THEMORRISONWAY ISSUE 5, 2015
ALMOST A CENTURY OF PEOPLE-CENTERED SUCCESS A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENTS BY KEVIN SVAGDIS & JOE GORMAN GENE DOLLOFF Lessons of Loyalty and Shared Mission MOTION PICTURE & TELEVISION FUND Creatively Caring for Stars on Stage and Screen BEVERLY THOMPSON More Than Four Decades of Service Across the Country CHRISTIAN LIVING COMMUNITIES Pioneering Choices in Colorado EVANGELICAL HOMES OF MICHIGAN Preserving History, Constantly Improving NICK NUSTRA From Dishwasher to Dining Manager
WE ENRICH THE LIVES OF SENIORS EVERY DAY
ALMOST
A CENTURY OF PEOPLE Centered Success
In 1920, when Morrison Community Living started putting down roots, Prohibition began and women won the right to vote. Societal change is constant, and Morrison and its customers have transformed how people live together throughout their lives. As we mark 95 years of service and look forward to our centennial, we gain great insight by looking back on our rich history. For more than 350 senior living clients in 42 states, we provide leadership and critical support to some of the most prominent senior living communities in the United States—and some with even greater longevity.
retain competitive leaders. As your presidents, we know that from experience. With a combined 45 years in the business, we joined Morrison because of its visionary leadership and growth opportunities. A milestone like 95 years gives us the chance to acknowledge the many relationships that have shaped Morrison. This issue features inspirational longevity from individuals like Gene Dolloff and Nick Nustra and communities like the Motion Picture and Television Fund. The stories of caring people, and caring for people, are who we are as a company. Thank you for your interest in our legacy.
Our field is more competitive than ever, and Morrison’s people and culture help attract and
Kevin Svagdis West Division President
Joseph Gorman East Division President
GENE
DOLLOFF Lessons of Loyalty and Shared Mission
In his 13 months of serving as a Marine infantryman in Vietnam in 1966 and 1967, Gene Dolloff learned the importance of loyalty. Ultimately, those lessons shaped his 40-year career in food service leadership and role as founding President and Chairman of Morrison Community Living [formerly Morrison Senior Living]. “What I brought from Vietnam to this business was a focus on team trust and shared mission,” he said. “Nothing nurtures the spirit of team and trust more than combat, and loyalty is not blind—it is being honest with those around you in an effort to fix something so it can be different next time.” That dedication to excellence led Dolloff to oversee four visionary research studies that have been shared among an industry caring for the Silent Generation (born between 1925 and 1942) and preparing for the Baby Boomers (1943-1960). Demographic research data helped position Morrison as more than a service provider. “The transformation I have been most excited to see is our position as a thought leader to our clients and others in our industry, especially through our knowledge of the Silent Generation. We can help accelerate an organization’s transformation with that knowledge,” he said. “Senior living is, I believe, a higher purpose work. It is more than feeding someone, and there are a wide variety of ways that we can help. That sense of higher purpose always motivated me to try to find better ways to support them, especially during the revolution in senior living with the Silent Generation.” Team trust and shared mission played a role for Dolloff early in his career. In 1982, the company he had worked for was
G e n e D o ll o ff ,
in Vietnam in
1966 and 196
7
1945 Gene Dolloff was born
1966 & 1967 Gene Dolloff served as a Marine infantryman in Vietnam for 13 months
1982 Dolloff began his own business serving Foulkeways, by gaining the trust of its CEO and sharing the mission with his wife Denise
Fifteen years ago, you could serve good regional food and life was good. Now the expectation is that we offer almost every kind of culinary experience.
sold and exited the senior living industry, leaving him and his client—Foulkeways at Gwynedd, a continuing care retirement community in suburban Philadelphia—trying to find a solution to their dining needs. The answer: Dolloff began his own business serving Foulkeways, by gaining the trust of its CEO and sharing the mission with his wife Denise. “I did not take a salary for a year, and with three small children at home, my wife was a major supporter,” he said. “I knew that I absolutely loved serving these people, and I still do to this day. I knew then and now that specializing in senior living was important, and that we would continue to need to have the pulse of the generation that we serve and be able to modify ourselves and strengthen what we offer.” In 1998, Dolloff became founding president of what was then Morrison Senior Dining with 120 communities via acquisition of Culinary in the east and Drake in the west plus integration of the 30 Morrison Health Care senior living communities, with business quickly expanding. In 2001, Compass bought Morrison, which has thrived during great change by providing loyal, expanded service to current clients while nurturing new ones.
