This March, Atlas Senior Living will open a new community in Venice, Florida. This is the first of his four projects underway by the owner/operator as it continues to grow towards 2023.
Called the Goldton of Venice, this community is part of a joint venture with DMK Development Group. Upon completion, the community will include 167 units: 114 units for independent living, 38 units for assisted living and 15 units for memory care.
The Atlas portfolio currently exists in 32 investment communities. Co-founder, president and CEO Wyman Hamilton says he will soon be 35 with projects in development.
In addition to Goldton, Venice, Atlas Senior Living will open a 231-unit community in the Austin suburb of Georgetown, Texas later this year, followed by an 80-unit assisted living and memory care community in Hudson, Florida To do. In addition, Atlas plans to add 16 memory care units to its 45-unit assisted living community in Trussville, Alabama, in March.
Last year, the company added three former Heritage Senior Living AL communities to its portfolio.
The latest growth initiatives are just the beginning for the company. Looking ahead, Hamilton said he wants to expand the Birmingham, Alabama-based company’s already extensive footprint in South Carolina and continue its growth in Florida. We are considering several opportunities in the state.
Hamilton is no stranger to development and the life of the elderly. In the past, it has built communities with amenities such as Ralph Lauren-themed bars that set it apart from its competitors in the local market.
Atlas combines its growth with newly optimized 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 Hamilton described as being a little bumpy due to new developments and construction.
“I think 2021 was probably the worst time to build anything because of supply chain issues and costs,” Hamilton said.
But these coronavirus slowdowns also had the benefit of improving the company’s operations, Wyman said, as Atlas leaders had to rethink how they managed their communities.
The labor force, along with macroeconomic inflationary pressures and supply chain disruptions, has challenged operators over the past year. In response, some operators have raised their rates by more than 10% just to keep costs down.
Atlas was in a similar situation, facing costs specifically related to using a staffing agency. The company has previously used “massive temporary staff,” and Hamilton has noted problems with his leader in certain communities.
“Difficult times expose many holes in leadership that you probably didn’t know about,” he said. “Sometimes we fall into the trap of the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing.”
These difficulties prompted a re-examination of the company’s leadership structure, ultimately leading to the addition of new positions to keep company managers moving in time.
Until April 2022, Atlas had a Regional Director of Operations, a Regional Sales and Marketing Director, and a Regional Director of Clinical Compliance, who reported to their respective Vice Presidents.
Regional sales and marketing and clinical compliance officers now report to another regional officer, who reports up the ladder.
He added that top-down support from Atlas’ leadership has improved at the community level, and collaborative communication from the community level to the corporate level have both improved as a result of the changes.
