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“ Growth is an interesting concept because I think it shouldn’ t be measured by quantity, but by quality. At some point, we had to make the hard call to divest our functionally obsolete communities. It was tough, but it led to profitability. That’ s similar to the 80 / 20 rule. Not only did the economics change for Meridian, but the biggest benefit was that our field teams started winning, which boosted morale and dedication.”
That decision sharpened Meridian’ s focus and built momentum across the company. Success on the community level strengthened employee engagement and reinforced a leadership philosophy rooted in trust, accountability, and continuity. For Kacy, culture starts with the people at the leadership table.“ Some of us have worked together for 20 or even 30 years, through different companies, economic cycles, growth, and tough times. You just can’ t manufacture that kind of trust and shared experience. We know each other’ s strengths, we challenge one another, and we stay aligned. Most importantly, after all these years, we still choose to work together.” That consistency runs deeper than just senior leadership. Meridian’ s mindfulness program, introduced several years ago, shows Kacy’ s belief that employee well-being and operational performance are closely tied.“ We take care of ourselves so we can take care of others.”
Lessons from China
One of the most influential chapters in Meridian’ s development took place outside the US. Over six years, Meridian helped establish more than 26 continuing care retirement and senior healthcare communities across mainland China. What began as an effort to share operating expertise evolved into something else entirely.“ We went to China with an operating model based largely on our own approach to senior
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