Business Person of the Year

Stuart Bunting and residents, Barbara and Hugh Lovell .

A Village Within a Village

Business Man of the Year, Stuart Bunting, Leads RWC into New Era

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about challenges and changes for many businesses as it has for our community as a whole. The retirement housing industry is perhaps one of the most altered as a result of the circumstances made by the international crisis’s wake.

“In early March 2020, we had to reinvent most of our operation,” says Stuart Bunting, CEO of Rappahannock Westminster-Canterbury and Lancaster Chamber of Commerce’s Business Person of the Year.

“There wasn’t a part of our operation that was not touched or changed,” he continues. “We didn’t have to lay anybody off, we were able to take care of all of our residents, and we are able to partner with so many other businesses in our community.”

To make it happen, says Bunting, the staff had to learn new tools and sift through an ever-growing amount of complex information daily. Many job descriptions changed. New requirements and needs compelled many to step outside of their comfort zones.

“They are the people of the year, I’m just the frontman,” he says. “I get to take the credit, but the credit goes to the people here on our leadership team, our managers, our folks who are out doing the care and support day in and day out. They have done a phenomenal job.”

Changes at RWC during the past year included creating systems to stream regular fitness classes, developing safe meal delivery protocols, establishing weekly COVID testing clinics, and even creating a new package delivery system. RWC became its own “small Amazon facility” says Bunting.

“All in all, our residents and our staff have been incredibly flexible, understanding, and maintained a strong sense of love, care, and concern for the residents we take care of here,” he says. “All the while they still had to go home and take care of their own families.”

As a leader, Bunting says communication was the greatest lesson of the pandemic, giving a new meaning to teamwork for many. He worked to empower staff members to solve problems and make decisions he may have normally made.

During these unpredictable circumstances, the staff was already working to complete the building of the community’s new “small house,” which is a homelike environment designed for people with mild to moderate cognitive impairments such as dementia. A new garden plot also took shape so residents could get outdoors and garden.

During his 22 years at RWC, Bunting has overseen the building and expansion of several projects including the 18,000-square foot Life Enrichment Center in 2017, freestanding homes, a dining hall, and more. With every project, Bunting says he’s deliberate about working with local companies and professionals to bring these visions to life.

“We’re fortunate to have the resources, local businesses, vendors, banks, and more around us,” he says. “They’ve been our support system. They’ve stuck with us and helped with every aspect of our work the past year and years before.”

March 24 was the first Wednesday in 2021 RWC did not hold a COVIDtesting clinic since most of its residents and staff have been vaccinated. Signs of “normal” activities including family visitations are returning, though many things may stay changed forever, he says.

“It’s good to see families come back in, see residents moving about a little more,” he says. “We’re taking baby steps back in and every step back in brings another ray of sunshine.”