A Publication of the Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin ISSUE 4 • 2011

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COMMUNITY LIVING SOLUTIONSCREATING A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR SENIOR LIVING

8 Wisconsin Constructor® / Issue 4

by Mark Crawford

In a short five years, Appleton-basedCommunity Living Solutions hasbecome a leader in building senior liv-

ing facilities throughout the Midwest.That is not a very long for having devel-oped such a stellar reputation. “I kept hearing their name come up in

various discussions and it seemed likethey were always getting the best projectsthat were available in our industry,” saysDan Goodier, administrator for the Chris-tian Community Home in Osceola, asmall town on the border with Minnesotaalong the St. Croix River. “We contactedthem about our upcoming project andasked for a preliminary proposal. Theytranslated all our ideas and goals into afantastic design that captured our visionperfectly. They won the job and we couldnot have made a better choice of contrac-tors.”One thing quickly becomes clear when

talking with President and Partner TomMartin—the entire team at CommunityLiving Solutions has genuine compassionfor the seniors for whom they build. “We select our clients as carefully as

they select us,” says Martin. “Once weenter into a business agreement, ourclients become partners. Because our goalis to provide business solutions that willtake our partners well into the future, ourrelationships continue into the future aswell—their continued success is of para-mount importance to us.”

“Community LivingSolutions really knowsthe senior living market,with true experts ontheir staff.”

COMMUNITY LIVING SOLUTIONSCREATING A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR SENIOR LIVING

Christian Community Home — Osceola, WI

Wisconsin Constructor® / Issue 4 9

Unlike many general contractors,Community Living Solutions serves onlyone market—the senior living industry.As a result they have developed a deepexpertise in this kind of specialized work,including minimizing disruption in thedaily lives of the seniors who alreadyreside on-site. “Community Living Solutions really

knows the senior living market, with trueexperts on their staff,” states Kirk Haver-land, Vice President of Larson Engineer-ing in Appleton. “One of the mostimpressive things to me is their emphasison helping clients get what they reallyneed. They also assist with finding fund-ing sources. Their construction expertsmake sure construction budgets areappropriate and not exceeded.”“It’s very important to anticipate every

challenge that may arise prior to startinga project, and to seek and share informa-tion from the staff serving seniors onsite,” says Martin. “We remain open andflexible and always communicate withthose delivering and receiving care.”A strong relationship with the Wis-

consin Department of Health Services isalso needed to build senior living facili-ties; more regulations, planning, inspec-tions, and paperwork are involved. “Wehave great respect for the DHS,” saysMartin. “They look at safety for seniors ina totally different light, which is reflectedin their regulations. But that is a goodthing—in our planning and constructionwe think like a caregiver, or a resident,rather than a contractor or builder. Ourjob is to build the most positive livingenvironment possible—that cannot bedone for this type of facility with themindset of the typical builder.” Community Living Solutions special-

izes in design/build new constructionand extensive remodeling/renovation.Services include strategic planning,visioning and consensus building, finan-cial analysis, market studies, masterplanning, feasibility studies, architecturaldesign, construction, and interior design.“We are a $3-4 million company that

is expanding at a responsible rate,” saysMartin. “We thoroughly enjoy partneringwith skilled-care providers. They arecare-driven, community-minded, andexist on thin margins. We want to deliverthe best possible value for their moneyand want every dollar spent in such away that it adds the most value.”

Delivering the PerfectSolutionCommunity Living Solutions was

formed in early 2007 with a focus onwork within Wisconsin. Since then thecompany has grown from five employeesto sixteen and completed projects in ninestates. “Because we have developednational repeat clients, we have expand-ed our geographical reach and buildfacilities for them in other states,” saysMartin.Community Living Solutions partners

exclusively with senior living providers.Many of its projects are continuum ofcare campuses that provide skilled nurs-ing, assisted living, and independentsenior living. “Because of our experiencewe can guarantee a depth of knowledge

and resources few others can provide,”says Martin. “Our skilled team of plan-ners, architects, and construction man-agers use a unique process that incorpo-rates visioning, market assessment, andfinancial feasibility to ensure that theplanning, design, and construction man-agement solutions we deliver enhancemarketability, increase revenue, andmaintain a strong bill of financial healthfor the future.”Community Living Solutions joined

