Dave Grauel
Executive Director of Marketing
About the Host
As a 20+ year creative professional, my career has included experience in both agency and internal marketing departments serving in the roles of graphic designer, creative lead, marketing department manager, and director of marketing, across verticals from a small family-owned business, to healthcare marketing, safety engineering, digital marketing, and international relations.
Currently reporting to the CEO of Dreamscape Marketing, as the Executive Director of Marketing, Dave oversees the creation, implementation, and results of the agency’s annual marketing plan with a direct eye to meeting the organization’s overall growth plan. Working across all healthcare verticals, with direct focus on Senior Living, he provides the company and its leadership an omnimedia plan of marketing opportunities and deliverables that showcase its best in class team as the leading provider of performance websites and digital marketing services in healthcare.
No matter the industry I have worked in, I have found success in holding to the truth that marketing and creative is the art of storytelling. All marketing is making a human-to-human connection at the intersection of a brand’s “why and what” and a customer’s “how,” and then building back that unique story of value and differentiation.
Hailing from Annapolis Maryland, Dave loves all things Baltimore sports, cooking, photography, being on the water, and traveling. Currently Dave, his wife Heidi, and 5 kids are using the opportunity of the remote work environment to take an extended RV trip around the country.
Steve Moran
Founder of
Senior Living Foresight
About the Host
Steve Moran is the founder of Senior Living Foresight, a senior living industry thought leadership publication. He is passionate about helping the senior living sector grow and flourish. Steve has spent decades in multiple facets of the senior living industry from both the provider and vendor perspectives. While he is passionately curious about all things related to aging, he’s particularly passionate about leadership and helping individual team members live out their dreams. Because when that happens, they are able to help older people live purposeful meaningful lives.
Brad Williams
SVP, Business Operations
Argentum
Presentation
Senior living has had a challenging stretch the past five years, and not just that pandemic. But there is great opportunity ahead, and a lot of work and advancement needed to maximize the opportunity. This keynote will share reasons for industry optimism and an overview of Argentum’s future focus and efforts to boost opportunity in senior living.
About the Presenter
Brad is a non-profit executive with 25+ years’ experience in association management, having worked for three different industries to catalyze thinking, advance innovation, and elevate competencies. He currently serves as the senior vice president of business operations for Argentum, the leading non-profit association representing and advancing senior living. Brad’s accomplishments include setting historical sales and revenue marks at each association along his career journey, re-branding the Society of the Plastics Industry as PLASTICS, and as a turnaround specialist for several business lines throughout these associations. Brad has a bachelor’s degree from James Madison University, a master’s degree from Georgia Southern University, and a doctorate in leadership from Concordia University of Chicago. Brad lives in Virginia with his Wife, Daughters, Son, and Swiss Mountain Dog.
Lola Rain
Head of Marketing
Sequoia Living
Presentation
From an invitation hitting mailboxes after the event is over to a broken link in a paid ad, or a typo seen by thousands, who is to blame? Things go sideways everyday, that’s why collaboration is the key to executing your marketing strategy. In this session you will learn how to keep your cool and keep moving forward in the midst of collaborative chaos. Lola Rain will share 5 marketing monsters to beware of, how to react (or not react), and how to recognize it’s time to switch vendors.
About the Presenter
Lola is one of an elite few to become certified by Chip Conley’s Modern Elder Academy. She’s part of the battle to end ageism and she is on a quest to create healthier environments where we live and learn. From senior housing to brain health to virtual reality, as a subject matter expert, Lola crafts strategy to meet specific business and operational goals.
As a past winner of LeadingAge CA’s Best Practice and Innovation award, Lola is recognized for her innovative approach to building programs and campaigns. She was also featured in a Next Avenue podcast on Forbes.com.
With 20 years of experience in housing, healthcare and enterprise technology, Lola has spent her career building programs, training, mentoring and capturing stories. Her successes include integrated branding campaigns using TV, radio, billboards, print and Internet. Her passion for PR keeps her motivated to educate large populations through partnerships with local media, nonprofits and government agencies.
