By JAYNA HOOPER
NEWPORT — Since 1998, Summercrest has been a fresh face in the senior housing industry. “Our focus,” says Leigh Stocker, Summercrest’s Director of Marketing, “is on creating a caring community. We’re all about relationships here.”
And, as Steve Gunnerson, Administrator of Summercrest, likes to say, “We’re having a lot of fun.”
Numbers tell the tale of Summercrest’s success. For example, across its two decades in operation, over 355 people have called Summercrest home, some of them residing for a decade or more.
Senior administrators, nursing and grounds personnel boast an average tenure of 14 years, and the majority of Summercrest’s nearly 50 employees have been a part of the team for at least two years.
For Vern Violette, who founded Summercrest along with three other Newport businessmen—John McCrillis, Joe Davidson, and Bill Hoyt—, the key to success is no secret. It’s “being part of the greater community” and serving the needs of the people in it.
When Violette, a former independent grocer, and his fellow business colleagues joined forces to purchase the old Newport Hospital property on Summer Street, they did so in order to “save property in Newport.”
Organizing under the name Hospital Hill Realty LLC, the group, in partnership with Valley Regional Healthcare, found tenants to occupy the former hospital and brought the property out of bankruptcy. Upon the completion of the Summercrest Senior Living Community on land above the hospital building, in March of 1998, the group also managed to add half-a-million dollars to the Newport tax map.
Along with the positive economic impact that the Hospital Hill Realty visionaries achieved for their hometown, were practical considerations. For older adults looking for supportive housing in their local area, Summercrest offered 36 apartments to meet this need.
Residents at varying stages of senior life and ability would now be able to enjoy the new living community’s friendly living spaces, including its well-stocked library and its sundries store, its restaurant-style dining room, its numerous sun rooms, and its friendly salon, while also having access to plenty of engaging activities.
But, for Violette and his colleagues, their greatest accomplishment was this: “We had served people who had always supported us [in our other business endeavors]. We wanted to keep taking care of them.”
According to Rebecca Stearns, Chief Operating Officer of Summercrest’s management partner, Grand Senior Living, “Lots of lives have been touched in this building.”
And she should know. From 1999-2002, Stearns served as its Summercrest’s administrator. She lived on-site, in a basement manager’s apartment, and she helped with every single aspect of the day-to-day operations—the daily activities, the cleaning, even, at times, the cooking.
Vern Violette admits, “It was a struggle at the beginning. Let’s face it, we were successful business guys with no experience on running an assisted living facility.” Hospital Hill Realty’s decision to partner with Grand Senior Living in 1999, a professional senior housing management company, made a fantastic impact.
“Local ownership is big,” continues Violette, but when Stearns and her Grand Senior Living partner Dan Hassan brought in Steve Gunnerson in 2002, Summercrest’s owners knew they had gotten “one of the best in the business.”
“When we hired [Gunnerson],” remembers Violette, “I said that what we need in Newport is someone that gets involved with the local community. Steve has done more than that. He has been chairman of many organizations and committees, including Rotary president. He is an outstanding citizen.”
Under Gunnerson’s leadership, the services of Summercrest expanded to include a memory care community. Connected by a large architectural bridge to Summercrest’s main building, The Seasons at Summercrest opened in 2008, with capacity for 18 residents, expertly cared for by a nursing staff under the direction of Health Services Director, Cathryn Baird.
Baird also has close ties to the community. A former educator in the Newport and Sunapee school districts, Baird currently serves as the president of the Newport Historical Society and as a member of the board of directors for the local community access channel, NCTV.
The advantages that well-networked administrators bring to both Summercrest and the surrounding community is noted by Leigh Stocker, who is in her sixth year as Summercrest’s marketing director. “Whether or not Summercrest is the right fit for everyone [looking for assisted living options], it has established itself as a resource for people.”
Stocker is a frequent guest on local radio stations WNTK and WCNL where she brings focused attention to prominent issues related to aging and care-giving.
“We care about getting out into the community and inviting people in,” adds Stocker, who also serves as a member of the Newport Chamber of Commerce’s executive board. “We want as many people as possible to benefit from the great resources at Summercrest.”
Now, as Summercrest celebrates its 20th year, its capacity to care is only growing. Future plans include a 24-apartment expansion to meet the growing need for assisted living accommodations in the local area.
“There’s a sense of community when you walk into Summercrest,” says Stocker. “It’s generated by the people who are here and by those who had the vision to see this as a way to serve their friends and neighbors.”
During a time when many assisted care communities are being sold to conglomerates, Summercrest remains committed to its “old-time” values even as it looks ahead.
“Local ownership,” says Stocker, “is the engine that drives trust and the recognition of expertise and the empowerment to make the right decisions for our residents and faithful employees alike.”
And, as Gunnerson will tell you, it is values like that, that make life at Summercrest—or anywhere—”lots of fun!”
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