Meet Bob
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:
In what ways do your residents inspire you?
The wisdom and experience of each and every resident inspires and motivates me every day. In spite of handicaps, they seem to overcome, reach out to other residents and have an overall great attitude about life and living.
Do you have any memorable experiences with a particular resident you would like to share?
My memorable experiences with residents are vast. The one that stands out is a resident that approached me during the hurricane(s) of 2004 and told me how happy and proud he was to be living in our community and he couldn’t think of a place he’d rather live.
How do you honor your residents at your community?
I wish we could do more! We do a GREAT job at honoring residents for their birthday, especially for landmark birthdays (90, 100, and 103). We gave a blown up wedding picture to a resident for their 70th wedding anniversary and she practically screamed for joy!
Tell us about a resident with a remarkable life story?
The stories we hear are incredible but the one that stands out is a resident who was co-founder of a major national chain. To hear his story about the growth and success of his business was great. I am moved on a daily basis by listening to a resident recount her experiences and survival in the Nazi death camps. Respect and honor for what she went through cannot be told in words.
Tell us about a resident whose life changed for the better once they moved to your community.
One resident in particular stands out! He moved in depressed, frail and could barely walk. He started going to meals, gained some friends (male and female) and within a month I went with him and a group of residents to a local casino. I sat back, shook my head in wonderment as he went from slot to slot, smiling, laughing and hugging friends as he won or loss. “What a changed man,” I thought! That was an inspirational feeling of success.
How long have you worked in the retirement industry?
For 10 years.
What do you like best about your job?
Serving seniors and the feeling you get when a resident or family member says “I love Lake Worth Gardens.”
What do you like to do in your free time and why?
Sailing! (FREEDOM)
If you could meet one person, past or present, who would it be and why?
I’d love to meet Alexander the Great! I believe he was one of the greatest leaders of all time.
What’s your favorite movie and why?
My favorite movie is “The Godfather.” I found the entire movie from start to finish absolutely fascinating in every respect. “The Godfather” has it all: drama, action, love and intrigue.
What’s your favorite dish or dessert and why?
Gumbo is my favorite dish because of my upbringing in the Louisiana (Cajun) area. My favorite dessert is German Chocolate cake due to it being my Mom’s favorite cake to bake.
In what ways do your employees inspire you?
To watch the dining room servers in our community carefully serve each resident is inspiring in itself. But to see them take an order, bring it back only to be told it wasn’t what they ordered, (actually it was) and then with a smile assure the resident they would “make it right.” What an inspiration! The entire food and beverage staff inspires me EVERY DAY by the hard work they do and their great attitude while doing it.
How do you create a family-like atmosphere at your community?
The atmosphere is created not by me, but by the residents and employees themselves. If they are happy and content they will bond with us and each other. The employees here are happy to serve and it shows by their willingness to go above and beyond. My job is to set the pace and attitude needed to succeed and communicate with everyone.
Tell us about an employee who embodies one of our core values – integrity, respect, responsibility, professionalism or teamwork.
The employee that best embodies our core values is Maria, our housekeeping supervisor. She embodies our core values by:
Integrity - Never have I had a complaint about Maria or her staff doing anything that would discredit themselves or our community.
Respect - The rapport Maria has with each and every resident is nothing short of amazing. Along with that, no matter what the problems may be she ensures that every resident is treated with the utmost respect possible.
Responsibility - Maria’s department works like a precision instrument every day. Her leadership ensures every employee gets his or her job done and it is done right, each and every time.
Professionalism - The day-to-day operation of Maria’s department is impressive. She ensures that every job is done correctly, professionally and within all company guidelines.
Teamwork - Maria’s ability to keep our staff motivated is the key to her success. No one employee exemplifies teamwork better than Maria and her department.
At Lake Worth Gardens, we understand that deciding where to live is a big decision that deserves careful thought. We invite you to visit us, stop by for lunch or be a guest at one of our special events or classes. We look forward to meeting you.