A Culture of Promise: The True Story of a Small Company's Quest to Transform the Senior Living Industry - Hardcover

by Fee Stubblefield (Author)

As a boy, Fee Stubblefield promised his fiercely independent grandmother that he would never "put her in an old folks' home." That aspirational promise, made with love and care, would be something he always remembered-and a commitment he eventually made within the senior housing and care industry.

Seeking to create vibrant and engaging communities where we can thrive in our older years, Fee has encapsulated the best insights from his years in the industry in this book. He addresses everything from how to pick the right capital partners, hiring the best people for a culture of caring, introduces the concept of aspirational promises, addresses the deep issues in the industry exposed by Covid-19 and our attitudes toward a rapidly aging population.

Fee's passion was born of an unusual upbringing as part of a family that owned and operated Lehman Hot Springs and its sacred healing waters, a metaphor for the care needed by our senior citizens. He learned business lessons, like most entrepreneurs, through the difficulties and victories of the Springs Living communities. However, regardless of the lessons-the central core of the Culture of Promise is transparency, accountability, care, respect, and a commitment to the people at the heart of that promise.

Back Jacket

Growing up near Lehman Hot Springs, which his family owned and maintained in Oregon, Fee Stubblefield saw the power of its healing waters. He was raised in hospitality--caring for people and the sacred waters and land.

That commitment and care was a lesson he carried forward. But it was a boyhood promise he made to his grandmother, to never put her "in an old folks' home" that transformed his own life and led him into creating senior living communities, places that embodied the values and mission he held dear.

However, on the front lines of the senior living industry, Fee sees a gathering storm clearly exposed during the pandemic. There are simply not enough facilities and caregivers for the aging population--and the facilities that exist are often anything but home-like. Investment in the industry needs to happen now as the aging cohort grows. But the Culture of Promise must be paramount, ensuring that people are treated like family and cared for with dignity.