Formerly at Eskaton, a nonprofit serving seniors in Northern California, Lola’s role was to manage online reputation and oversee digital strategies including social media and content creation. A Master’s in Management with a focus on Aging Services prepared her for helping Eskaton to enrich the lives of the seniors they serve. From the study of immigrants to artists to centenarians, Lola has captured hundreds of individual stories and shared them with the world.
Evan Friedkin
Head of Business Development
Roobrik
Presentation
Who are they and how can you engage them?
Not everyone who comes to your website is ready to buy — and a good percentage aren’t even ready to talk to you. They’re exploring on their own, doing research, and hoping to self-educate. Roobrik has data on thousands of these “anonymous browsers,” including demographics, barriers to moving forward, and what they’re looking for before they’re ready to get in touch.
About the Presenter
Evan leads the business development team at Roobrik. Since joining in 2019, he has helped over 80 operators representing more than 1,000 communities connect their offerings to thousands of families in need. In addition, Evan is a recognized industry thought leader, participating in podcasts, webinars and panel discussions on sales and marketing challenges in senior living, decision science, and how the industry can grow to support more older adults.
Glenn Hadley
SVP of Strategy
Dreamscape Marketing
Presentation
Over the last few years a new landscape and tool kit for senior living marketing has moved to the forefront. Driven by a generation of seniors with a preference for digital-first community research, and further accelerated by the physical restrictions of the pandemic, we have wholly moved with intention to build digital front doors to our communities for today’s prospective resident to enter.
While a well architected website and SEO strategy will certainly fill your funnel with marketing qualified leads, further refinement against your sales and financial qualifications, guided by a continuous data feedback loop, will create ideal resident persona(s) on which you can build a highly efficient digital marketing plan.
For our community of marketing and sales colleagues to best understand the what, why, how, and where to build this layer of efficiency onto their existing infrastructure we invite you to join SVP of Strategy Glenn Hadley for a practical discussion and actionable plan to use the performance tools and processes that refine targeting, lower costs, and increase conversions.
Learning Objectives:
About the Presenter
Glenn Hadley is Senior Vice President of Strategy for Dreamscape Marketing.
Spending years working nationally to revitalize behavioral healthcare conferences and pioneering the virtual trade show platform, Glenn wanted to get back to his core goal of helping people break through personally and professionally. He brings a unique, broad, and informed perspective of the healthcare profession to Dreamscape Marketing. Nationally, Glenn is heading the development of new professional business relationships in hopes of bringing healing to new markets.
As a former professional tennis player, coach, and director, Glenn brings a wealth of knowledge in team-building and community organization to the healthcare industry.
Marc Cherabie
Executive Director of Sales
SiteStaff
Presentation
Let’s face it, hiring and retaining good talent is among the biggest challenges your community is facing. Wages are rising, and the talent pool is running thin. Fortunately, there is a way to help offset this problem while also cutting costs and eliminating high turnover. Employing the right live chat solution is an effective and economical way to ensure the best online experience, and highest converting leads.
The results? Less work for your sales team, and more move-ins for your community. With over a decade of experience serving the senior industry, SiteStaff Chat will increase your move-in rates, lower your costs, and shorten the sales cycle. In fact, we guarantee it! Care to learn more? We look forward to presenting for you at ASK day! Peace be the journey!
About the Presenter
Marc Cherabie leads the sales division at SiteStaff Chat. Since joining in 2020, he has helped over 3,000 communities across the US & Canada achieve their goals and maximize their efficiency. He believes that sales should be a “win-win-win” scenario for everyone. A win for the resident and their families, a win for the communities, and a win for SiteStaff Chat. Marc is a visionary who strives to focus on working together with others to help move the industry forward. Therefore, Marc guarantees a return on investment for all his partners. He believes that if you are not creating value, then no one is winning. Let’s win together!