1998 Dolloff became founding president of what was then Morrison Senior Dining with 120 communities via acquisition of Culinary in the east and Drake in the west plus integration of the 30 Morrison Health Care senior living communities, with business quickly expanding
2001 Compass bought Morrison, which has evolved throughout years to provide comprehensive services for senior living communities
“We can never lose sight of nurturing our internal culture and the spirit of trust with the people we serve,” he said. “People must know we have each other’s backs no matter what. No matter how much we strive for our financial results and innovative solutions and culture, we must never lose sight of our shared mission to those we serve and to each other.” In his four decades as a leader in senior living, Dolloff himself has become closer to the age group that his industry serves. Born in 1945, three years after the end of the Silent Generation, he is 70 and his wife passed away four years ago. “I am on target to move into a senior living community in my late 70s or early 80s as long as my health stays as it is,” he said. “As I’ve gotten older, I absolutely began to look at this research through different eyes. I know from personal experience that people are living longer, more vital lives that are intellectually stimulated and nutritionally well in senior living communities. “The idea that living at home has benefits is a myth, and the field of senior living has not promoted strongly enough the benefits of senior living communities. I believe a senior living community is a springboard to a more simplified, positive lifestyle and feel blessed to have been part of supporting that opportunity the past 40 years.”
ON THE RECORD
The Morrison Chairman offered these historic highlights and industry observations:
with Gene Dolloff
nior living orce issues in the se kf or w t ou ab is rt search repo a brand Morrison’s fourth re es can do to create iti un m m co g in liv share what senior field. Morrison will t advantage. s them a local marke ve gi d an s ee oy pl that nurtures em
Morrison helped transform senior living by offering with varying styl multiple dining ve es and approach nues es fo r re si d en a community and ts. Dining nurture multiple approac s the soul of hes keep the com munity vibrant.
The Silent Generation are foodies. Morrison leads clients to a hospitality service culture that expands on the traditional model of caring for seniors’ health and safety.
FACT SHEET: Our New Logo
The “pennant” & the “monogram”
MOTION PICTURE & TELEVISION FUND: Creatively Caring for Stars on Stage and Screen
The casting call came from the carmaker Dodge, which was making an ad celebrating its 100th anniversary and featuring spunky centenarians. Connie Sawyer, born in 1912, stepped right up to help the 2014 “Wisdom” commercial go viral. A working actress, now 102-years old, who lives at the MPTF (Motion Picture and Television Fund) campus near Hollywood, Sawyer pumps her arm and urges viewers, “Live fast!”
On the MPTF campus, life imitates (and includes) art. New residents are interviewed on camera about their lives and careers as part of a permanent archive of film and television history.
“They are all still very artistic, so we have lots of engaging projects, such as our own in-house cable channel, Channel 22, for writing, directing, acting and producing their own content,” said MPTF CEO Bob Beitcher. “Creativity does not end when you Sawyer’s vitality and stage presence represents the turn 65, and it takes creativity to solve the needs of souldesign and longevity ofMPTF MPTF,logo established in 1921 creative people.” and feel more like film — flexible, fluid, and The of a new began with theby farsighted performers including Chaplin, desire to capture the new spirit Charlie of the organization transparent. It’s a modern interpretation of film in a way that embraces the Fairbanks. balance between imbued withincredible the spiritresidents, of a new generation. Mary Pickford and Douglas They putour And for these Morrison has history and our future. This is manifested in the up a coin box on the sets of their Hollywood played a supporting role with housekeeping new monogram M-P-T-F as the organization’s Importantly, our new logo alsoBeitcher symbolizes diversity. productions where cast members and crew and culinary services since 1989. notes primary identifier, with the ‘lockup’ of Motion We are proud that this new design reflects, in clear donated change for colleagues in need. Morrison more than meets the daily requirements of Picture & Television Fund as a reminder of who we are. visual language, colorful shades interconnected as an intensely driven, passionate clientele, many with one. We see this as a metaphor for the work we do: Today, the MPTF annually provides social services bigbringing personalities and an independent streaks, who are As a starting point, we considered all of the together increasingly diverse industry programs,ofsenior and, along spread across to 20 build