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Movers & Shakers: Shelley Kendrick, Ecumen

July 12, 2015 at 7:00PM

A look at the people behind the numbers in area business:

SHELLEY KENDRICK ECUMEN

Title: Chief operating officer/senior vice president of operations

Age: 52

Shelley Kendrick is continuing to help develop diversified offerings as newly promoted chief operating officer and senior vice president of operations at Ecumen, a Shoreview-based leader in senior housing and services.

Kendrick, who joined Ecumen in 2012 and previously was the nonprofit's vice president of operations, has 25 years of experience in health care, 21 of which have been in senior services.

"I've stayed with it over the years, having a passion for senior services and trying to find a new way to help people live well and in places where they want to live and in their own homes," Kendrick said. "So I'm very aligned with Ecumen and their mission."

Kendrick oversees operations at 38 Ecumen sites in seven states. She is responsible for management of all housing and care center communities, including quality of care, financial performance, facility maintenance, procurement, innovation and strategic development.

Ecumen's new approaches include Awakenings, a dementia care program that seeks to reduce patients' medication use, Kendrick said. Others include Abiitan Mill City, an independent living and memory care project in Minneapolis, and Zvago Glen Lake Cooperative, a senior housing project on Glen Lake in Minnetonka. Both are to open next year.

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Ecumen also has been expanding its home care and community-based services in the Twin Cities, adding to services operating in Duluth, Mankato and Litchfield, Kendrick said.

Kendrick previously worked as campus administrator at the Minnesota Veterans Home in Minneapolis and as executive director of health care facilities in Ohio and Minnesota. She has a master's degree in nonprofit business administration from the University of Notre Dame.

Q: How is the Affordable Care Act affecting Ecumen?

A: We see it affecting us into the future. Because of that, we try to focus on providing long-term care and support without government funding. With so many people reaching retirement age, it's a big challenge.

Q: How is Ecumen responding to that challenge?

A: About a decade ago, we started expanding from being a nursing home company to being a housing company. Now we really need to diversify our products and services so that we can focus on younger customers and focus more on wellness so that people can be more active and live in their homes, where we can bring services should they need them.

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Q: How does home care fit into Ecumen's model?

A: It's been a natural fit with our mission as we see the boomers wanting to live in their homes rather than institutions. It's a natural fit for us to provide those services.

Todd Nelson

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