Terri Sullivan
Founder + CEO
AgingChoices Pro
Presentation
Selling value has never been more important for providers offering aging services. The pandemic has brought more people online than ever and shown consumers new ways to access aging services and support like never before. Hence creating even more competitors all vying for your potential customer’s attention. Your marketing departments have worked hard to improve your digital presence and drive marketing-qualified leads. For prospects that aren’t quite ready to decide, you are most likely nurturing those leads with marketing automation to build a full sales funnel.
What about sales? Well with all those choices, if your sales team isn’t selling value based on a consumer’s need, press 2 for your competition. Join Terri for a session on selling value. Whether you work in a community, home care company, run a sales team, or an organization, learn tips on selling your “personal value” as well as your “company’s value”.
About the Presenter
Terri is a visionary, leader, and 30-year career sales professional and entrepreneur. Over the last 16 years, Terri consulted, led, and facilitated sales for innovative technologies serving employees, residents, and families in the senior care industry. She brings with her an extraordinary understanding of the senior care and long-term care markets as well as strong relationships at senior levels at many of the largest providers in the country.
Prior to the senior care industry, Terri held various professional sales roles with companies such as Premiere Global Services, NEC America, Unicom Screen Printing, and 3M.
She has a BS in Management from Bentley University and an AS in Computer Information Systems from Cape Cod Community College. Terri’s passions include ideation, entrepreneurship, sailing, skiing, and traveling.
Wes Fuller
Founder + CEO
Further
Presentation
About the Presenter
Wes Fuller is the CEO and Founder of FURTHER, and has been a technology entrepreneur in the senior living industry since 2015.Wes has also started several other successful senior-focused media and technology businesses, including familyassets.com. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, Wes was an investor for 11 years at Falcon Investments, a private equity firm that manages $3.6 billion. At Falcon, Wes evaluated and invested in media and technology businesses, and oversaw $400 million in investments through 13 board member roles on behalf of the firm.
Donnie Funderud
VP, Sales and Marketing
SenioROI
Presentation
In today’s world of instant gratification, we are always looking for the quick fix or the next big thing. How many of us have moved on from an opportunity because it wasn’t easy? Our senior living sales teams are no different. We all want the easy quick sell. This leads to bad habits and poor CRM data.
As a result, our CRM’s are full of bad data. Sales teams are often crying for more and better-quality leads, however, they are often right there buried in the CRM.
This session will discuss:
About the Presenter
A client-focused professional with demonstrated leadership skills and troubleshooting abilities, Donnie brings a passion to serve and making others successful is what he does best. Donnie fully understands the role that data plays in SenioROI’s day-to-day marketing efforts. He returned to SenioROI in 2018, after 10 years with the parent company, United Mailing Service. During that time, he spent 7 years with a local advertising and branding firm.
When not at work, Donnie can usually be found in the garage brewing beer, building something, or standing in a river with a fly on the line.
Julie Podewitz
Founder + CEO
Grow Your Occupancy
Presentation
In senior living, sales leads that come from professional referral sources and word-of-mouth are 7 times more likely to convert to move-ins than leads from paid aggregators, yet our industry continues to rely on this costly option. In this session, we will look at strategies and action steps that will help you successfully move away from relying on paid lead sources. We’ll also help you create a plan for developing your network of referral sources to strengthen your sales pipeline.
3 Learning Outcomes:
As a result of attending this session, participants will 1) understand the 5 Ws of outreach; 2) learn what action steps are needed to conduct successful professional outreach, and 3) leave with a start to their strategic plan and takeaways of continuing to create their own outreach strategy/marketing plan.
About the Presenter
Julie Podewitz is a senior living sales expert with many years of experience and a proven track record. Senior living sales is her passion. Julie has spent time on both the provider and consultant side, always with a focus on sales and marketing. She has presented at multiple national and state industry conferences, most recently for CALA (south) in November 2021 and SMASH in October 2021. She has participated in many expert panels via webinar during COVID; her next participation is with the Senior Housing News Sales Summit (Virtual) in January 2022.