acressomething and three dining rooms. elements MPTFliving logosoptions, over the years. Aswith the community beautiful, detailed, UCLA Health, healthcare for more its than 150,000 entertainment industry continues rapid advance and strong. into thein digital age, we contemplated whether our people the entertainment industry. MPTF’s “When we reviewed all campus services recently, the strengths of that our new logo should move away from a visual connection to logobe is very that it’s not supporters are a glittery array of Hollywood theOne firstofthing we said was it would film, the common thread among many of our prior just a stand-alone symbol, but it will serve as a celebrities who embrace the concept of “taking hard for another company to dislodge Morrison, logos. In the end, we decided to retain the film cornerstone to a palette and visual vocabulary that care of our own.” George Clooney is on the MPTF because the staff from top to bottom have created iconography as a graceful nod to our legacy; in so we’ll use across all of our new materials. board, and DreamWorks SKG founders Steven relationships with residents based on personal many ways and for many years to come, it will Spielberg, our David Geffenand andour Jeffrey Katzenberg loyalty and commitment,” Beitcher said. “It wouldthat be represent industry community. The new, vibrant mark will help communicate each donated $30 million to a recent MPTF devastating most residents we are anto organization withifaMorrison renewedassociates dedication fundraising campaign. The MPTF health didn’t show up. They have a deep understanding of The design reimagines frames of behavioral film to helping an ever-changing entertainment interconnected pennant. new logo is built industry. new design embraces thewhat future that center is namedas fora its donor, Our movie producer and what these Our people did in their career and will from clips that celebrate change and bright color we are creating together. distributor Samuel Goldwyn Jr., and the aquatic meet their expectations.” pavilion for donor Jodie Foster.
It would be devastating to most residents if Morrison associates didn’t show up. They have a deep understanding of what these people did in their career and what will meet their expectations.
BEVERLY THOMPSON: More Than Four Decades of Service Across the Country
At 16 years old, Beverly Thompson became one of the millions of American teenagers who found their first employment in food service. Her career began in a mom-and-pop café in her hometown of Dunkerton, Iowa (population: 500), as a waitress behind the counter. As a junior at Upper Iowa University, Beverly started working as a line server and in a snack bar for Professional Food-Service Management (a company that became part of Compass Group USA in 1996). The year was 1971, and today she continues her Compass-related work with Bateman Community Living, a division of Morrison Community Living, as dining services director at Bateman’s Coosa Valley Elderly Nutrition Program (ENP) in Trion, Ga. “At one time I was keeping track of how many states I lived in, but then I lost track,” she said. “I used to say when I first started that this work was like joining the military, I was moving so much. I’ve always been more interested in my job and service to the customer than the number of transitions.” When called, Thompson served. From South Dakota to Arkansas, Texas to Florida, West Virginia to Arizona, she adapted to the culture and needs of her clients. Depending on the size of the unit, she served as unit director, associate director, production manager, catering director—“just about all aspects,” she recalled. The smallest was Ringling School of Art and Design in Florida, which served 200 to 300 a day. The largest were state universities like University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, with 11,000 students.
It's helped me learn different perspectives and ideas, of what could be done and what is being done in different places. I love that this company services the people that it does, and that every day is different.
Within her history with Compass Group USA, she developed a knack for keeping historical records that were important to feeding her clients efficiently and well. As a production manager, she tracked the increasing variety of meals served and what items were the most popular. Her team uses the data for the next time that menu is offered, for the best estimate of how much of each item to prepare. “There’s also the human factor,” she pointed out. “There’s the timing and climate—people in the north will eat more in the winter than summer, for instance, and in the South you see more greens than you do up north. Holidays will change eating patterns. There are a lot of factors. When you think you got it down, then it changes.”
2 As a junior at Upper Iowa University, Beverly started working as a line server
1
and in a snack bar for Professional Food-Service Management .
Her career began in a mom-and-pop café as a waitress behind the counter.
