SUSAN B. BRECHT
susanb@brechtassociates.com

We are constantly creating successful strategies for meeting the many different challenges presented by our clients. Collectively, we have visited hundreds of innovative retirement communities throughout the country enabling us to bring new insights to our clients based on our experience and knowledge base. I'm proud of the fantastic team we've built at Brecht Associates. With our varied and complementary skills, we all share one unifying characteristic - passion about the work that we do.

Susan Brecht is considered a national leader in the senior housing industry and has helped to establish appropriate market research standards for all types of senior housing. Ms. Brecht is the author of the definitive book on planning seniors' housing, Analyzing Seniors' Housing Markets. She continues to publish articles in the field, including two on the active adult industry in the last 18 months. Ms. Brecht is a frequently invited speaker at state and national conferences. Her hundreds of clients, including both non-profit and for-profit organizations, have ranged across 30 states during her nearly 25 years as a consultant in the senior housing industry.

SANDRA FEIN

"I approach each project as a puzzle to be solved -whether conducting focus groups or helping a community in crisis. At those times, it feels like I'm not only finding the missing pieces of the puzzle, but also creating a framework that highlights the unique characteristics of the specific target market."

Ms. Fein has successfully pursued investigative research in healthcare and senior housing services in a career spanning more than 20 years. Ms. Fein's extensive experience with both not-for- profit healthcare and housing organizations and publicly held development companies has led to the successful implementation of numerous capital projects. She has experience as a project manager and consultant in strategic planning and new business development with clients across the United States. She authored an article on Market Saturation which was abstracted in "Assisted Living Focus" in 1998 and has had several featured articles on the BAI web-site.

LAINEY GALLAGHER

"Being part of a team that crafts dynamic and cutting edge studies to enhance and promote retirement living for seniors today and in the future is very satisfying to me professionally and personally."

With many years of developing and providing strategic marketing services to retirement communities nationwide, Lainey has firsthand knowledge of the nuances and occupancy challenges today's communities encounter. As a research analyst with Brecht Associates, Lainey's marketing expertise compliments her ability to analyze unique client situations and bridge the research findings with innovative strategies to position communities for success.
Ms. Gallagher, formerly a member of a national senior housing marketing firm, has developed and implemented strategies to assist clients in reaching their goal. Her experience encompasses managing advertising production, direct mail and telemarketing campaigns, planning and developing marketing events to optimize lead generation, REPS database support and detailed analyses, mentoring sales staffs and data analysis for marketing audits.

LAURA L. JONES

"It has been so rewarding to help clients with the difficult task of keeping their communities competitive in an ever changing senior housing market. The diversity of experience within the Brecht team enables us to understand the specific challenges a community may face and provide recommendations truly unique to each situation."

Laura L. Jones’ first hand knowledge of the daily operations and marketing challenges of a not-for-profit continuing care community brings a unique perspective to BAI. As an integral part of the highly successful marketing team for Kendal-Crosslands Communities in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, Ms. Jones gained a comprehensive understanding of the day-to-day challenges of operating and marketing a CCRC in the highly competitive Philadelphia region. In this role, Ms. Jones was responsible for maintaining full occupancy for independent living as well as developing and implementing marketing strategies to attract new prospects. Her strengths include strategic market positioning, website design and content management, advertising and sales. Ms. Jones is a member of Northern New England Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (NNEAHSA).

SUSAN A. KATZ

"I've played a role in helping a nursing home provider in Connecticut take a leap into the untested field of a CCRC for Alzheimer's care. In stark contrast, I have embraced the challenge of testing the feasibility of a community that empowers its residents to take on the delivery of services typically provided by staff in a traditional retirement community - all this while working for a company on the cutting edge of developing national standards for senior care. We really make a difference."

Formerly an Executive Producer for the NBC flagship station in Philadelphia and the PBS station in Wilmington/Philadelphia, Ms. Katz has six Emmy Awards to show for more than 20 years in broadcasting. Her interviewing and research skills are now combined with almost fifteen years of experience in the retirement housing field conducting market feasibility studies for both profit and non-profit organizations. She is not only particularly familiar with the many regulatory environments affecting assisted living and senior housing but her creativity provides an essential tool in formulating new strategies and approaches for developers.