Julie began her career as a community sales director and quickly filled census-challenged buildings. Her experience as a sales trainer, coach, and strategist has given her the insights she needs to successfully consult with hundreds of communities across 46 states.
Prior to founding Grow Your Occupancy, she spent eight years in the VP of Sales, CMO, and CSO roles on the provider side, most recently with Vitality Living. During her career, her track record of increased sales and occupancy has resulted in more than $70 million in increased revenue. All along, she kept her foot on the ground, never losing the “here and now” experience of the customer – the prospects, families, community, executive management, and ownership entities – she serves.
She and her team have walked the walk, grown with the business, know what works, what to do, and how to do it. Many in the industry consider her the “go-to” resource for senior living sales; heck, she wrote the book! By starting her business, Julie expands her passion for sales, teaching, and seeing others succeed and grow their occupancy.
Kyle Rand
Cofounder + CEO
Rendever
Presentation
Senior living is now primed for accelerated change. The newfound understanding around the importance of social health is paving a unique opportunity for senior living communities to provide something that aging-in-place cannot: a thriving sense of community. Now, it’ll be important for communities to develop and implement fresh strategies that create and evolve a sense of community that is critical to the health of older adults’ – something that a single caregiver cannot provide. The industry is primed to reduce isolation overall. The tools and resources available to communities are constantly growing – from virtual reality to robots and telehealth. Kyle Rand will overview the resource opportunities and the best path forward in a modern world for the industry as a whole.
About the Presenter
Kyle Rand is the cofounder and CEO of Rendever, a virtual reality (VR) platform helping seniors combat social isolation through the power of shared experiences. Having always felt a close kinship to seniors, Kyle grew up volunteering at a senior living community and later went on to study cognitive decline in the aging population at Duke University. After a personal experience moving his own grandmother into a senior living community, Kyle experienced first-hand the effects social isolation has on seniors and cofounded Rendever as a result. Under Kyle’s leadership, Rendever is changing the lives of thousands of seniors in more than 450 senior living communities worldwide. Most recently, Kyle oversaw Rendever’s collaboration with UC Santa Barbara to start a multi-site clinical trial to observe the positive impact VR has on seniors. In 2019, he was honored on Forbes “30 Under 30” list for the profound impact his work has had on the senior living industry. Kyle has given lectures and presentations at universities across the country, and spoken on global stages ranging from the Googleplex to stadiums in South Korea.
Matt Reiners
Cofounder
Eversound
Dr. Diana Sowers, AuD
Senior Lead Clinical Audiologist
Eversound
Presentation
Hearing loss impacts 80% of people over the age of 85 while only ⅕ that can benefit from a hearing aid use one on a consistent basis. This gap of 60-65% of people is unfortunate because hearing loss is tied to increased risk in social isolation, falls, developing dementia, and even mortality. We will run through some of the research around hearing loss and how communities are using innovative listening technology as a way to stand out and break through the noise during the sales process and using the same technology to improve resident’s quality of life while they are there.
About the Presenters
Matt Reiners is the Co-Founder of Eversound, a company dedicated to improving the quality of life for old adults.
Matt is a Forbes 30 Under 30 recipient, Argentum Senior Living Leader, Bridge the Gap Ambassador, Aging Media Network Future Leader, National Association of Activity Professional Business Liason, SBA Co-Young Entrepreneurs of the Year award for New England, Podcast Host, Husband, and Girl Dad.
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Presenting for Eversound today is our Senior Lead Clinical Audiologist, Dr. Diana Sowers.