AGC in 2007 and has benefitted frommany of its programs and services. “Forexample,” says Martin, “during the lastyear we have utilized and appreciatedservices in safety, governmental relations,legal consulting, and 401K program coor-dination. They do a great job of keeping

Glarner Lodge — New Glarus, WI

10 Wisconsin Constructor® / Issue 4

us informed on key issues and trends.”Of course, one of those trends is

financing. “One of the greatest challengesis how to help clients find financing,” saysMartin. “We have had positive success increatively finding sources of funding forour clients.” Another emerging challenge is the

financial health of trade contractors andsuppliers. The company has implement-ed a number of additional safeguards toboth identify financially challenged enti-ties prior to engaging them and to protectagainst default, such as requiring finan-cial qualification statements, bank refer-ences, letters of credit, and/or bonding.

Selected Projects

Glarner Lodge, New GlarusStarted in August 2009 and completed

in eight months, this 32,000-square-footassisted living apartment complex withSwiss architectural features was built intoa steep hillside in New Glarus. The 26-unit residential care apartment complexis adjacent to the main New GlarusHome campus. “To assure optimal placement of the

new building, a master plan for the com-plete campus was created to show thelong-term repositioning of the organiza-tion,” says Martin. In addition to the newapartments, the master plan called for thereplacement of the skilled nursing facilityand conversion of the existing skillednursing facility to community-based res-idential facility units. It also introduced a48-unit congregate independent livingbuilding while preserving the ability todevelop 24 additional duplex cottages.Community Living Solutions providedthe planning, design, and constructionservices for this project. "We are very grateful for the expertise

and professional guidance that Commu-nity Living Solutions (CLS) brought toour organization to achieve our goals forthe construction of Glarner Lodge,” com-ments Executive Director Roger L.Goepfert. “Their sensible approach toproblem-solving and to any projectchanges was invaluable. The entire teamseems genuinely concerned about theproject being exactly what the customerordered. Communications were conciseand fully detailed. Our project ended upbeing on time and within budget, whichare two things that are extremely impor-tant to a senior living provider.”

Glarner Lodge — New Glarus, WI

United Pioneer Home — Luck, WI

Wisconsin Constructor® / Issue 4 11

United Pioneer Home, LuckCommunity Living Solutions built this

53,000-square-foot nursing home ineleven months, replacing a 50-year-oldfacility. The new 50-unit skilled nursinghome consists of two 12-unit householdsand two 13-unit households. The maindining rooms feature a moveable wall thatallows for the space to become one largegathering area for all 50 residents duringlarge social gatherings. “The design they provided mirrored

our vision for elder care,” indicated Execu-tive Director Dan Valentine. “The architec-tural team made excellent suggestionsabout the flow of living space. They alsoassisted us deeply with financing.” Valentine indicates the project was very

well planned and took less than a year tocomplete, with winter conditions a non-factor. “The bidding process was totallytransparent,” he adds. “We viewed everybid and nothing was hidden. We werealso allowed to use local contractors,which provided local jobs and helped ourcommunity.”

Christian Community Home, OsceolaConstruction on this 52,000-square-

foot nursing home began in November2011 and was completed in October 2012.Osceola lost it’s only nursing home in2007 and the community partnered withthe hospital and Christian CommunityHome of Hudson to build a new nursinghome on the new hospital campus site.“The facility was designed to invoke

feelings of home, rather than an institu-tion,” says Tom Lemkuil, Senior Architectand Partner with Community LivingSolutions. “We created small-scale, 20-bed household wings in order to breakthe size of the facility into more intimateparts, while still providing as much choiceas possible for the residents in their dailyactivities.”Each household contains a den, screen

porch, laundry facilities, activity spaces,and access to exterior garden courtyards.The community center of the buildingcontains a large open dining area with adisplay kitchen at one end so the resi-dents can see and smell the food beingprepared. From this dining room the resi-dents can access a large interior courtyard,which allows for exterior dining in thewarm months while providing daylight tothe center of the interior spaces. “They did a great job,” indicates

Christian Community Home — Osceola, WI

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Administrator Dan Goodier. “This is alsothe first project we’ve ever had where allthe contingency funding was returned—they never promised us anything theycouldn’t deliver.”

