6/12/2005 11:44:00 AM
Filing away problems
Organizers building niche in the Fort
By Derrick Gingery
(excerpts from original article printed in Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly)
Enough people feel they need such organizational insights to create a burgeoning professional organizing business. In the last year, membership in the National Organization of Professional Organizers jumped from 2,100 to 3,300.
Betsy Wintringer, the group's marketing manager, said officials still are trying determine the actual size of the industry as more people pay someone to bring order to their business and/or personal lives. The organization also is designing a certification program, expected to be in place in 2007.
Wintringer said member surveys indicate more organizers are partnering and creating firms as their client lists grow. Fees range from $50 per job and up and are billed hourly or by contract, she said.
"Our members served about 70,000 clients last year," Wintringer said.The organizing industry still is catching on in Fort Wayne. A search for professional organizers in the area netted only two names. Emily Fitzgerald, owner of Organized Living Solutions in Fort Wayne, specializes in home organization and has clients in Ohio, Kendallville, Muncie and Anderson, as well as Fort Wayne. Fitzgerald said many clients were surprised the service was available, while some others were embarrassed to ask for help.
"More than half my clients never finished unpacking from a move," she said. "They want to be able to park their car in the garage."