Symphony Senior Living, an operating company with roots in Canada, has rebranded in the United States as “Symerica” and moved its headquarters to Florida.
Started in 2008, Symphony operates 16 communities. Four of those are located in Canada, where the company will continue to be known as Symphony Senior Living. But with a growing U.S. presence, the time came for a new name and look here in the States, founder and CEO Lisa Brush told Senior Housing News.
The company’s U.S. portfolio includes six properties in Iowa, five in Georgia, and one in Florida.
“When we decided to land in Florida, we found there were a lot of other Symphony properties, not just the post-acute [care company], but some one-offs,” Brush said. “We thought, this is a really good time for us to make this unique.”
Coming up with the new company name was a team effort and did not involve an outside firm, although a graphic designer who works on a contract basis did help define the new look. After gleaning input from people at both the corporate and community-level, “Symerica” emerged as the winner. More common words were considered, Brush said, but ultimately they did not tell a story in the way Symerica does, as a combination of “Symphony” and “America.”
“People want to have a story, so it had to have a story to tell,” she said.
Symerica’s logo is still the recognizable Symphony treble clef, but updated with a new blue and green background.
Communities operated by Symerica will maintain their current names. Symerica and Healthcare Trust Inc., its real estate investment trust partner, operate and own properties under the Addington Place brand, as well as some under the Prairie Hills name. Addington Place is the brand co-created by Symerica and Healthcare Trust; Prairie Hills was an existing brand with local market value, so the companies so far have decided not to rename those communities, Brush said.
The buildings are taglined, “Managed by Symerica.”
“At one point, we wouldn’t operate without the Symphony brand [on the building], but I changed my stance,” Brush said. “I’m not sure that the name on the building is the driving factor in what really attracts [residents]. The Symerica brand is about the people, culture, and operating methods we bring to a building. It could large or small, independent living, assisted living, memory care, we’re not developing a bunch of identical buildings.”
Moving forward, the Symerica headquarters will be located near Tampa, in Clearwater, Florida. The location makes sense for a number of reasons, Brush said. The airport is good, it’s easy to commute in and out of the area, and now is a good time for the whole leadership team to make the move, for personal and professional reasons. Plus, she can indulge in her passion for scuba diving, she joked.
In addition, the location makes sense given the company’s growth plans. Symerica has a “healthy pipeline,” Brush said, focused on the Midwest, Southeast, and mid-Atlantic states.
Written by Tim Mullaney
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