Volume 17 Issue 1 » 29
LIVING WELL WITH
Dwayne Clark
Interview by Christian Chia Photos by William Walker
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Dwayne Clark is driven to transform the personal care industry through his fast-growing company , Aegis Living . He is an entrepreneur , author , philanthropist and wellness expert . Looking at growth in a five-year block , he says it isn ’ t about being the biggest company , but wanting to be the most creative , most caring , and the best employer . In this CEO-to-CEO interview , we explore Dwayne Clark ’ s thoughts on how he delivers on his vision .
You prefer using other terms than assisted living .
There are all kinds of phraseology . In fact , it is like a hotel industry . So , we like to think we are kind of the Four Seasons of care . We are building large and opulent buildings , and we do the highest level of care .
Tell us about your design philosophy . In Washington State alone Aegis offers Chinese , Italian and other inspirations . This nature-inspired arboretum in Aegis Living Bellevue Overlake has a waterfall , palms , koi pond …
We can improve your quality of life by the concept of biophilia . Every time we put hospital patients in a room overlooking a courtyard , they heal post-op twice as fast as the people looking at a brick building . This is not coincidence . As humans , we are connected to nature and our cellular structure improves when we look at the nature . This is the reason you send flowers to people when they are sick . Therefore , we incorporated these biophilia walls and greenery around , and it ’ s actually gone to the extent that we put a biophilia wall in our corporate office . We find our people get the flu less , colds less , and sick less . When COVID started , we changed our HVAC system to cleanse the air and recirculate it . So , whatever we can do through technology , we wanted to do it to create a better atmosphere and to extend people ’ s lives .
One of the cool and fun amenities is the floatplane in one of the courtyards . Another one is that we built a building in west Seattle where my mother-in-law lives . She was named after a tugboat and