Behind the Scenes with Mike Craft, CEO of The Village at Germantown Senior Living Community
One thing all retirement communities have in common is that they can only thrive if they hire qualified, compassionate staff members who enjoy helping residents live their best lives. But there’s something truly unique about the folks who work at The Village at Germantown. We call it a servant heart … a desire to make every day the best day for our residents.
This atmosphere of trust, warmth and caring starts at the top with our CEO Mike Craft, who has truly found his calling at our family-like senior living community. Recently, he shared his thoughts about cultivating relationships, meeting everyday challenges and creating a lifetime home for all who reside here.
An Unlikely Journey from Accounting to Senior Living
Before arriving at The Village, Mike focused his career on finance, spending more than a decade with an international CPA firm and, later, as the CFO of a luxury hotel company. But one phone call changed everything.
“A business acquaintance called and said The Village at Germantown was looking for a new CFO,” Mike explains. “At the time, my wife and I were doing volunteer work with seniors at our church, and we absolutely loved the experience, so the idea of working at a senior living community sounded great. After my first interview, I was sold. The campus was beautiful and, more importantly, residents and staff members all just seemed happy.” As it turned out, The Village was happy to have him, and Mike accepted the position in August of 2018.
Fate stepped in once again when the position of CEO opened just a couple of months later. Initially, Mike didn’t plan on throwing his hat into the ring, but a group of residents who called themselves “The Barflies” convinced him otherwise. “We were chatting at the Polo Lounge one evening and they asked me if I was going to apply,” Mike says. “I told them I didn’t think I’d been here long enough, and they replied ‘We don’t care. We like you.’ So, I figured if that’s all it took, I’d give it a shot. Well, one thing led to another, and I assumed the role in January 2019. I haven’t looked back.”
Relationships Are the Bedrock of Community
Mike likes to joke that The Village is already a beautiful retirement community with a caring staff, and his job is to not mess things up. “Seriously though,” he laughs, “my vision for The Village is simple: If a senior wants to live in a retirement community—or if someone wants to work in one—this is the community they’ll choose.”
He also notes that his hotel experience helped prepare him for his role at the helm of The Village. “It’s amazing how similar the two environments are. Both have marketing, dining,
housekeeping, maintenance and other common dimensions—and with senior living, there’s the added challenge of providing quality healthcare. We have very discerning residents, and we try to exceed their expectations every day.”
A big part of meeting this goal is relationships. While every business is people oriented, Mike says he’s never worked in a field in which personal connections count as much as they do in senior living. “We have about 350 residents and patients at any given time, and when you factor in all their family members, that’s a lot of relationships to maintain,” he explains. “It’s important to make everyone—family included—feel comfortable and secure. Sometimes the circumstances can be a bit stressful, but we’re always working together toward the same objective. It’s one more thing I love about my ‘job.’”
Caring Senior Living Communities Are Built on the “Little Things”
Staff members routinely describe The Village as a “mission field,” and Mike couldn’t agree more. “Serving this segment of God’s people is equally as worthy as any other religious or humanitarian cause,” he stresses. “Many consider us a part of their family.”
While Mike takes great pride in the well-appointed residences, gracious amenities and dining that beats any Germantown restaurant, he points out it’s the “little” attentions to detail that set our community apart. “I’ve seen staff members go out of their way to help residents solve a cell phone problem or deliver a certain pizza to someone who hadn’t had one...,” he says.
When it comes to delivering impeccable, heartfelt service, Mike also makes sure he’s walking the walk. “I try to treat residents and staff with a level of respect and provide the same level of service that I would hope our staff would want to model,” he explains. “One time a resident remarked that he loved a certain type of soft drink that wasn’t available around here. The next time I was away traveling, I made sure to bring him back a six-pack. It made his day … and mine.”
Adding Employee Satisfaction to Our List of Senior Living Awards
The strong connections and vibrant lifestyle at The Village have earned big kudos from Holleran Consulting, a nationally known firm specializing in engagement and satisfaction surveys in our industry. Earlier this year, The Village at Germantown received the Holleran Choice Community Award for engagement and satisfaction, placing us at the top benchmark for Life Plan Communities nationwide. Recently, we also received Holleran Choice Community recognition for outstanding employee satisfaction—scoring in the upper percentile of Holleran's benchmark.
“I was particularly proud of the fact that we were in the 93rd percentile for maintaining a work/life balance,” Mike says. “It reflects our goal of supporting our staff in their personal lives as well as while they’re here at work—and cultivating a happy, well-balanced team goes a long way toward providing that same experience to residents.”
See the Difference at Our Family-Like Retirement Community
Not long ago, a resident jokingly asked Mike how The Village keeps out all the mean, cranky folks. “I told her good people attract other good people,” he says. “It’s that simple.”
To meet our caring, dedicated staff and warm, welcoming residents, schedule your tour by calling 901-737-4242.