Fayette, Iowa
Dunkerton, Iowa
9
Today she continues her Compassrelated work with Bateman Community Living, a division of Morrison Community Living, as dining services director
3
2 1
at Bateman’s Coosa Valley Elderly Nutrition Program (ENP)
Trion, Ga
7
4
8
9
5 6 3~8 Thompson served fom South Dakota to Arkansas, Texas to Florida, West Virginia to Arizona, she adapted to the culture and needs of her clients. The smallest was Ringling School of Art and Design in Florida, which served 200 to 300 a day. The largest were state universities like University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, with 11,000 students.
For 44 years now, Thompson has embodied a quality that Compass Group USA and its companies are known for: flexibility. “That means the ability to do different jobs and go to different places, to take on different challenges with different people, and I always look forward to that,” she said. “It’s helped me learn different perspectives and ideas, of what could be done and what is being done in different places. I love that this company services the people that it does, and that every day is different.”
CHRISTIAN LIVING
COMMUNITIES Pioneering Choices in Colorado Because of the Baby Boom, the population over age 65 is quickly rising. In Cindy Hogan’s home state of Colorado, the state demography office expects that segment to rise by 150 percent by 2030.
President
of Christia n
C in d y H o gan,
Living Co
mmunitie
Four decades ago, she could see that trend unfolding and made it her career—almost by accident – when she discovered a new major at the University of Northern Colorado: gerontology. In 1979 she became one of the school’s first gerontology graduates. “The continuum of care idea in retirement housing was very new, and when my family went on vacations when I was in college, we would go to Arizona to see the large retirement communities,” she said. “I knew that working in the field of aging would be something new and different.” Today Hogan is president of Christian Living Communities, established in 1972 with a 62-bed nursing home and now serving about 1,000 residents and clients with residential living, assisted living, skilled nursing, dementia care, adult day and home care services. Hogan never left Colorado, because serving senior Coloradans fulfilled her anticipation of a dynamic career.
We are a Western state with a culture of wanting open space and independence, and people want to be in charge.
s
“We are a Western state with a culture of wanting open space and independence, and people want to be in charge,” she said, counting herself among them. “That comes in loud and clear with our residents’ preferences.” Morrison-related memories include: For more than 20 years, Christian Living Communities has partnered with Morrison Community Living to come up with creative dining offerings and solutions. Some of her favorite Morrison-related memories:
In 2008, the second phase of construction of CLC’s upscale Holly Creek community involved quadrupling the dining staff and creating three restaurants, including a grill, bistro and fine dining. The expansion forced the existing dining room to close. For almost a year, Morrison served about 150 residents by setting up tables in residential hallways, a la French café sidewalk dining. “Residents loved it, ” Hogan said. “It was intimate and something different.”
During the same construction phase, Morrison transformed a grab-and-go snack bar into a buffet. “Morrison’s research showed we needed varied, flexible dining options for three generations, because we were open to the community,” she said. “We were doing something that no one else was doing in Colorado.”
Between 2009 and 2013, CLC transformed its original campus of University Hills and rebranded it as Clermont Park. “During a lot of the construction, Morrison staff cooked out of a trailer,” she said with admiration. The resulting space includes a large patio for mingling and casual dining.
“There have been a lot of pioneering efforts and lessons in satisfying food tastes in my experience,” Hogan concluded. “I’m totally convinced that dining venues are only good for three to four years with the population that we serve, and no dining theme is sacred anymore. Morrison knows we are a place of new ideas, that our menus are fabulously stuffed with excitement, and that our consumers are interested in what we do. It’s been a fantastic career and right now is a fun time to be in the field.”
EVANGELICAL
HOMES OF
MICHIGAN Preserving History, Constantly Improving
When your company has been around for 136 years, how does that deep history help new associates and clients thrive today? That challenge drives Evangelical Homes of Michigan (EHM) to daily excellence in providing healthcare, senior housing and community services to older adults and their extended families. This year, EHM’s 1,000 associates will serve 5,500 individuals and their families at campuses in Ann Arbor, Detroit and beyond. As a nonprofit, EHM provides more than $2 million charitable services. Innovative training helps new associates quickly grasp the EHM story and build on it alongside existing staff. Solid partnerships, like the long
association with Morrison Community Living, help EHM continue thriving, too. “Our relationship with Morrison spans more than 40 years and helps us meet our goals for culture, mission and transformation,” said Denise Rabidoux, EHM’s CEO for 17 years and whose career began in 1977 as a director of skilled nursing. “This idea of partnerships is one of the key differences for EHM through the years.” Trusted relationships are integral to carrying out EHM’s core values of acceptance and compassion. For new EHM associates, meaningful partnering starts on day one.
