If you’re lonely, unattached, 40 or older, and would like to meet the man or woman of your dreams – not only a compatible person, but someone who is downright rich – you might want to ring up Catherine Mc-Cabe, a socialite with a network of friends. She’s an expert at bringing affluent people together, as exemplified by a flourishing New York business that does just that.

About five years ago, Ms. McCabe, a woman of some means and over 40, separated from her husband, whom she eventually divorced.

To meet a new guy, she did what a lot of folks do – she tried a dating service.

The problem, though, as she quickly discovered, was that dating services are pretty much geared to younger people (under 40).

So Ms. McCabe, a former marketer in the fashion industry, who catered chiefly to baby boomers, came up with the idea of opening her own dating service aimed at people over 40.

“Out of my own needs I recognized a need and I thought I could carve out a niche,” she said.

So was born Catherine Connections, a dating service not only for folks 40 or over, but one for very well-to-do folks over 40.

Its patented trademark – “mature mates of means”- captures the kind of client it wants to serve.

The business, Ms. McCabe observes, has taken off, with the firm’s clientele, about 80% of whom are New Yorkers and the majority of whom are Jewish, now running well into the hundreds.

She notes that her average client (both man and woman) boasts a net worth of between $5 million and $10 million, and, in some cases, more than $100 million.

Included, she says, are some well known figures, including CEOs of retailing and fashion companies, as well as doctors and lawyers.

Most – in their 40s and 50s – are highly educated, sophisticated and health conscious.

One client is 87, owns his own large food company, skis, and is very active.

Another wealthy client is an orthodox rabbi.

No minimum net worth is required. “We just want to make sure we’re dealing with people of means and quality people,” Ms. McCabe said. A financial profile, though, is sought from clients.

The fee, which hinges on the number of introductions, runs between $5,000 and $10,000.

Prior to the introductions, counselors from Catherine Connections usually spend lengthy sessions (2-4 hours) with prospective clients in order to profile them and to obtain an insight into the kind of people they would like to meet.

Dating services, as we all know, are a dime a dozen, and continue to spread like wildfire, especially on the Internet. Ms. McCabe credits her success in this ultra-competitive arena to her focus on an unusual and untapped clientele.

As part of her desire to offer the unusual, she’s looking into the gay market as a possible expansion of the business.

“It’s an area of society I also want to serve,” she said.

Also part of her growth plans is expansion of the firm, which already has clients in South America, throughout America and into Europe and Canada.

Her firm’s efforts, Ms. McCabe tells me, have led to two marriages and a number of relationships where people are now living together.

In fact, next July 8, which is her birthday, she will attend the marriage at the St. Regis Hotel of two people her firm introduced to each other – Denise, a part-time school teacher who was formerly married to a wealthy man, and Jack, an affluent fellow in the insurance business who also owns nursing homes and cattle ranches.

“I’m a people person,” Ms. McCabe said. “I know how to bring people together. I’m good at doing that and it’s what I like to do,” she said.

So, if you want to meet the right and rich mate of your dreams, it can all start with a call, observes our modern day yenta, to 1-888-968-5283.