Know Who We Are

Wellness Connections LLC • Virginia Beach, VA

We are dedicated to enhancing organizational well-being through comprehensive business solutions and wellness programs.

Our partnerships with industry leaders enable us to offer innovative services tailored to diverse needs.

With a commitment to excellence, we strive to support businesses, governments, cities, schools, and universities in achieving optimal health and productivity.

Partner • 757-285-4540 • chris@wellnessconnectionshealth.com

Chris Caldwell was born in 1968 in Blacksburg, Virginia. He graduated from Tabb High School in 1986 and from Christopher Newport College in 1990 with a BA in Business Administration. From 1990 to 1996 he held a management position with Food Lion, leading and growing it into one of the top locations in Hampton Roads.

In 1996 he obtained his insurance license and built a Farmers Insurance agency, which he sold in 2000 to build his own independent agencies, Cardinal Associates and All American Auto Independent Agency. He built both into successful agencies and sold them in 2007, then proceeded to build another independent agency, Cardinal Agency, which he grew and sold before retiring in 2021. His independent agencies represented 50 or more carriers and were highly profitable every year, with millions in premium across multiple companies.

In 2018, Chris began transitioning into a field where he could help others in a different way, becoming a dealer with Action Trackchairs — all-terrain wheelchairs for veterans and the disabled — with a territory spanning five states. These chairs bring independence and normalcy back to people’s lives, enabling them to fish, hunt, and enjoy the outdoors with their families.

After seeing and experiencing the need for better health and wellness options, Chris came out of retirement to join the health and wellness industry — to make a difference by developing a proactive, rather than reactive, approach to health.

Partner • 757-535-4000 • stacey@wellnessconnectionshealth.com

Stacey Bennis, born in 1966 in Virginia Beach, VA, is a successful, passionate, and driven businesswoman well known in the Hampton Roads community, with proven success as an executive leader in the automotive finance & insurance industry.

She began her 45-year career in the automotive industry at age 14½, following in the steps of her parents, who owned their own business. Starting as a receptionist/title clerk and later returning to work as an administrative assistant at Checkered Flag, she advanced over the next ten years to General Sales Manager of a successful multi-franchise dealership, earning many awards and accolades along the way. She then accepted an Executive Director position with Priority Automotive Group, where she taught, led, and directed a large sales and finance department at a high-volume Honda store to a position in the top 5% in the country.

Throughout her career she has helped many dealerships develop top performers who advanced to leading positions, and she is highly regarded and sought out by local companies for her expertise in the finance & insurance industry.

After taking two years off to care for her terminally ill husband, Kevin, and to help her granddaughter work through challenges, Stacey changed her career path and obtained her Life, Annuities & Health license. Her venture into the life and health field came from personal experience with her family and the need for better health and mental care options for everyone. Her passion has always been to help others — family, clients, and friends — by teaching people how to be proactive about their health and wellness. She lives by the words she instills in her children and grandchildren: “be the change you wish to see in others.”

Partner

● Born on May 18, 1942 in Bayabas, Surigao del Sur, Mindanao Philippines at the evacuation area where family
was hiding from Japanese invaders.
● June 27, 1966 Came to Norfolk, Virginia to pursue post graduate training in General Surgery at De Paul Hospital
and Thoracic Surgery Fellowship at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.
● 1970 Married to Mary Ann Goodsell, and since then blessed with 4 sons: Dan, Greg, Andy, Paul and 11
grandchildren.
● 1972 Joined thoracic surgeon Dr. William S. Hotchkiss as associate partner. Latter served as President of the
American Medical Association, 1987-88. Practiced General and Thoracic surgery until 2007.
● 1977 Authored ‘Halfway Through’ autobiography and published in 1982 with a copy in Library of Congress;. Stay
tuned for ‘All the Way Through and Beyond’ sequel.
● 1977 Inducted into the Fellowship of American College of Surgeons.
● 1978 Founded the Mobile Clinic project helping the migrant workers in Eastern Shore, thru the Philippine
Medical Association of Southeastern Va.
● 1983-84 President of national Association of Philippine Physicians in America.
● 1984 November, Montero family featured on NBC Tom Brokaw show ‘New Pilgrims’ series.
● 1986 President of national Society of Philippine Surgeons in America.
● 1990-2007 Assistant Professor of Surgery[Community Faculty] Eastern Virginia Medical School
● 1991 First Citizen of Chesapeake.
● 1992 Founded Chesapeake Care Free Clinic.
● 1992 Recipient of Most Outstanding Physician award by Medical Society of Virginia.
● 1992 Recipient of Governor’s Award for Volunteering Excellence [G.A.V.E.-gold category].
● 1997 Recipient of Old Dominion University ‘honoris causa’ PhD degree.
● 1999 Founding Director signatory, Towne Bank.
● 2000 Recipient of Philippines Presidential ‘Linkapil’ award.
● 2002 Recipient of Humanism in Medicine award by Association of American Medical Colleges as voted by
EVMS students.
● 2003 Co-recipient of Inaugural American College of Surgeons’ Surgical Volunteerism Award.
● 2005 Invited as Surgery Professor of the Month[June] at Presbyterian Roosevelt Medical Center, Columbia
University
● 2006-present Board Director of General Douglas MacArthur Foundation, Norfolk, Virginia.
● 2007 WWAAC [Who is Who in Asian-American Communities] honoree;
● 2011 Founded Montero Medical Missions, creating sustainable healthcare projects here and abroad.
● 2019 Interviewed by Voice of America with Chesapeake Care Clinic as setting, being one of the most
comprehensive free clinic in the nation.
● 2022 Humanist of the Year by the 22nd World Congress on Qigong/Tai Chi/Traditional Chinese Medicine/Natural
Healing
● 2022 Dr. Juan Montero was among the honorees during the Annual Martin Luther King Breakfast Meeting held in
Chesapeake, VA honoring significant contributions to his hometown of Chesapeake, VA
● 2023 Profiles in Excellence awardee at the 75th anniversary of the American Association of the Philippines
● 2023 Appointed by Governor Glenn Youngkin to the Board of Visitors of Old Dominion University 2023-2027

Wellness Connections is proud to be involved with, support, and donate to Montero Medical Missions.

Dr. Juan M. Montero II, MD, FACS, is a retired general and thoracic surgeon who practiced in Hampton Roads from 1972 to 2007 and served as Assistant Professor of Surgery at Eastern Virginia Medical School. A Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, he founded the Chesapeake Care Free Clinic in 1992 — one of the most comprehensive free clinics in the nation — and in 2011 founded Montero Medical Missions, creating sustainable healthcare projects at home and abroad.

His decades of medical volunteerism have earned national recognition, including the American College of Surgeons’ inaugural Surgical Volunteerism Award (2003), the Humanism in Medicine Award (2002), Virginia’s Most Outstanding Physician Award (1992), and an appointment by Governor Glenn Youngkin to the Board of Visitors of Old Dominion University (2023–2027).