Business Spotlight: The Montclair Retirement Community

Owner: The Shelter Group (Baltimore)

Founded: Jan. 1, 1988

Address: 1000 E. Montclair St., Springfield, MO 65807

Phone: (417) 886-2100 or (866) 483-8172

Fax: (417) 886-1150

Web: www.themontclair.com

E-mail: ahaase@sheltergrp.com

Services/Products: Secure, active, independent senior living in a homelike atmosphere

Employees: 58

Twenty years in business and an average occupancy rate of nearly 98 percent indicate The Montclair Retirement Community was in the right place at the right time when it opened its doors Jan. 1, 1988.

It also filled a unique niche in the marketplace, evidenced by the fact that the five-story, 195,000-square-foot structure at 1000 E. Montclair St. filled quickly.

Today, Executive Director Barbara Ray says, “We are full almost all the time.”

Parent company

The Montclair is owned by The Shelter Group in Baltimore. Since its inception in 1977, Shelter has developed or financed more than $1 billion in residential real estate. In 2002, The Shelter Group made the list of the National Multi-Housing Council’s Top 50 Management Companies in the United States.

Many years of housing experience, plus some astute business decisions, went into the opening of the Springfield facility.

Until the mid-1980s, The Shelter Group focused mainly on multifamily housing for people of all ages. Through its affiliates, the corporation financed, developed, managed and owned residential and business property in the Mid-Atlantic, New England and Southern regions of the United States.

But forward-looking planners realized that a whole slew of baby boomers would soon be demanding comfortable living where they would not have to mow the lawn, paint the eaves or worry about the leaky roof. That foresight evolved into senior-focused housing, and Shelter formed Brightview Senior Living LLC.

There are now 1,800 Brightview residences in eight states.

One of a kind

The Montclair is Brightview’s only Missouri facility. The Springfield community was one of the company’s first forays into the Midwest.

According to Jonathan Tapner, Brightview’s director of regional operations, the site was chosen because of “the natural beauty of the area, the moderate cost of living – in general, the quality of life there.”

Tapner credits the Montclair’s staff for the facility’s strong occupancy rate.

“Also, we offer fully functional independent living,” he says. “Folks are there not because they have to be or because they need to be, but because they want to be there. And that makes all the difference.”

Montclair Director Ray describes the residential community as “safe, supportive, distinctive, independent senior living in a family atmosphere.” Ray says everybody is on a first-name basis, and the staff strives for privacy, concern and service for its residents.

Located just off East Battlefield’s retail district, the facility offers 158 apartments, and there are 175 current residents. Rates range from $1,620 to $2,930 per month, based on square footage of four floor plans, and include meals, housekeeping and transportation.

Two for 20

The facility sponsors regular programs aimed at keeping its residents informed on community and health issues. Recent examples include a forum on the symptoms of heart attack and stroke, and a presentation by Greene County Commissioner Harold Bengsch on the area’s growth and related concerns.

The highlight of the Montclair’s 20th anniversary celebration was a June 13 dance open to residents and the general public with music by Caduceus – The Doctors Band. Other events include a wine and cheese party and a Talbot’s fashion show.

Three of the Montclair’s original employees, including Ray, are still there, and two residents also are celebrating 20 years of calling it home. One has been given a personal parking space. The other longtime resident will celebrate with her own private garden located just outside her window. It will be named “The Frances Shanks Garden.”

While there are no immediate plans for another Brightview property in the Midwest, Tapner says, “We’re always looking for possibilities.”