To our associates:
These have been trying times for our country. We have been facing battles on almost every front. Whether it is physically or emotionally, it is completely understandable for anyone to be drained. We all walk in different shoes and this environment has affected each of us differently. The main commonality that we share, however, is that it has reached all of us.
“In times of great stress or adversity, it’s always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive.”– Lee Iacocca
This quote is indicative of what I have witnessed over the last 6 months. I have seen Care Associates, Housekeepers, Nurses, Lifestyles, Maintenance and Executive Directors take on these challenges headfirst and ask what else they can do. It’s not only impressive but it is uplifting.
We are here to take care of our residents first and foremost, and I think we have done a better job than most. Have we made mistakes? Sure. We learn more from our failures than our successes. I do believe and hope that with every failure we have adjusted to always think of our residents’ and associates’ best interests because we have an obligation to both.
So, you may ask, what does this have to do with sales? In a word, everything. The cleanliness and fresh paint on the building are the icing on the cake. The ingredients, which are each of you, are what make the cake rise. You have all done your jobs in the midst of all issues in an amazing manner which has allowed two major things to happen. 1) We have kept our residents safe and healthy, which has kept occupancy high, and 2) that high occupancy has given the sales teams at the communities the opportunity to continue to sell you! Because have no doubt about it, we sell the ingredients of the cake, not the icing.
What Do Industry Numbers Look Like?
I keep up with our industry as a whole and there have been major declines in occupancy. There have been scheduling cuts, layoffs, and associates furloughed because of this pandemic. Communities have had to close because of outbreaks and low occupancy has forced them to shut their doors. I am proud to say that our occupancy on March 1st has been maintained this entire time. Don’t get me wrong, we are far from out of the woods, but I think we are seeing a clearing through the trees. But to be able to hold our ground occupancy-wise, and on top of that bonus, our associates’ hard work, once again makes me proud to work for an organization where it is evident that you believe in it, and you believe in us as well.
Our communities have prospered while other companies’ have gone backwards. And once again, I contribute that to the ingredients. Not the fluffy icing. My favorite is vanilla cake by the way. 
Stay safe and healthy and keep fighting. We will win this battle together!
Greg Crutcher
Chief Marketing Officer
