By Brandon Hair, Executive Director of Springmoor
If you’ve read my past blog posts, you know I enjoy staying current regarding news, trends, and research related to retirement living. One trend I’m excited about is that the number of young people entering the administrative side of the very rewarding field of aging services is increasing.
When I began grad school 20 years ago, I was one of two students in our class of 25 who wanted to pursue a career in long-term care/retirement communities. The other 23 students were interested in hospital administration.
For many years, I was always the youngest administrator at any conference I attended, but now I see more and more younger professionals. This trend must continue as the demand for retirement communities and long-term care increases due to the baby boomers.
Many communities such as Springmoor and other long-term care providers are ramping up their efforts to evaluate internal talent and provide them with educational and training opportunities so they can advance their careers within the communities they serve. We always try to promote from within if possible.
Two primary examples of this I have observed since coming to Springmoor almost eight years ago are Brad Dilday being promoted to Associate Director and Debbie Sivnksty being promoted to Director of Nursing. Those two positions are among the top administrative jobs at Springmoor.
Brad and Debbie are still relatively young, and we hope they will continue to serve Springmoor for many years. Our community has had many employees with long tenure. Two members of our administrative staff recently retired, one with 25 years and the other with 37 years of service to Springmoor.
In addition to formal training and education, having a committed and accomplished mentor provides tremendous benefits to young professionals in the retirement living industry. A dedicated mentor serves as a trusted counselor providing feedback, advice, guidance, and overall support.
I was blessed 19 years ago to develop a fantastic relationship with one of the best mentors in our industry. While doing a required summer internship at Bishop Gadsden Retirement Community in Charleston, I worked under Sarah Tipton, who was the Vice President of Operations at the time.
I have stayed in touch with Sarah over the years and even asked her opinion about my coming to Springmoor. Of course, she said “yes,” as she knew about Springmoor and confirmed it was a fantastic opportunity.
Sarah’s advice and guidance greatly influenced my decision to move to Raleigh, and I am beyond thankful that she helped me make the right decision. Her support was priceless to me.
I saw Sarah earlier this year in Charlotte at an insurance meeting. Even though we had not seen each other in several years, I still appreciate her guidance, and I could tell how proud she was to see me with other directors just like her.
Since becoming an Executive Director 14 years ago, I have tried to provide as many internships and opportunities for anyone interested in this wonderful and rewarding sector as Sarah did for me 19 years ago when I was a 23-year-old shaggy-haired surfer. We may look different now, but we will always have that extraordinary mentor and mentee bond.
Springmoor is a nonprofit Continuing Care Retirement Community offering seniors a variety of residence options that range from apartments to larger villas and homes. If you’re looking for an active senior living community in Raleigh, call us at 919-848-7080 with your questions.
You can also click here to fill out a short online form to receive a free packet of information or schedule an appointment for a personalized tour. Our friendly team looks forward to meeting you soon!
Are you interested in becoming part of Springmoor’s exceptional team? Visit the careers page of our website to view our current job openings and apply online.
