DES MOINES, Iowa — As part of the company’s plans to grow its rental seniors housing business, Life Care Services has hired Rick Westermann as vice president and senior director of marketing sales, and GeLynna Shaw as senior vice president and senior director of operations.
Westermann joins the company from A Place for Mom and Shaw from Brookdale Senior Living. The two join Chris Bird and Liz Bush as the senior leadership team in the Life Care Services rental division.
“In the next two to three years, our rental business will look much different than it does today,” says Joel Nelson, president and CEO of LCS. “We’re growing and calibrating our rental focus, and we’re building a team that will help us deftly navigate the opportunities ahead in senior living.”
“With a plan to open 17 new rental communities over the next three years, we want to ensure each achieves the level of success the company is accustomed to across its portfolio,” says Chris Bird, executive vice president and director of rental at Life Care Services.
Westermann will oversee the sales force at rental communities managed by Life Care Services, all marketing and lead acquisition strategies, and nurturing the sales process from prospective resident to move in.
Shaw will oversee day-to-day operations at all rental communities managed by Life Care Services, including directors of operations management and regional operations managers.
As part of the hires, Liz Bush will transition to the newly created role of senior vice president and director of integration and new development of rental at Life Care Services. Bush will oversee owner relations and the integration of new rental properties with LCS systems, programs and processes.