The Pines, Valparaiso, IndianaThis 25-year-old retirement commu-

nity was in strong need of updating andexpansion. It faced numerous challengesincluding poor visibility/accessibility fromthe main thoroughfare, long double-loaded corridors, small common areas,and a lack of adequate space for largegroup activities. Community Living Solu-tions built 25,000 square feet of additionsand completed 40,000 square feet ofremodeling. The $10-million phased pro-ject started in November of 2007 and wascompleted in October of 2008. The facili-ty was 100-percent occupied throughoutconstruction.“The highlight of the project was the

transformation of the core area of thecommunity,” says Martin. This centralhub now includes a bistro/café, activityroom, wellness/fitness/spa center, beautyparlor/barber shop, mailboxes, and multi-purpose space to accommodate largegroups as well as chapel services. Ten newand several remodeled upscale apart-ments strategically located in each of thefour wings provide opportunities forupdating both interior and exterior archi-tecture. “From the beginning to the end of this

project we felt like a real partner,” saysCEO Laurie Mullet. “They listened care-fully to all our ideas. Tom Martin becamea trusted advisor in many decisions, suchas how to best relocate residents andstaff. The crews were very conscientiousabout making the construction schedulefit around our residents’ schedules. Theywere generous enough with their time tohold weekly meetings and constructionupdates with residents and even built anobservation deck so residents couldwatch them work. Long after Communi-ty Living Solutions had signed off on theproject we had a carpet concern; Tomcame down and took care of it rightaway—we really appreciated that.”

Bridgepath-Morrow Home, Sparta, WI This 30,000-square-foot administra-

tive and community-based residentialassisted living building was added to theMorrow Home continuing care retire-The Pines — Valparaiso, IN

ment community (CCRC) campus. Theproject started in June of 2010 and wascompleted in February of 2011. Theexpansion was needed to provide mem-ory care and frail/elderly assisted livingcare options in the Sparta community. “Communication with the Commu-

nity Living Solutions team was out-standing,” indicates Michael Bonello,Executive Director for the Morrow HomeCommunity. “Throughout the entireprocess, the Community Living Solu-tions team was highly attentive to ourneeds and would immediately respondto all our questions and requests. Theyalso discovered some very needed fund-ing to complete the project and helpedwith approvals and paperwork. Theycame in below budget. Everything wastransparent. It was a great experience.”

Future PlansCommunity Living Solutions has a

true passion for creating a better qualityof life for older adults and those who carefor them. “We are driven by a genuine

Community Living Solutions has been amember of the AGC of Wisconsin since 2008.

Wisconsin Constructor® / Issue 4 13

desire to create innovative, engaging, andsustainable business solutions thatstreamline operations, increase mar-ketability, and maintain a strong bill offinancial health,” says Martin. “Our salesvolume has been increasing over the lastfew years, due mainly to increased marketshare based on our specific market exper-tise. We expect this to continue.”A key part of the company’s success is

that they take the time up front to fullyunderstand what a client’s needs are (orassist them in actually determining whatthose needs are). Then they begin projectdiscussions with beneficial trend presen-tations and visioning. “Everyone has avoice and contributes to the final project,”says Martin. Committees continue towork together as the project evolves,ensuring an excellent flow of communi-cation and feedback. Furthermore, Com-munity Living Solutions doesn’t disap-pear once a project has been completed.“We maintain our relationships withclients to ensure their continued satisfac-

tion and success into the future.”One of Martin’s goals for Community

Living Solutions is to never grow so largethat management does not know thenames of the children of all the employ-ees. They’ve held true to this belief. “Thecommitment to have a relatively smallcompany with a family culture hasallowed us to maintain profitability andexceptional client satisfaction, especiallyduring the economic challenges that facethe construction industry today,” saysMartin. “We will continue to focus on thesenior living industry while maintaining asmall and talented company of profes-sionals to accomplish our work. As wemove into new geographical and servicemarkets we will expand our capabilitythrough responsible internal growth andfurther development of strategic partner-ships within our industry.” �

Bridgepath-Morrow Home — Sparta, WI