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Grandma Entrepreneurs Chronological age need not be a barrier to running one’s own business. From taxes to Tai-Chi, from tourism to training, four Flower City women are proof of that, and they use their skills to help others and create successful ventures in and around Rochester.
By Dean M. Lichterman
Betty Perkins-Carpenter At 80, she still runs her Penfield business, Senior Fitness, Inc. Seven years ago, Betty PerkinsCarpenter decided that she needed to get her doctoral degree. She accomplished that goal – at the age of 75. “I went back to school at age 72 to work for a PhD because physicians and professors told me that I must have a PhD if I wanted the medical field and academia to pay attention to my work. I graduated at 75 ½ and am still working at 79,” said PerkinsCarpenter. “It was brutal, studying and running a corporation, but it was worth all the effort. Especially gratifying is the fact that others have returned to get their advanced degrees because they felt, ‘If ‘you can do it, then I can do it.’ ” The doctorate is in health administration. She also holds a b a c h e l o r o f s c i e n c e d e g re e i n physical education administration and a master’s degree in child care administration. Perkins-Carpenter turned 80 in 12
55 PLUS - March / April 2011
January. She uses her knowledge to help fellow seniors through her business — Senior Fitness, Inc. — in Penfield. “Our business is dedicated to providing seniors with vital, life-enhancing health and fitness information,” said Perkins-Carpenter. “Our goal is to educate and motivate
Betty Perkins-Carpenter
this very important class of citizens about the benefits of physical fitness and fall prevention.” With the acclaimed 6-Step Balance System, she said, “We give seniors the tools to prevent falls, reduce their fear of falling and reduce injuries if a fall occurs with.” She previously worked for the YWCA and the Air Force. PerkinsCarpenter is also the only person to have coached both men’s and women’s Olympic diving teams. “My years of training our diving teams and exposure to the elite Olympic athletes gave me pertinent knowledge about motor memory,” said Perkins-Carpenter. “What I was observing and learning in those two corporations actually led to the founding of Senior Fitness. We were already doing water therapy with seniors for over 20 years and the preschool children taught us more about falling.” “My family is very small, and we are all working but really look forward to every holiday that we have so we can plan on seeing each other, be together and celebrate birthdays etc.,” said Perkins-Carpenter, who has one grandchild and two great grandchildren. “I am planning on spending more family time with my two great-granddaughters.”