The Matchmaker of Maine Brings a Personal Touch to the New England Dating Scene

The Short Version: The Matchmaker of Maine has been bringing New Englanders together for 30+ years and has established an effective system to help their clients meet the right people. Founder Ron Cater and his team have matched over 35,000 singles since he started the company in 1982, and they plan to help many more through their perseverance and personal style. The company, which mainly focuses on men and women aged 45 to 60, is one of the last brick-and-mortar matchmaking services in New England, and the reason is that Ron and his crew don’t spread themselves too thin — they do one thing, and they do it extremely well.

We all know how hard teachers work. Many give everything they have to the students they teach, pulling long hours preparing lesson plans, grading papers, and talking to parents.

Now imagine a hardworking female teacher who is also single. She wants to maintain the level of education she provides to her students while still being able to have a semblance of a personal life — and maybe even date. So, she creates a dating profile, searches through many matches, and exchanges emails with them, but doesn’t find that person she clicks with.

One day, a student walks up to her and asks, “Are you having any luck with dating? My dad showed me your profile he came across on a dating site and said you must be looking for someone.” Mortified, the teacher deletes her profile and wonders how she is going to meet someone.

The Matchmaker of Maine Founder Ron Cater doesn’t have to imagine this scenario because it actually happened to a teacher who recently became one of his clients.

“She went home, got off the dating site, and came right to us,” Ron told us.

The Matchmaker of Maine has found a niche market in New England and has helped 35,000+ people.

Ron and his team have been making matches in the New England area for more than 30 years, helping over 35,000 people connect, and their approach is as straightforward as the Founder himself.

“It’s not complex. There are a lot of really nice people out there that are not meeting the type of people they want to meet,” he said. “These are people that are very genuine and sincere and want to be in a good, healthy relationship. It’s not easy, and we just try to make that process a little bit easier.”

The Matchmaker of Maine makes it easy with a system that is personalized, inviting, and designed to bring in people who want something more serious.

Most of The Matchmaker of Maine’s clients are between the ages of 45 and 60, and they want the same thing many daters of any age want: long-term relationships.

And the company takes that into account, focusing on the substance of the match instead of match quantity. It all starts with a one-on-one, 40-minute interview with the potential client.

“Our objective is to get to know the client; that is why we have an interview,” he explained. “We want to make sure that, when people become members, we feel confident that we have matches for them.”

Bringing people together for 30+ years, the company focuses on long-term partnerships.

The team doesn’t take on every client they interview, either, so the interview can serve to see if the person is a good fit for the program.

“We want people who are emotionally ready, emotionally available, and have realistic expectations of what they’re looking for,” Ron said. “So we’re selective in terms of who we bring on.”

After the initial interview comes a series of proprietary compatibility and personality tests to determine what kind of person the client is seeking. Next is a background check, followed by meetings with a male and female member of the team. These steps help to ensure safety and the accuracy of potential matches.

None of The Matchmaker of Maine’s clients go into a dating scenario blind, though. All of them are in control of who they meet, which leads to a level of comfort and trust.

“They’re comfortable because they make the ultimate decision,” Ron said.

9 Locations Throughout New England Help Make the Most Matches

The Matchmaker of Maine isn’t just in Maine, but instead has a footprint all over New England.

After opening the first office in Boston in 1984, Ron and his team have expanded to nine offices, with six in Massachusetts, two in New Hampshire, and their main office in Portland, Maine.

That footprint allows them to serve the entire area, and the number of people he helps every year is a direct reflection of that.

Over 1,000 Clients Get the Personal Treatment Every Year

Despite spending time interviewing every client to help set up matches, the company is still able to serve so many. Exactly how many?

“Well over 1,000 people every year,” Ron told us, “and we’ve brought in over 35,000 people over the last 30 years.”

The reason his team can help so many people is because of the trust they have built up over 30-plus years of getting people together.

Ron hasn’t been able to bring all of these people together by himself, though. He has had plenty of help from his team.

“Fortunately, I have a great core group of people that have been doing it a long, long time,” he said. “Some have been with me over 20 years. One person has been with me for over 28 years.”

There are five full-time matchmakers, and with more than 1,000 clients a year, they all have plenty of work to do.

Building a successful matchmaking business doesn’t just take good people. It takes perseverance — especially in the dating market.

“If you are really serious about meeting someone special, then take a chance.. and like many others who have come to The Matchmaker of Maine, it could change your life forever.” — Tom T., client of The Matchmaker of Maine

The Matchmaker of Maine has been able to weather the storms, mainly the Internet and its wealth of dating websites, because of their evolution.

“We are one of the last brick-and-mortar places standing in New England, and I think that is because of our perseverance, personalized service, and being able to adapt to a changing market,” Ron said.

He and his team have found a niche in the Northeast and take pride in having perfected a system.

“We’re not trying to be all things to all people. We know who we are,” he told us. “We know our system works because we’ve worked out all the kinks.”

The personal attention The Matchmaker of Maine gives to clients is what draws people in, like it did for that hardworking teacher looking for a date.

“Our members want a more personalized, safe, effective approach where they don’t have to go online, they don’t have to go into a bar, they don’t have to do anything,” Ron said.

The system continues to pay dividends for clients, but also for Ron, who truly loves bringing people together.

“My favorite stories are the people that connect,” he said. “Maybe they haven’t dated for 10 to 15 years, and they have been struggling to meet the right person. Then, all of a sudden, they get involved with us and meet somebody that they’re in love with, and it changes their life completely.”