KATE MORRISON

"Senior housing has changed so much in the past few years. What a pleasure it was to visit a lifecare community in Lancaster County where they are on the cutting edge of providing a new model for nursing care. The staff roles have been redefined, the needs and the desires of the residents are the primary focus, and finally-- the physical space feels more like home than the typical skilled nursing setting."

As research analyst at Brecht Associates Inc. Kate Morrison is responsible for identifying and surveying existing and planned competitive facilities including active adult, independent living, assisted living, dementia care and nursing facilities. In addition, she assists the consultants with various research requests. Prior to joining Brecht Associates, her background was predominately in marketing and sales for the entertainment, travel, and hospitality industries. As the director of membership sales for the area's visitor and convention bureau, she was responsible for recruiting and retaining a large member base for this non-profit organization. Ms. Morrison received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Ithaca College, Ithaca, New York.

NICOLE D. MULLER

"I enjoy the challenge of helping clients reinvent their existing communities and better position themselves for success in the marketplace. At Brecht Associates, I have also had the opportunity to craft unique methodologies to evaluate the need for adult day care, outpatient rehabilitation, dementia care, and active adult housing."

By directing the public relations efforts of numerous retirement communities, including upscale continuing care retirement communities and low-income urban senior communities, Nicole Muller gained a thorough knowledge of the senior housing industry. This first hand experience with the daily operations and marketing challenges of various types of retirement communities has brought special insight to Nicole's consulting work in market feasibility analysis. Ms. Muller is a contributing author of "Obstacles and Opportunities in Cities for Elderly Living," published in 2000 in the Seniors Housing and Care Journal, the Journal of the NIC Seniors Housing and Care Program at Johns Hopkins University.  She was the editor of Analyzing Seniors' Housing Markets, by Susan B. Brecht, published by the Urban Land Institute in 2002 and in this capacity conducted new reseach for the book. Since 1997, she has authored a series of consumer oriented articles for Philadelphia Magazine's semi-annual "Guide to Retirement Living."

BETH A. PALLESEN

"Over the last year or so I have worked with a municipal government (trying to set policy for senior housing development), a not-for-profit faith-based organization seeking to create an innovative new senior community on an existing campus, and several different private, for-profit companies.. All of them in different states, different markets and differing stages of familiarity with senior housing. I love the variety, I love the new challenges."

Ms. Pallesen has more than 20 years management and consulting experience in healthcare planning and marketing services on behalf of hospitals, managed care organizations, insurers, and employer groups. She brings a unique blend of experience in strategic planning, healthcare systems and market research. Her background includes market and competitive analysis, project management, contract negotiation, state regulatory review, provider credentialing, and new business development. Ms. Pallesen holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Holy Cross College in Massachusetts, and a Master of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts. She is a former board member of the Health Planning and Marketing Society of New Jersey, and has recently joined the North Carolina Association of Non-Profit Homes for the Aging.

PAMELA L. STEITZ

"Reaching out to community members to establish connections for our clients and uncover community truths is a rewarding exercise - and one that I think is so valuable. Our qualitative interview process is one of the areas that definitely sets Brecht apart from other firms. It's so terrific when you can uncover a wealth of information and data during an interview that you least expected to make a difference in the study."

Pamela L. Steitz has amassed more than 20 years of healthcare management experience in operations, planning and finance in hospitals, nursing homes, outpatient clinics and physician practices. Her accomplishments include overseeing the development and construction of a 19,000 square foot residential treatment center, leading the accreditation process at a major teaching hospital, managing the finances of a publicly traded diagnostics company and designing physician specialty networks. As a consultant to several nursing and rehabilitation centers, she's gained first hand knowledge of the wants and needs of today's seniors. Ms. Steitz holds a Master of Business Administration from Rutgers University, a Master of Social Work from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and a Bachelor of Social Work from Muhlenberg College, Pennsylvania.

Brecht Associates