Deborah Portman

Deborah is the founder and owner of Relocation Support for Seniors (RSS) with its’ corporate office in DeLand, FL. Prior to beginning the company in 1997, Debbie and her husband founded and operated an insurance brokerage firm in Ohio. And while bringing up two daughters, Debbie worked for 10 years directing resident activities for a senior citizen complex. She has also managed many life transitions in her own family with aging parents and grandparents – “This is where it all begins; learning to understand the challenges of balancing family, elder care and career issues,” comments Debbie.

Concurrently, Deb has served as an advocate for seniors through her participation on boards of directors for individual senior communities, associations of senior homes, a hospital women’s advisory board, and a community support foundation. She is a founding member of the National Association of Senior Move Managers. Debbie’s professional experience in Florida directing financial development and volunteers for nonprofit agencies serving seniors in Volusia and Flagler counties led her to focus on her personal mission of providing therapeutic and social services to seniors during their relocation transitions. Thus RRS came to be. Over the past 9 years, RSS has helped 100’s of older adults. Deborah summarizes by saying “Each move is unique and each client relationship is special. It has been the most rewarding experience of my professional career to build and grow a business that provides a needed service to the senior community. The greatest reward, at the end of each day, is to see our clients happily settled in their new home and ready to enjoy this (wonderful) new chapter in their life.”

Tracey Portman

Tracey, a Network Manager in the Columbus, Ohio territory relates her fortunate experiences as a child and teen; she grew up knowing her grandparents and great grandparents. She comes from good genes too; her great grandfather lived to be 105. And as a child, she went to work with her mom, an activities director in a local nursing home. Tracey would work on various projects with the senior residents and “I’d sing and dance for them, too!” said Tracey. Later, as a high school senior, she worked at that same facility as a receptionist where during her lunch break she’d visit with a special resident, her great grandfather.

And it’s a blessing that one of Tracey’s unique contributions to RSS is her patience . . . “I’m a mom to twin 8 year olds and a 7 year old and I need and have a lot of patience!” she says.

All of life’s transitions require this skill and Tracey notes that seniors, facing what seems and often is an overwhelming move, “Really need our patience”.

Tracey also brings to RSS several years of college in accounting and business, as well as, 5 years working experience in banking where she was a personal account executive and managed many senior client portfolios.