Senior living advisory · Seattle, WA
I spent 30 years in senior living — starting as an assistant manager and working my way to Executive Vice President of one of the largest privately held senior living companies in the country, with responsibility for 57 communities. Salt Consulting is how I put that experience to work for owners and operators who could use a partner with deep, practical knowledge of this business. Whether that's a major strategic initiative, an operational challenge, integrating AI into your workflows, or just thinking something through together — I'm happy to help.
Services
From the earliest idea stage through daily operations and eventual exit — I've worked in most of these areas directly, which tends to make the advisory more practical. The scope is always tailored to what you actually need.
Demographic analysis, competitive mapping, and feasibility work to find markets with real demand — not just optimistic projections.
Unit mix, amenity strategy, and operational design that balances what residents want with what the P&L needs.
Pro formas, return analysis, and capital structuring built by someone who's had to live with the consequences of those numbers.
From hiring your first ED to your first move-in — the hundred critical details between construction and a thriving community.
Independent, detailed assessments of management company performance — financials, compliance, staffing, culture, and sales. Having sat on both sides of that table helps me know where to look.
When census is soft, costs are running, or the brand has drifted — I diagnose root causes and work alongside your team to fix them.
Building the skills and culture that drive census, retention, and satisfaction — from executive directors to front-line staff.
Feasibility, cultural adaptation, and operational planning for markets outside the U.S. I've worked directly in international senior living development and understand both the opportunity and the complexity.
Helping smaller operators scale thoughtfully — acquisitions, new developments, partnerships, and the systems to hold it all together.
When it's time to wind down or transition, I manage the process with care for residents, staff, and stakeholder interests.
I've been using AI extensively in my own work and have seen firsthand how it can improve senior living operations — not as a tech initiative, but as a practical set of tools that help people do their jobs better. I can help you create and implement an organizational AI program, or simply show your team how to harness what's freely available right now. The goal is better decisions, less busywork, and employees who feel more capable — not more overwhelmed.
Every engagement is different. Here are some of the ways we typically work together.
New developments, acquisitions, market entry — the big stuff that benefits from a partner who's been through it.
A specific challenge with a defined scope — an audit, a repositioning plan, a sales overhaul.
Longer-term engagements where I serve as a trusted outside perspective on an ongoing basis.
Sometimes you just want to think something through with someone who's seen a lot. No formal scope — just a conversation.
Results
These are real situations I managed directly. Some details are generalized to respect confidentiality.
Challenge
A 117-unit assisted living community was in serious trouble — 72% occupancy and declining, zero NOI, leadership instability, compliance concerns, and the owner facing the prospect of funding operational losses out of pocket. This was during the height of COVID-19, which made everything harder.
What I did
I took direct oversight and executed a comprehensive turnaround addressing staffing, compliance, culture, and sales effectiveness simultaneously. No single silver bullet — just disciplined execution across every dimension of the operation.
Result
Occupancy went from 72% to 99%. NOI margins reached a consistent 52-53%. The community was subsequently sold for $3M above the offered price and $6M over original development projections. Fourteen months, start to finish.
Challenge
A portfolio of six assisted living communities under common ownership was struggling across every metric — regulatory violations, low employee and resident satisfaction, and the owner questioning viability. The properties needed a complete operational reset.
What I did
Led the strategic turnaround from the ground up: new leadership in key roles, rebuilt operational standards and compliance protocols, and drove a culture transformation that changed how the teams thought about their work.
Result
Full regulatory compliance achieved across all six communities. Employee satisfaction hit 90% ("would recommend to friends"). Census grew steadily, and the portfolio was successfully integrated and positioned for a public offering — all within 11 months.
Challenge
A 149-unit independent and assisted living community had opened in a market that turned out to be smaller and softer than the developer anticipated. Occupancy was stuck at 64%. Then a 71-unit expansion — already committed — made an already difficult situation more complex: the existing building had to fill while construction disrupted daily operations, the new and old structures had to be physically and operationally integrated into one community, and when the addition opened, the total unit count jumped to 220, sending occupancy as a percentage into freefall.
What I did
Managed the full picture simultaneously — selling existing inventory, pre-marketing the new units, maintaining operations and resident satisfaction through the construction period, overseeing the physical tie-in of old building to new, and rebuilding the team and culture along the way.
Result
Occupancy reached 93% across all 220 units. The assisted living expense-to-revenue ratio dropped from over 100% to 52%. Staff turnover fell from 110% to 30%. The community became one of the top performers in the company's portfolio.
Team
Founder & Principal
I spent 30 years in senior living, starting as an assistant manager at a single community and working my way up to Executive Vice President with responsibility for 57 communities at one of the largest privately held senior living companies in the United States. Along the way I touched every part of the business — operations, sales, development, finance, compliance, international expansion, and team building at every level. I started Salt Consulting because after three decades, I know this industry well and I enjoy helping people navigate it. It's work I find meaningful, and I'm fortunate to be able to choose the projects where I can make a real difference.
I don't try to be an expert in everything. Instead, I've built a network of specialists — people I've worked with over the years who are the best at what they do. When an engagement calls for deep expertise in a specific area, I bring in the right person. The result is laser sharp work benefitting from a whole team of experts.
Areas where I have people to tap include:
About Salt Consulting
After 30 years in senior living, I've learned that the most useful advice comes from people who've actually done the work — who've managed the census dip, hired the team, dealt with the regulator, and lived with the consequences of the financial model. That's the perspective I bring.
I named the firm Salt because salt preserves and enhances. It makes everything around it better without trying to be the main ingredient. That's the role I try to play — useful, practical, and honest.
Everything I do is customized to your situation. You've built something — your own culture, your own systems, your own way of doing things. I'm not here to change your recipe. I'm here to help you make it better.
"We don't want to change the client's proven recipes. But even the best chefs will tell you — just about everything is better when you add a little Salt."
If you have a new project, a challenge that needs attention, something that could be better, or something you just can't quite put your finger on — I'm happy to talk it through. I only take on engagements where I'm confident I can add value. And if I'm not the right fit, I'll say so.
Contact
If you'd like to talk about something you're working on, I'm always glad to have the conversation. No formality required.
Based in
Seattle, Washington