconds. But Wagner suggests we invest a little more than that.

“Remember, this is just a lunch. And it’s amazing what happens when people are open to all the possibilities.

“We take all the practical steps – from screening to the common-sense approach to matching value systems – to maximize your likelihood of finding a great partner without all the hassle.

“Let’s face it, your chances of finding Mrs. Right by chance just aren’t that high.”

The fact that Wagner turns away so many women is a strong signal to those over-40 men.

“I’m working with an astounding selection of women, and if you give me a call and do a bit of research, you might be pleasantly surprised.”

For more information, call Maureen Wagner at Empresario in Calgary at 403.252.8760.