Dr. Sowers has been a clinical audiologist for 25 years and has experience ranging from pediatrics to geriatrics. She often jokes that she specializes in people “under 8 and over 80” with the two groups having many similarities. Dr. Sowers has had experience serving cochlear implant candidates, pre and post-surgical patients, cognitively challenged adults and kids, early identification programs, balance, and vestibular evaluations, and has experience with all major hearing aid manufacturers. Her favorite experience as an audiologist is witnessing the “lightbulb moments” when patients are able to hear better with less effort. The relief seen in a patient’s eyes is rewarding every single time.
Diana and her family play lots of board games, card games, and dice games almost every day and she encourages you to do the same–it’s a great way to keep your brain active. She also competes in Special Olympics volleyball and bowling with her son.
Neill Krauss
CEO
Senior Sign
Presentation
Six hundred years is the amount of time since the printing press was invented. Yet, some senior living communities are still using centuries old technology and stacks of paper packets to gather information and signatures associated with a new resident move-in. The process is fraught with delays, missing data, unauthorized adjustments to contracts or even noncompliant contracts. The results are wasted time, increased compliance risks, terrible resident experiences and the potential of countless human errors.
Leveraging technology that automates the move-in process and systematizes the paperwork ensures consistency across all communities, expedited contract completion and satisfied employees who can bring their personal touch to the resident experience.
Yet, technology has a learning curve. That is why when choosing technology solutions for your community and company, you need to utilize those solutions that are built for your specific industry and the seniors themselves. Intuitive user interfaces, larger fonts, contrasting colors, team training and workflows that match your optimal systems are all areas that should be investigated before adopting a new software solution to increase the probability of a successful roll-out.
Learning Objectives
Attendees will learn:
About the Presenter
I am a product person at heart, having spent the bulk of my career bringing new digital products and services to market. I’ve built, transitioned and sold several small businesses, and I love the scrappy nature of startups. I’ve worn a variety of hats including operations, customer support, design, sales, marketing, finance, and of course product manager.
Senior Sign is my greatest venture to date. My partner and I have assembled an amazing team of people working to apply tech solutions to problems found within the senior living industry. Senior Sign was built as the first full-service electronic admissions platform and it was designed specifically for senior living. We can streamline the lengthy paperwork process required for resident move-in and we’re introducing an entire industry to the power of an automated workflow.
I’m passionate about creative projects and great design. I sometimes follow motorcycle racing and I love stories about outdoor adventures. I work from the uncharted tech hub of Ogden, Utah and live in a nearby mountain town ripe with skiing, mountain biking, and fly fishing. If I’m not working, I’m usually doing something fun with my wife and three boys.
I’m open to meeting new people and making great connections.
Elias Papasavvas
CEO
Second Act Financial
Presentation
How lessons learned from Henry Ford and General Motors can help Senior Living executives encountering a slowing housing marketing.
In 1908 Henry Ford was atop of the world, having rolled out his Model T car to great aplomb and acceptance. By 1918, he was a billionaire and the undisputed automobile leader. General Motors (GM) was a distant second with excess inventory it needed to sell and sell it faster. It was a distant second that is, until 1919, when it began to overtake Ford and begin its reign as the auto industry leader for decades to follow. It accomplished this thanks to embedded financing as a payment solution to their prospective customers.
Join Elias P. Papasavvas, CEO of Second Act Financial Services, as he shares the lessons learned from a battle between two titans, and discusses the ways in which they are instructive to selling senior living as our industry sales begin to encounter a housing market returning to earth. Elias will also highlight the recent key housing data trends which indicate a more challenging senior living sales-cycle. He will share how providers today are successfully using financial solutions to drive sales of available units through a newly challenging economy.
About the Presenter
Elias P. Papasavvas is the CEO of Second Act Financial Services LLC, the nation’s leader in Financial Solutions for Senior Living and CEO of Second Act, a senior-focused lending Division of Liberty Savings Bank, FSB, of Wilmington, Ohio, the nation’s leader in bridge financing solutions for senior living consumers.
