New Epoch Senior Living Chairperson: Growth, Staffing Are Big Priorities

In late March, Epoch Senior Living Founder and CEO Larry Gerber died. His wife, Laurie Gerber, immediately picked up the torch and is leading the company into its next evolution.

As the company’s new leader, Gerber said she sees two main priorities for Epoch moving forward in 2023 and beyond: Solving staffing challenges and growing the business by adding new management contracts.

To get there, she sees advancing high-performing staff as an important part of creating a strong foundation for the company’s future. Team-building, mentoring and collaborative thought are all important concepts to her.

Advertisement

Gerber said she envisions a collaborative process among top-level staff and herself.

“Advisors, whether they become a formal advisory committee or a more informal committee to help me think through some issues and get different perspectives and think outside the box here,” Gerber said.

In the past year, EPOCH opened four new properties in Stamford, Connecticut, White Plains, New York and two in Lexington, Massachusetts that are currently in lease-up. Epoch currently operates five Waterstone Senior Living communities and 11 AL and memory care communities as part of its Bridges by Epoch brand. 

Advertisement

Gerber said she expects more growth to come in the form of additional management contracts coming in the future.

On staffing, she said she will focus on employee retention and training. Annually after communities are stabilized, Gerber said she wants to set new goals on how to reach them.

“I always want to be thinking about how we can do what we do better,” she added.

As outward pressures put a pause on new development, Gerber said Epoch teams will work on optimizing operations and efficiencies within existing communities.

“The market for the existing buildings, filling them up and improving the operations and dealing with the costs — all positive,” she said.

After a fruitful corporate career as CFO and partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Gerber was retired until her husband’s sudden death on March 25. Soon after he died, Laurie knew she needed to fulfill her husband’s vision of creating an impactful senior living provider.

Gerber said she shares Larry’s passion for caring for older adults, and saw the thoughtful work put in by Epoch teams across the portfolio day-in-and-day-out.

“It didn’t make sense not to continue to support everyone in doing their good work of providing dedicated care to residents,” she said.. “I want to continue to make Epoch a first-class company both in the way it serves seniors and as a great place to work.”

Larry Gerber left behind a lasting legacy with Epoch, having founded the company in 1997 and growing the organization throughout the Northeast. He was also actively involved at the Massachusetts Assisted Living Association as board chairman, and had served on the board of directors for the Massachusetts Senior Care Association and Hebrew SeniorLife.

Epoch intends to make additional hiring announcements in the near future, a sign that Epoch’s leadership team will be reflective of Gerber’s collaborative leadership approach. And she is ready to take the company into its next chapter.

“This is my mission and it’s what I am setting off to do,” she said.

Companies featured in this article: