In her role as chief revenue officer at Friendship Village Senior Services, Carmen Fronczak likes to involve as many stakeholders as possible when faced with a complex problem.
“I like to use a collaborative approach with all the key stakeholders,” she said. “I am surrounded by really smart people, so their input is invaluable to me. I like to start with an end goal in mind. This helps shift from the problem to envisioning the desired outcome. I also prefer to stay positive when addressing touchy situations.”
Friendship Villages of St. Louis is an independent, faith-based, nonprofit senior living and senior care company. “The company is an industry leader and early adopter of cutting-edge technologies to care for seniors and to enhance their health and well-being to extend and enhance their quality of life and has been recognized with every major national, regional and local ‘Best of’ list for every level of care,” the company said.
During the past year, with the worst of the COVID epidemic seemingly in the rearview mirror, Fronczak has focused on elevating Friendship Village campuses, recruiting new employees and developing the company’s next generation of leaders from within its own ranks.
Occupancy has increased to more than 90%, and resident satisfaction scores are at or above 95% at each of the Friendship Village campuses, the company said. The company was recently recognized by U.S. News & World Report as Best in Senior Living, based on survey results from residents.
In the coming year, Fronczak is embracing the challenge of meeting and exceeding revenue goals while juggling the challenge of increased costs related to inflation.
“My boss often states, ‘We are the Ferrari of senior living,’ and he’s absolutely correct,” Fronczak said. “But the cost of keeping that Ferrari on the road has gotten pricier.
“When you have a community that expects next-level cuisine, but filet mignon has gone up 20% in the last year, our chefs have taken that as a challenge to create an amazing, fine-dining experience and develop dishes that satisfy the palate, as well as our budgets, while keeping that delicious filet mignon on the plate,” she said.
Regardless of the challenge, whether it’s COVID-related, budget-related or work-life balance, Fronczak anchors her actions in a few core traits.
“I believe being authentic, vulnerable, inspiring and empowering are the most important attributes of a successful leader,” she said.
