Atlas Senior Living CEO: We are growing after leadership structure overhaul

This March, Atlas Senior Living will open a new residential development in Venice, Florida, the first of four owner/operator projects that will continue to grow through 2023.

The community, called Goldton at Venice, is part of a joint venture with DMK Development Group. When everything is ready, it is planned that the community will include 167 units, of which 114 are for independent living, 38 for assisted living and 15 for memory care.

According to co-founder, president and CEO Wyman Hamilton, Atlas’ portfolio is currently represented by 32 operating communities – soon to be 35 as projects are under development.

In addition to Goldton in Venice, Atlas Senior Living will open a 231-unit community in the Austin, Texas suburb of Georgetown later this year, followed by an 80-unit nursing and memory community in Hudson, Florida. In addition, Atlas plans to add 16 memory care units to its 45-unit nursing community in Troussville, Alabama, in March.

Last year, the company added three former Heritage Senior Living AL communities to its portfolio.

The latest growth spurt is just the beginning for the company. Looking ahead, Hamilton said he wants to expand the Birmingham, Alabama-based company’s already strong presence in South Carolina while continuing to grow in Florida. He is also considering several opportunities in Tennessee and Mississippi.

Hamilton is no stranger to development or the lives of the elderly. In the past, he has built communities with amenities like Ralph Lauren themed bars to stand out from the competition in the local market.

Atlas is combining this growth with newly streamlined operations and new management practices honed by the hardships of the pandemic over the past three years.

Atlas is expanding and evolving after a period that Hamilton described as a bit bumpy for new development and construction.

“I would say 2021 was probably the worst time to build anything due to supply chain issues and costs,” Hamilton said.

But these Covid-driven slowdowns have also helped sharpen the company’s operations, as Wyman said it forced Atlas executives to rethink how they manage communities.

Labor, along with macroeconomic inflation and supply chain disruptions, put operators in a difficult position last year. In response, some have raised rates by 10% or more to keep up with costs.

Atlas found itself in a similar boat and faced costs associated with recruitment agencies, among other things. The company had previously employed “a large number of temporary workers,” which Hamilton attributed to problems with some community leaders.

“During difficult times, a lot of holes in leadership come to light that you may not have known existed,” he said. “Sometimes you can fall into the trap of not knowing what the right hand is doing.”

These difficulties prompted a review of the company’s management structure and eventually led to the addition of a new position so that the company’s managers could move on time.

Until April 2022, Atlas had Regional Directors of Operations, Regional Directors of Sales and Marketing, and Regional Directors of Clinical Compliance, with Regional Directors reporting to their respective Vice Presidents.

The Regional Directors for Sales, Marketing and Clinical Compliance now report to a separate Regional Director who then reports to their superiors.

He added that now, as a result of the changes, top-down support from Atlas management at the community level has improved, and collaborative communication from the community level to the corporate level has improved.

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