Elias is highly regarded as a leader in senior living. Prior to Second Act, Elias is well known for having founded and led Elderlife Financial Services between the years 2000 to 2012. He has returned to the senior living industry with Second Act at the request of many providers seeking payment solutions for senior living that are effective for providers, fair to consumers, while also administered with national consistency and integrity. Between Elderlife and Second Act, Elias enjoyed a career as the Vice President of Finance for Artis Senior Living. Elias got his start in the 1990’s as a CPA at Arthur Andersen where he was exposed to both Sallie Mae, the student loan company, and Marriott Senior Living. It was that exposure that led Elias to a career of financial solutions for senior living through partnerships with senior living providers. When he isn’t working with his colleagues in the industry, Elias can be seen in vast green fields playing fetch with his very intense German Shepherd, Othello, or enjoying time with his wife, Christine.
Phillip Vincent
CEO
Mom’s House
Presentation
With interest rates constantly on the rise, a housing recession is upon us and families are finding it more difficult to transition from their home into a senior living community.
Daughter Judy is looking for help and answers for mom:
We’ll explore how Senior Living operators have a unique opportunity in a housing downturn to offer no-cost, no-obligation options to get more moms into their community, all while dramatically increasing their move-ins.
About the Presenter
Phillip Vincent, has been in real estate for 23 years, still actively investing, but about 12 years ago he stumbled into a VERY unique industry that completely transformed his business to what it is today…
And that’s the Senior Living Industry. Which has one of the fastest growing populations in the country, and it’s about to get even bigger. They refer to this as the Silver Tsunami.
Everyone gets old. And the difficulty that families face when transitioning Mom and Dad out of their homes into a new community, or assisted living; can be emotionally difficult, financially draining, and overall quite scary.
What Phillip will show you is by being in the CARE business, and not an INVESTOR, you can get a leg up on your competition, and actually get some pretty amazing deals without even negotiating prices.
Charles Turner
CEO
Kare
Presentation
Abstract: With the staffing crisis showing no signs of improving, how do operators often misunderstand what caregivers want and how, by challenging some long-held assumptions, we can not only improve our staff retention, but empower them to help grow census and improve quality.
About the Presenter
An innovator in the senior housing space, Charles is the CEO of KARE, which is the leading solution to solve the labor shortage in senior care. Charles is also CEO of Invidia for Seniors, a multi-platform company focused on improving the senior housing and care industry. Invidia invests time, money and resources in technologies and programs that provide improved care and evidence-based outcomes for its residents. Prior to Invidia, Charles was the President of Lifewell Senior Living and PinPoint Senior Living where he led development and operating initiatives for the companies.
Additionally, Charles served as Vice President of Finance, Planning and Operations for Attachmate (formerly NetIQ), a $400 Million software company, where he was responsible for financial management, strategic planning activities and real estate. Prior to Attachmate, Charles worked at BMC Software where he was responsible for internal strategic planning as well as restructuring the company’s real estate portfolio, saving the company over $30 Million per year in real estate expense from asset sales and lease restructuring. Charles also has several years’ experience in Big 4 consulting as well as industrial distribution management. Charles holds a B.A. in History and Politics from Wake Forest University and an M.B.A. in Finance from The University of Texas in Austin.
John Lariccia
CEO
Welcome Home CRM
Presentation
2022 finally offered glimmers of hope for the senior living industry. New inquiry volumes were up. Move-ins accelerated. Move-outs slowed. And, new supply delayed coming on line. All these factors resulted in occupancy rebounding – in some care types and geographies, it was dramatic.
In this session, WelcomeHome will dive into the data across their broad and diverse portfolio of
CRM clients to allow participants to:
About the Presenter
John Lariccia is the CEO and Co-Founder of WelcomeHome Software, which provides senior living operators the most innovative sales and marketing tools available.
Prior to starting WelcomeHome, John was a senior partner with Bain & Company, the global management consulting firm, where he advised operators on sales and marketing, pricing and growth strategies. Through his work at Bain in the senior living space, he became passionate for the people and the mission of operators.
John resides in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife and five children.