“One of the most amazing things is taking a new hire and helping them feel what it’s like to assimilate 136 years of our defined mission and culture,” she said. “We work on helping them understand that the best part of Evangelical Homes is preserving this core of history and tradition by constantly stimulating change.” EHM’s new associate training session, “Engaging Hearts and Minds,” drew inspiration from two books by Jim Collins (“Built to Last” and “Good to Great”) and Simon Sinek’s “Start with the Why.” Each new hire writes an elevator speech about EHM’s mission, and select speeches are published in EHM newsletters. Morrison associates also take part in EHM training, which is one example of the seamless partnership and commitment to sustaining EHM’s unique history and culture. “Morrison’s support of EHM is totally transparent to our customer and team members; it has worked very well to adopt and integrate and assimilate itself into our culture,” Rabidoux noted. “It’s not Morrison and us; it’s both of us as EHM. They wear our name badges and they are very much who we are. Embracing Morrison means you don’t get a vendor or isolated service provider. You have a partner at the table to participate with you to meet your dreams.”
NICK
NUSTRA:
From Dishwasher to Dining Manager
Nick Nustra’s hands tell the story of his 44 years with Morrison Community Living and its forerunners. As a teenager, Nustra stayed immersed in the suds of washing dishes for the contractor that operated the Sara Lee employee cafeteria in suburban Chicago. The year was 1971. After his original employer was bought out, he worked for companies that merged until Morrison became the name on his paychecks. Now 63, Nustra puts his hands to work as the dining director at Westminster Place, a continuing care retirement community in Evanston, Ill. and a Morrison client. Nustra’s journey, with Morrison’s supportive culture, has taught him the power of touch. “Early on, my first mentor sat me down and showed me how to do finances, and I learned by watching him,” Nustra said. “He had a good personality and was always chatting with people and shaking hands. I asked him why he wasn’t getting something done instead, and he said that this work is all about giving people value, service and good relationships. That’s what I tried to do for Morrison and Morrison has been a good provider for me too.” As his career moved forward, Nustra stayed close to his suburban Chicago hometown of Highwood, Ill., and its early influences. About 20 restaurants operated within five miles of his childhood home near Lake Michigan. Nustra became interested in food service early. He got his foot in the door thanks to his father, who worked at the Sara Lee factory and helped him get the summer dishwashing shift from 7 am to 7:30 pm. Nustra became a cook’s helper, a cook, and then learned canteen management. As the parent company he worked for changed hands, he became a dining manager. He was only 22 in that position at a senior living community in Northbrook, Ill. “I found out later that they thought I was 27,” he said. “I was there for 16 years and loved it. It was like having grandparents everywhere, and I’ve always gotten along with older folks.”
Today Nustra works a few miles from his hometown. Reflecting on his success, he notes that how the work got done became just as important as completing it. “The most important thing is getting along with people you work with and clients and treating them right and fairly,” he said. “It’s so important that you are cordial and able to listen. If you seem interested and listen, they are willing to build trust.” As a reward for high performance in the 1990s, Nustra and his wife and fellow award winners traveled to Florida for an all-expenses-paid vacation that included a private concert with Whitney Houston. “It’s been very interesting and fun along the way,” he said. “That trip was neat, and I never thought I would be the dining manager of the biggest account in the Chicago area.” What also surprised him was a major change in client expectations. “Previous generations ate everything on their plates and were satisfied with one or two items offered,” said Nustra. “The new wave of residents needs flexibility in what they eat, where they eat, and in every time frame you can imagine. To satisfy our clients, we have to give them value, service and a good relationship. That hasn’t changed.”
The most imp ortant thing is gettin g along with people y ou work with and clients an d treating them right an d fair ly,
WE ENRICH THE LIVES OF SENIORS EVERY DAY
58 01 P EAC H TRE E DUNWO ODY ROAD AT L ANTA , GA 3 03 42 800.2 .CLIE NT WWW.MOR R ISO NCOMMUNIT YLIVING.COM