Meet Mark
Executive Director
The executive director, along with our friendly and professional staff, strives to create positive, stimulating ways for residents to continue living life with meaning and purpose. We are a friendly family where we treat residents like real people with real life stories.
Our community is a great story that includes heartwarming chapters and incredibly unique characters all in a wonderful setting. Here is the executive director’s story:
How long have you worked in the retirement industry?
23 years
What do you like best about your job?
I enjoy working with the residents, families and staff. Everyday is different with new challenges and opportunities.
What do you like to do in your free time and why?
Spend a lot of time with my family and cooking.
If you could meet one person, past or present, who would it be and why?
Abraham Lincoln. History portrays him to be a very intelligent, straight forward honest person. He had to make some tough decisions for the best of the majority at a difficult time in history.
What’s your favorite movie and why?
Hoosiers – True story about a second chance being given to a great coach who made a previous mistake. He inherits an underdog basketball team in a small town. He must overcome his past, and teach his team that with heart, hard work and dedication you can achieve anything.
What’s your favorite dish or dessert and why?
All Italian food – no preference on any dish.
In what ways do your residents inspire you?
They have so much history to share and all of them lived through depression, several wars and were able to overcome and make the USA the greatest country in the world.
Do you have any memorable experiences with a particular resident you would like to share?
I was catering a wedding at a community early in my career and brought out the wedding cake and placed it on the table. I turned around to get something else and a resident decided to put her finger in the cake. She turned to me and said, “that is really good as she licked her finger”. So five minutes before the wedding was to start I was frantically fixing the cake before the bride and groom knew anything.
How do you honor your residents at your community?
Everyday and in every way, our staff does a great job of recognizing residents for all milestones (birthday, veterans day, new residents, etc.) We make special acknowledgements by giving them cards and singing to them on their birthday.
Tell us about a resident with a remarkable life story?
We have so many great residents who have lived a remarkable life, but one gentleman in particular stands out. He told me that as an engineer during WWII he worked on a project for the navy that was connected to the early sonars on submarines. Later on his early research led to the development of the now famous Doppler Radar used in weather forecasting.
Tell us about a resident whose life changed for the better once they moved to your community.
A resident recently moved from her home in Wyoming to be closer to her kids. She did not want to come after all those years and the kids had to go and move her to the community. She is one of the most sociable residents and gets involved in everything. Her smile and attitude are contagious for both residents and staff. She has flourished here and is well-liked by all who know her.
In what ways do your employees inspire you?
They have tough jobs. Their commitment and dedication to the residents and families is incredible. We have staff members who have been part of this community for 22 years. They inspire me with the care, kind words and respect they give our residents. I try to do what ever I can to provide them the support they need to fulfill their duties.
How do you create a family-like atmosphere at your community?
Treat everyone with respect, honesty and consistency with an open door policy. Tell us about an employee who embodies one of our core values – integrity, respect, responsibility, professionalism or teamwork. There are so many to choose from that picking one would not be right. The entire staff here embodies all the core values every day.